Jazz

The Crusaders - Street Life (1979)

2017-04-03T14:27:33Z

The Crusaders - Street Life (1979)


01. Street Life
02. My Lady
03. Rodeo Drive (High Steppin')
04. Carnival Of The Night
05. The Hustler
06. Night Faces

Arthur Adams - Guitar
Roland Bautista - Guitar
Oscar Brashear - Trumpet
Garnett Brown - Trombone
Randy Crawford - Vocals
Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
Wilton Felder - CoSaxophone
Barry Finnerty - Guitar
William Green - Saxophone
Stix Hooper - Drums
Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
James Jamerson - Bass
Alphonso Johnson - Bass
Robert O'Bryan - Trumpet
Jerome Richardson - Saxophone
Billy Rogers - Guitar
Joe Sample - Keyboards

Although the Crusaders could not have known it at the time, their recording of "Street Life" (which features a memorable vocal by Randy Crawford) was a last hurrah for the 20-year old group. Their recordings of the next few years would decline in interest until the band gradually faded away in the '80s. However this particular set is well worth picking up for the 11-minute title cut and there is good playing by the three original members (Wilton Felder on tenor, soprano and electric bass, keyboardist Joe Sample and drummer Stix Hooper) along with guitarist Barry Finnerty; horn and string sections, plus additional guitarists are utilized on Sample's commercial but listenable arrangements. ---Scott Yanow, AllMusic Review

By 1979, Crusaders were a well established jazz fusion crossover act with leader Joe Sample providing keyboards, Wilton Felder saxophone, and “Stix Hooper” drums and percussion. Whilst viewing some chaotic scenes at the beginners slope at the Mammoth Mountain California resort, Sample came up with the idea for a song titled “Street Life” which reflected his love for the hubbub of the city. Along with writer Will Jennings, the pair crafted a catchy instrumental with a rare lyric to complement. The requirement for a classy singer to light up the song led to the keyboardist approaching solo artist Randy Crawford. They had previously worked together on Crawford’s 1976 debut album “Everything Must Change”, and the familiarity leads to the relaxed, almost frivolous and yet truly magical title track. Clocking in at over eleven stunning minutes, the song develops from a soulfully atmospheric intro leading into the explosive horn led party stomp, and virtuoso solos from Sample and Felder. But it’s Randy who steals the show, effortlessly rising through octaves as she joyfully delivers a performance that would instantly draw attention and eventually lead to a successful international solo career.

With such an outstanding and dominant opener, it’s difficult to view the remaining five songs without feeling a shade of anti-climax. That said, “My Lady” beats out a rhythm heavy slow groove which benefits from the celestially rising backing vocal harmonies. “Rodeo Drive (High Steppin’)” carries a delightfully upbeat saxophone melody, and “Carnival Of The Night” reflects the funky mellow approach that prevails throughout the collection.

“Street Life” is one of those rare moments where contemporary jazz and pop collide successfully, and although nothing can match the sparkling title track, the remaining five songs form a more than worthy collection of carefree gestures and cool tunes. ---hackskeptic.com

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The Jazz Crusaders - Happy Again (1995)

2019-08-06T14:33:53Z

The Jazz Crusaders - Happy Again (1995)


1 	Lock It Down	4:35
2 	When You're So Far Away	5:59
3 	Elephant Walk 	4:31
4 	Top Of The World 	6:46
5 	Fools Rush In	3:38
6 	Are You Part Of Me 	5:37
7 	Slyzappit 	5:44
8 	Rock Slide 	5:19
9 	La Luz Del Dia	5:55
10 	Jamaica	3:45
11 	Travelin' Inside Your Love 	5:24
12 	Young Rabbits 	3:18
13 	Uh-Huh! Oh-Yeah!	5:11

Acoustic Guitar – Peter White (tracks: 6)
Alto Saxophone – Wilton Felder (tracks: 9, 10)
Bass – Larry Kimpel (tracks: 1 to 11), Nate Phillips (tracks: 8)
Bass, Guitar [Guitars] – Johnny Reason (tracks: 8)
Drums – N'Dugu Chancler (tracks: 1 to 9, 11), Noel Closson (tracks: 13), Rayford Griffin (tracks: 10, 12)
Effects [Percussive Sounds] – Donald Tavie (tracks: 2 to 7, 10, 11)
Effects [Percussive Sounds], Written-By – Bobby Caldwell (tracks: 10)
Electric Guitar – Craig T. Cooper (tracks: 6)
Guitar – Ira Siegel (tracks: 13)
Guitar [Guitars] – Craig T. Cooper (tracks: 8 to 10), Dwight Sills (tracks: 11)
Keyboards – Bobby Caldwell (tracks: 10), Bobby Lyle (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 9, 11, 12)
Lead Guitar – Brian Price (2) (tracks: 7), Larry Carlton (tracks: 2 to 4)
Organ [Hammond] – Bobby Lyle (tracks: 6)
Percussion – Poncho Sanchez (tracks: 10)
Rhythm Guitar – Craig T. Cooper (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 11)
Soprano Saxophone – Wilton Felder (tracks: 6)
Tenor Saxophone – Wilton Felder (tracks: 1 to 8, 11 to 13)
Trombone – Wayne Henderson (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 13)
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 1, 4, 12)
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Roy Ayers (tracks: 4, 6, 11) 
+
Backing Vocals – Carol Perri, Darlene Perri, Lori Perri, Sharon Perri
Backing Vocals – The Benson Family and Friends
Congas, Guiro – Poncho Sanchez
Cowbell, Shaker – Ramon Banda
Euphonium [Miraphone B-flat Tenor Horn] – Wayne Henderson
Flute – Hubert Laws
Vocals – Bobby Caldwell, Wayne Henderson

When trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, pianist/keyboardist Joe Sample, sax-man Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders back in 1971, it signaled a more R&B-minded direction for the group -- they were always funky, but in the '70s, they became even funkier. And so, the names the Crusaders and the Jazz Crusaders came to stand for two different things -- if the Jazz Crusaders were synonymous with a funky yet acoustic-oriented approach to hard bop (à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), the Crusaders were about electric-oriented jazz-funk and fusion. In 1995, Henderson (who left the Crusaders in 1975) resurrected the name the Jazz Crusaders and produced Happy Again for the small, Los Angeles-based Sin-drome Records. Sample objected to Henderson's use of the name the Jazz Crusaders, although Sample and Felder were still part of the Crusaders. Confused? Suffice to say that different improvisers used the two names on different projects in the '90s. On Happy Again, Henderson oversees a lineup that includes Felder as well as trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarist Larry Carlton, keyboardist Bobby Lyle, vibist Roy Ayers, flutist Hubert Laws, and percussionist Poncho Sanchez (among others). With such an impressive cast, Happy Again should have been exceptional; it isn't, although Henderson does give a generally decent album of electric jazz-funk and pop-jazz. Some might argue that if Henderson was going to resurrect the name the Jazz Crusaders, this album should have been more straight-ahead and bop-oriented and that tracks like "When You're So Far Away" and "Elephant Walk" are too pop-influenced to be called Jazz Crusaders recordings. But while Happy Again is hardly the work of a bop purist, it's still a pleasant, if imperfect, outing, and in 1995 it was nice to hear Henderson taking some trombone solos again. ---Alex Henderson, AllMusic Review

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The Jazz Crusaders - Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes (1970/2008)

2017-02-10T13:43:04Z

The Jazz Crusaders - Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes (1970/2008)


01. Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again
02. Funny Shuffle
03. Why Do You Laugh At Me
04. Jackson !
05. Rainy Night In Georgia
06. Golden Slumbers
07. Jazz!
08. Time Has No Ending
09. Hard Times
10. Way Back Home

Drums – "Stix" Hooper
Guitar – Arthur Adams, Freddie Robinson
Piano – Joe Sample
Saxophone [Tenor] – Wilton Felder
Trombone – Wayne Henderson

Old Socks, New Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes was the final album by the Jazz Crusaders. Immediately thereafter they dropped the word "jazz" from their name, leaving them the Crusaders and most of the rest is history. This killer set was released on the Chisa label in 1970 and distributed by Motown. While the Jazz Crusaders had long made then-current popular songs part of their repertoire, and had moved from their hard bop origins into the soul-jazz groove years before, this disc was a shock, and sounded like a different band -- almost. For starters, pianist Joe Sample moved over the Rhodes for the majority for this date (he is still one of the greatest voices on this strange, imprecise instrument), and along with drummer Stix Hooper, saxophonist Wilton Felder, and trombonist Wayne Henderson, guitarists Arthur Adams and Freddie Robinson helped out on bass and guitar, respectively. The Jazz Crusaders soul-jazz sound slid on over to an early version of jazz-funk, without sacrificing any of its emotionally engaged interplay or melodic foundation. Still, hearing the two electric guitars, a fat, nasty electric bassline, and Sample's big chunky funk chords signaling the beginning of Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" as the album's kick off must have made fans do a double take -- until the horns kick in. It's trademark Jazz Crusaders there. The front line of Felder and Henderson with those near patented breaks of Hooper's would assure all that despite the electricity, the group was onto something new, different, and as greasy and soulful as they had been in the past. This is one of those forgotten Crusaders albums, being on the seam of their transition. Even Pass the Plate, which followed on Chisa, was better known than Old Socks and has been served by history a little better.

Henderson composed four tunes here and Sample one, and Felder's "Way Back Home," a live staple for the group, closed this set out. Henderson's tunes are the real stand-outs of the originals. "Funky Shuffle," with its slippery backbeat and alternating guitars before the rolling horns and Sample's all-over-the-keyboard chord voicings give the wide base for the melody. It's a subtle but addictive track with lots of compelling tonal colors -- and fine breakbeats by Hooper. Two other selections are gorgeous and very innovative readings of pop tunes: the version the Crusaders did of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" is rumored to have brought tears to the songwriter's eyes when he heard it. Sample plays both Rhodes and electric harpsichord on the tune, and Freddy Robinson's whispering blues fills turn a Southern soul number into a textbook exercise in arrangement and melodic improvisation. "Golden Slumbers" by Lennon and McCartney functions with the melody side in the chart from the very beginning, but the harmonic engagement of Henderson and Felder brings the mournful, sleepy intro some real melancholy as Sample, Adams, and Robinson color the entire center with quiet movement and shading before Hooper's drums kick it into gear and still it remains a ballad of stirring soul. Just before the recording ends, there's a wildly different and uptempo arrangement of "Hard Times," which became the group's soul theme on subsequent studio records and on the wonderful live LP Scratch. This one feels more defiant, more resilient, where the latter versions are all longer and dig deeper into the slow soul and blues bags. It's easy to love them all, but this is such a contrast to the others that it's worth noting. The set closes with another group standard: Felder's beautiful, midtempo shuffle "Way Back Home," that offers the same punch that its subsequent studio and live recordings does. It's pure soul-jazz and the evidence of the great experience this already seasoned unit has in allowing everyone to shine simultaneously in the most minimal of arrangements. Despite the fact that many serious jazzheads see this as the beginning of the creative end for the Crusaders, they are just plain wrong. This is the start of a new beginning, one that would roll on through most of the '70s and bring the group its greatest commercial and radio successes and makes them such an excellent source of inspiration and samples for hip-hop and dance music producers for another couple of generations. This is an absolute classic. [ The Crusaders '70s music brought such joy to so many people, it's a wonder this album was not available on CD in America until the 21st century. Verve reissued it as part of their excellent Originals series.]---Thom Jurek, AllMusic Review

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The Jazz Crusaders - Pacific Jazz Studio Sessions (2005) (6CD)

2011-12-24T17:10:14Z

The Jazz Crusaders - Pacific Jazz Studio Sessions (2005) (6CD)

CD1: 
1.The Geek
2.M.J.S Funk
3.That's It
4.Freedom Sound
5.Theme From Exodus
6.Coon
7.M.J.S. Funk (alternate version)
8.Coon (alternate version)
9.Song Of India
10.Big Hunk Of Funk
11.Tonight								play
12. 507 Neyland
13.Till All Ends
14.Tortoise & The Hare
15.In A Dream

CD2: 
1.Sinnin' Sam
2.Weather Beat
3.Scandalizing
4.White Cobra
5.Cathy's Delight
6.Congolese Sermon
7.One Leg Dance
8.Deacon Brown
9.Turkish Black
10.Brahms Lullaby
11.Boopie
12.Tough Talk
13.No Name Samba						play
14.Lazy Canary
15.Lonely Horn
16.Brother Bernard
17.Moon River.

CD3: 
1.On Broadway
2.Greenback Dollar
3.Close Shave							play
4.Free Sample
5.Mr. Sandman
6.Heat Wave
7.Sassy
8.Theme From “The L-Shaped Room” (T-Shaped Twist)
9.Some Samba
10.Stix March
11.Purple Onion
12.Long John
13.Robbins' Nest
14.You Are Sometimes Only Rain
15.Out Back
16.Bachafillen
17.I'll Remember Tomorrow
18.Polka Dots And Moonbeams
19.Sweetwater.

CD4: 
1.The Thing
2.Sunset In The Mountains
3.While The City Sleeps
4.White Cobra
5.New Time Shuffle
6.Para Mi Espoza
7.Soul Kosher
8.Tribute To Charles
9.A Trane Thing
10.New Time Shuffle (alternate version)
11.The Thing (alternate version)
12.Uptight (Everything's Alright)
13.The Shadow Do
14.Scratch
15.Isa's Chant.							play

CD5: 
1.Blue Monday
2.Night Theme
3.Uh Huh
4.Air Waves
5.Ice Water
6.Watts Happening
7.Promises, Promises
8.Love And Peace						play
9.Hey Jude
10.Sting Ray
11.Fancy Dance.

CD6: 
1.Love is Blue
2.Cookie Man
3.Upstairs
4.Firewater
5.Give Peace A Chance					play
6.I Think It Was A Dream
7.Black Bird
8.The Thrill Is Gone
9.Anita's New Dance
10.Space Settlement
11.All The Lonely Years
12.Another Blues.

Personnel: 
Joe Sample: piano; 
Wilton Felder: tenor saxophone; 
Wayne Henderson: trombone; 
Stix Hooper: drums; 
Jimmy Bond, Bobby Haynes, Monk Montgomery, Victor Gaskin,
  Leroy Vinnegar, Buster Williams: bass; 
Roy Gaines, Joe Pass, Arthur Adams: guitar.

A great discovery lies ahead for music buyers whose collections were assembled primarily in the CD era. And for others who let intervening years dull their memory of this band's truly original talent. The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions is the first major retrospective of The Jazz Crusaders, a band that, later in its lifespan, would highlight different influences and become one of the most popular bands in music. This collection, from the 1960s, presents them at a time when they were largely un-amplified, full of energy, and unbelievably prolific (sessions from 9 LPs are represented here, and that's just the studio stuff).

When they surfaced in Los Angeles in 1961, poised to make their first LP, no one knew quite what to make of these musicians who seemed unlike any other "west coast" organizations. Not only weren't they part of the west coast sound, whatever that was, but they didn't seem to even care about it or recognize its relevance. The Jazz Crusaders featured their own eclectic line-up; played a signature mix of sounds, all with an appealing, tight groove, that had more to do with the music's roots than a lot of the jazz they were hearing.

When Dick Bock of Pacific Jazz heard their music, he couldn't name it, categorize it, or resist it. Two tunes into their audition, they had a deal! With the music on this set - which, except for the band's premiere recording, appears on CD for the first time anywhere - we get to learn why, all over again.

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