The Crusaders are an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music group popular in the early 1970s known for their amalgamated
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
,
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group (some live and compilations), 19 of which were recorded under the name "
The Jazz Crusaders" (1961–1970).
History
In 1960, following the demise of a few short-lived
HoustonHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
-based groups called
The Swingsters and the
Nite Hawks,
pianistThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Joe SampleJoseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano...
,
drummerA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Stix HooperNesbert "Stix" Hooper is an American soul jazz/hard bop jazz drummer born in Houston, Texas, probably best known for founding his group The Swingsters, which later became known as The Jazz Crusaders.-References:...
,
saxophonistThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Wilton FelderWilton Lewis Felder is both a saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of The Crusaders, initially called the Jazz Crusaders. Felder, Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper founded the group while in high school in Houston...
and
trombonistThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
Wayne HendersonWayne Henderson is a soul-jazz and hard bop trombonist and record producer. In 1961, he co-founded the soul jazz/hard bop group The Jazz Crusaders...
relocated to
Los Angeles, CALos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. After changing their name to "The Jazz Crusaders," the group signed with
Pacific Jazz RecordsPacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by Richard Bock and drummer Roy Harte in 1952....
, where they would remain throughout the 1960s. Employing a two-manned front-line horn section (
tromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and
tenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
), the group's sound was rooted in
hard bopHard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
, with an emphasis on
R&BRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul.
The group shortened their name to "The Crusaders" in 1971, and adopted a
jazz-funkJazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
style. They also incorporated the
electric bassThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
into their music. Bass guitarist Robert "Pops" Popwell and guitarist
Larry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
joined the band, and featured on the group's albums throughout most of the 1970s. With this new style came increased crossover appeal, and the group's recordings started to appear on the Billboard pop charts. The height of the group's commercial success came with 1979's Street Life, which peaked at #18 on the pop album charts and the title track from the album made the Top 10 on the R&B chart and #36 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
In 1975, following the release of their 28th album (their ninth as "The Crusaders"), Henderson left the group to pursue a full-time career as a
producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. His departure created a void, permanently changing the character of the group. Another founding member, Hooper, left the group in 1983, thus signaling the end to the group's most popular period. Three more albums were recorded in the mid-1980s; however by the 1990s, "The Crusaders", for the most part, had disbanded, with a comprehensive discography behind them.
In 1991, The Crusaders (with Sample and Felder the only original members present) released Healing the Wounds. The album peaked at #1 on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart and #174 on the
Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The group did not release any more albums during the decade, as Sample focused on a solo career.
Henderson, who had left the group in 1975, revived the "Jazz Crusaders" moniker (despite Sample's objections) for 1995's Happy Again. The lineup for Happy Again included founding member Wilton Felder and former Crusaders guitarist Larry Carlton. The new Jazz Crusaders released a series of recordings in the late 1990s, but the music bore little resemblance to the acoustic, hard bop style of the original group.
In 2003, founding members Sample, Felder and Hooper revived The Crusaders and released Rural Renewal.
Ray Parker Jr.Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...
and
Eric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
played guitar on the album. That same year, the Henderson-led Jazz Crusaders released Soul Axess.
In April 2010, Joe Sample announced a reunion tour with Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder (but not Stix Hooper) - the first reunion of these founding members of the Jazz Crusaders since 1974. Concert dates in Oakland and Long Island have been promoted online, with a full 2010 tour schedule expected to be released shortly.
Albums as The Jazz Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
Type |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1961 |
Freedom Sound |
Studio A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
|
Pacific Jazz Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record label best known for releasing cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded by Richard Bock and drummer Roy Harte in 1952....
|
ST-27 |
| 1962 |
Lookin' Ahead |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-43 |
| 1962 |
The Jazz Crusaders at the Lighthouse |
LiveA concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
|
Pacific Jazz |
ST-57 |
| 1963 |
Tough Talk |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-68 |
| 1963 |
Heat Wave |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-76 |
| 1963 |
Jazz Waltz (w. Les McCann) |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-81 |
| 1964 |
Stretchin' Out |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-83 |
| 1965 |
The Thing |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-87 |
| 1965 |
Chile Con Soul |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20092 |
| 1966 |
Live at the Lighthouse '66 |
Live |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20098 |
| 1966 |
Talk That Talk |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20106 |
| 1966 |
The Festival Album |
Live |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20115 |
| 1967 |
Uh Huh |
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20124 |
| 1968 |
Lighthouse '68 |
Live |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20131 |
| 1968 |
Powerhouse Powerhouse is a 1969 album by The Jazz Crusaders. It was their fourteenth album produced by Richard Bock for World Pacific Jazz Records. It was the first album in which Joe Sample played on the Fender Rhodes and according Thom Jurek in his All Music review, would mark a turning point for the band.-...
|
Studio |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20136 |
| 1969 |
Lighthouse '69 |
Live |
Pacific Jazz |
ST-20165 |
| 1970 |
Give Peace a Chance |
Studio |
LibertyLiberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
|
LST-11005 |
| 1970 |
Old Socks, New Shoes |
Studio |
Chisa |
CS-804 |
Compilations as The Jazz Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1969 |
The Best of the Jazz Crusaders |
World Pacific |
ST-20175 |
| 1973 |
Tough Talk |
Blue Note |
BN-LA170-G2 |
| 1975 |
The Young Rabbits |
Blue Note |
BN-LA530-H2 |
| 1980 |
Live Sides |
Blue Note |
LT-1046 |
| 1993 |
The Best Of |
Pacific Jazz |
CDP 077778928324 |
| 2005 |
The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions |
Mosaic |
MD6-230 |
Albums as The Jazz Crusaders (Wayne Henderson & Wilton Felder)
| Year |
Title |
Type |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1995 |
Happy Again |
Studio |
Sin-Drome |
9950322 |
| 1996 |
Louisiana Hot Sauce |
Studio |
Sin-Drome |
SD-8924 |
| 1998 |
Breakin' Da Rulz! |
Studio |
Indigo Blue |
4634170792 |
| 2000 |
Power of Our Music - The Endangered Species
Cookin' Live, Wild In South Africa |
Live |
Indigo Blue |
1144790972 |
| 2003 |
Soul Axess |
Studio |
True Life Jazz |
|
| 2006 |
Alive in South Africa |
Live (Reissue) |
True Life Jazz |
|
Albums as The Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
Type |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1971 |
Pass the Plate |
Studio A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
|
Chisa |
CS-813 |
| 1972 |
Hollywood |
Studio |
MoWest |
MW-118L |
| 1972 |
1 |
Studio |
Blue ThumbBlue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
|
BTS-6001 |
| 1973 |
The 2nd Crusade |
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BTS-7000 |
| 1973 |
Unsung Heroes |
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BTS-6007 |
| 1974 |
Scratch |
Live |
Blue Thumb |
BTS-6010 |
| 1974 |
Southern Comfort -Reception:The Allmusic review by Jason EliasThe follow-up to 1973's Unsung Heroes was the first of the group's Blue Thumb efforts to be distributed by ABC Records. The label switch also coincided with the inclusion of lyrical guitarist Larry Carlton as a full-fledged member...
|
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BTSY-9002 |
| 1975 |
Chain Reaction -Reception:The Allmusic review by Jim NewsomOne of the tastiest concoctions of the mid-'70s jazz-fusion era, Chain Reaction finds the Crusaders at the top of their form. The compositions are both accessible and memorable, and the playing is uniformly excellent. Guitarist Larry Carlton delivers some...
|
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BTSD-6022 |
| 1976 |
Those Southern Knights - Track listing :#"Spiral" - – 6:10#"Keep That Same Old Feeling" – 5:34#"My Mama Told Me So" – 4:47#"Til' the Sun Shines" – 2:44#"And Then There Was the Blues" – 9:36...
|
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BTSD-6024 |
| 1977 |
Free as the Wind |
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
|
| 1978 |
Images |
Studio |
Blue Thumb |
BA-6030 |
| 1979 |
Street Life |
Studio |
MCA |
|
| 1980 |
Rhapsody and Blues |
Studio |
MCA |
MCAD-1662 |
| 1981 |
Ongaku Kai - Live in Japan |
Live |
Crusaders |
CRP-16002 |
| 1981 |
Standing Tall Standing Tall is the 14th album by the jazz group The Crusaders after they changed their name from The Jazz Crusaders, and their 3rd studio album with MCA Records...
|
Studio |
MCA |
5254 |
| 1982 |
Royal Jam Royal Jam is a live recording by the jazz-funk band The Crusaders with B. B. King and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was recorded at London's Royal Festival Hall in September 1981.- Track listing :...
|
Live |
MCA |
2-9017 |
| 1984 |
Ghetto Blaster |
Studio |
MCA |
|
| 1986 |
The Good and the Bad Times |
Studio |
MCA |
5781 |
| 1988 |
Life in the Modern World |
Studio |
MCA |
42168 |
| 1991 |
Healing the Wounds |
Studio |
GRPGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
|
GRD-9638 |
| 2003 |
Rural Renewal |
Studio |
PRA/Verve |
|
| 2004 |
Live in Japan 2003 (only released in Japan) |
Live |
PRA |
VACM-1252 |
Compilations as The Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1973 |
At Their Best |
Motown |
M-796V1 |
| 1976 |
The Best of the Crusaders |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTSY-6027 |
| 1987 |
The Vocal Album |
MCA |
42057 |
| 1988 |
Sample a Decade |
Connoisseur |
VSOP-LP131 (UK) |
| 1990 |
16 Original World Hits |
MCA |
2292-56787-2 LZ (Germany) |
| 1992 |
The Golden Years |
GRP |
GRD-3-5007 |
| 1994 |
Best of Best |
MCA |
MVCZ-15020 (Japan) |
| 1994 |
And Beyond... |
Music Collection |
MCCD-163 (UK) |
| 1994 |
Best |
Pickwick |
PWKS-4231 (UK) |
| 1995 |
The Ultimate Compilation |
Nectar |
NTRCD035 (UK) |
| 1995 |
The Greatest Crusade |
Calibre |
CLBCD-5501 (UK) |
| 1995 |
The Ultimate |
Castle |
CCS-CD-420 (UK) |
| 1995 |
Soul Shadows |
Connoisseur |
VSOP-CD-212 (UK) |
| 1996 |
The Best of the Crusaders |
MCA |
MCBD-19528 (UK) |
| 1996 |
Way Back Home |
Blue Thumb |
BTD-4-700 |
| 1998 |
Priceless Jazz Collection |
GRP |
GRD-9892 |
| 2000 |
The Crusaders' Finest Hour |
VerveVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
|
543762-2 (Germany) |
| 2003 |
Groove Crusade |
Blue Thumb |
0731458994428 (UK) |
| 2007 |
Gold |
Hip-O / Verve |
B0008268-02 |
Singles as The Nite Hawks
| Year |
Title |
From album |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1959 |
Chicken Grabber / Big Top |
(only on 45) |
Del-Fi |
4122 |
Singles as The Night Hawks
| Year |
Title |
From album |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1961 |
Bunny Ride / Sweetie Lester |
(only on 45) |
Pacific Jazz |
X-352 |
Singles as The Jazz Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
From album |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1962 |
Tonight / Sinnin' Sam |
Lookin' Ahead |
Pacific Jazz |
X-340 |
| 1962 |
The Young Rabbits / Song of India |
Lookin' Ahead |
Pacific Jazz |
X-342 |
| 1962 |
Congolese Sermon / Weather Beat |
(only on 45) |
Pacific Jazz |
X-357 |
| 1963 |
No Name Samba / Tough Talk |
Tough Talk |
World Pacific |
X-371 |
| 1963 |
Turkish Black / Boopie |
Tough Talk |
World Pacific |
X-388 |
| 1963 |
Spanish Castles / Bluesette |
Jazz Waltz (w. Les McCann) |
World Pacific |
406 |
| 1964 |
Heat Wave / On Broadway |
Heat Wave |
World Pacific |
401 |
| 1964 |
I Remember Tomorrow / Long John |
Stretchin' Out |
World Pacific |
412 |
| 1965 |
Tough Talk / The Thing |
The Thing |
World Pacific |
77800 |
| 1965 |
Aqua Dulce / Soul Bourgeoisie |
Chile Con Soul |
World Pacific |
77806 |
| 1966 |
Scratch / Uptight |
Talk That Talk |
Pacific Jazz |
88125 |
| 1968 |
Ooga-Boo-Ga-Loo / Eleanor Rigby |
Lighthouse '68 |
Pacific Jazz |
88144 |
| 1968 |
Hey Jude / Love and Peace |
Powerhouse |
Pacific Jazz |
88146 |
| 1969 |
Get Back / Willie and Laura Mae Jones |
Lighthouse '69 |
Word Pacific Jazz |
88153 |
| 1970 |
Way Back Home / Jackson |
Old Socks, New Shoes |
Chisa |
C-8010 |
Singles as The Crusaders
| Year |
Title |
From album |
Label |
Label-Nr |
| 1971 |
Pass the Plate / Greasy Spoon |
Pass the Plate |
Chisa |
C-8013 |
| 1972 |
Spanish Harlem / Papa Hooper's Barrelhouse Groove |
Hollywood |
MoWest |
MW-5025F |
| 1972 |
Mosadi / Put It Where You Want It |
1 |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-208 |
| 1972 |
So Far Away / That's How I Feel |
1 |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-217 |
| 1973 |
Don't Let It Get You Down / Journey from Within |
Second Crusade |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-225 |
| 1973 |
That's How I Feel / Take It or Leave It |
1 |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-232 |
| 1974 |
Lay It on the Line / Let's Boogie |
Unsung Heroes |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-245 |
| 1974 |
Scratch / Way Back Home |
Scratch |
Blue Thumb |
BTA-249 |
| 1974 |
Stomp and Buck Dance / A Ballad for Joe (Louis) |
Southern Comfort |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTA-261 |
| 1975 |
Creole / |
Chain Reaction |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTA-267 |
| 1976 |
Keep That Same Old Feeling / Til' the Sun Shines |
Those Southern Knights |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTA-269 |
| 1976 |
And Then There Was the Blues / Feeling Funky |
Those Southern Knights |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTA-270 |
| 1977 |
Feel It / The Way We Was |
Free As The Wind |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BT-272 |
| 1977 |
Free as the Wind / |
Free as the Wind |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BTA-273 |
| 1978 |
Covert Action / Bajou Bottoms |
Images |
ABC Blue Thumb |
BT-278 |
| 1979 |
Street Life / The Hustler |
Street Life |
MCA |
41052 |
| 1980 |
Soul Shadows / Sweet Gentle Love |
Rhapsody & Blues |
MCA |
41295 |
| 1981 |
I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today / Standing Tall |
Standing Tall |
MCA |
51177 |
| 1981 |
This Old World's Too Funky for Me / Standing Tall |
Standing Tall |
MCA |
51222 |
| 1984 |
New Moves / Dead End |
Ghetto Blaster |
MCA |
52365 |
| 1986 |
The Way It Goes / Good Times |
The Good and Bad Times |
MCA |
52966 |
| 1988 |
A.C. (Alternating Currents) / Mullholland Nights |
Life in the Modern World |
MCA |
53330 |