Jazz Articles about Crusaders

The Crusaders: A Retrospective

by Jason Elias
October 17, 2023

With the esteemed jazz/funk/fusion band the Crusaders as a guide, one could trace the rise and fall of commercial jazz in all in many of its permutations. The core group that is the most recognized was founded in Texas and comprised Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor sax and bass), Stix Hooper (drums) and Wayne Henderson (trombone.) In the early days, the then Jazz Crusaders fashioned a studious, hard-bop sound on the label World Pacific that appeared on songs like ...

The Crusaders: Live at Montreux 2003

by Jerry D'Souza
February 11, 2009

The Crusaders Live at Montreux 2003 Eagle Eye Media 2009

The Jazz Crusaders was formed in 1960 from a group that played together in Houston, Texas. Stix Hooper, Joe Sample and Wilton Felder moved out to form the new band and pulled in Wayne Henderson to complete the basic quartet. They got rid of “Jazz" in the group's title in 1971, a reflection of the assimilation of the different streams their music imbibed including ...

The Jazz Crusaders: The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions

by George Harris
April 5, 2006

If songs like “Scratch" come to mind when you think of the Jazz Crusaders, you are in for a real treat with this six-CD set. Originally including “jazz" in their moniker, Wayne Henderson (trombone), Wilton Felder (tenor), Joe Sample (piano) and Stix Hooper (drums) put together a collection of studio recordings that offers a pleasant surprise for mainstream jazz fans. This rocking set reveals the origins and many directions this multifaceted band took during the musically tumultuous '60s.

Listening to ...

Jazz Crusaders: The Pacific Jazz Quintet Studio Sessions

by C. Andrew Hovan
November 7, 2005

You would think that in this day and age of compact disc reissues and with many years of activity under our belts that just about everything worthy of release has at one time or another made it to the stores. But even though jazz stands in good steed these days in terms of the availability of classic music, there still exists small pockets of music that have somehow eluded us and that is where this set falls. And when a ...

The Crusaders: Crusaders I

by John Ballon
November 23, 2003

Most people think that when the Jazz Crusaders dropped the “Jazz" from their name, they also dropped the jazz from their playing. When the band first decided to call themselves the Crusaders, it was only to expand their musical horizons beyond what was narrowly defined as “jazz" at the time. True, the band quickly came to symbolize the commercial dumbing-down of once vibrant and creative jazz musicians in the lean years of the 1970s.And true, the band eventually ...

The Crusaders: Rural Renewal

by Farrell Lowe
May 18, 2003

A reunion can often be a poignant event, filled with old friends, happy introductions to new faces, and revisions to relational habits; it can also lead to ossification. Rural Renewal exhibits most of these features. Expect nothing new from this album, but if you're a fan of The Crusaders' 1980s music, you'll find more of that sound with this offering.

Every track features the smooth funk grooves that made this group a crossover hit. Everything is exactly in its place, ...

The Crusaders: Rural Renewal

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 8, 2003

It’s been more than twenty years since founding members Joe Sample (keyboards), Stix Hooper (drums), and Wilton Felder (saxophones) recorded together as the Crusaders. Though much proverbial water has since flowed under their bridge, with Rural Renewal the Crusaders get back to where they once belonged, straight to the heart of their joyous juke joint roots.

The first two cuts feature Eric Clapton on first acoustic and then electric guitar. The acoustic track is mostly a non-event, ...