Crusaders

The first album by the Jazz Crusaders (which started an extensive series for Pacific Jazz) introduced the colorful quintet. With trombonist Wayne Henderson and tenor saxophonist Wilton Felder giving the ensembles a unique sound, the group (also featuring regular members pianist Joe Sample and drummer Stix Hooper along with guests Jimmy Bond on bass and guitarist Roy Gaines) managed to strike a balance between creative hard bop and accessible soul-jazz. In addition to their version of "Theme From Exodus" (hoping to jump on the bandwagon created by Eddie Harris' hit rendition), the Jazz Crusaders perform originals by Felder, Henderson, and Sample ("Freedom Sound").

Recorded live at the Roxy, Scratch was one of the Crusaders' best recordings, an extravaganza of jazz and funk with great soloing from the group on top of a set of excellent grooves. From the loose-limbed funk of "Scratch" to a restless, understated version of their live standard "Eleanor Rigby" (which they'd been performing live for over six years), the Crusaders displayed a command of R&B forms in a jazz context. Another cover, Carole King's "So Far Away," is betrayed by a muddy '70s arrangement and sound, but nothing else here fails to illustrate the excellence of the best R&B group in the jazz world.

This new fun-filled, very brassy, and stylistically diverse collection features Felder on only three tracks, but, not surprisingly, one of the best is "Down Yonder," a gospel-inflected midtempo funk number that joyfully recalls the old Crusaders' Southern roots. Elsewhere, it's more a gathering of contemporary greats, with Henderson forming tasty horn sections with guest saxmen Everette Harp (on the bouncy cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed," also featuring a crisp Norman Brown guitar solo) and Ronnie Laws.