Customer Reviews

Festival Album

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Many know The Crusaders as a popular instrumental funk band who scored big with a vocal called "Street Life," and had a talented keyboardist by the name of Joe Sample.

What some people don't know is that before The Crusaders took a left turn, they could swing!

Here, the Jazz Crusaders, (their name was changed to the Crusaders for commercial reasons) are featured at the Pacific Jazz Festival. This album was originally released on Pacific Jazz in 1966 and was out of print for many years. Thankfully, it has been re-issued onto cd in 2005, for us to appreciate this album well into the 21st century.

With a spoken introduction, the album goes right into Trance Dance. As stated on the album, "I hope you dig it!"

The Crusaders made a drastic change, musically. You wouldn't even know it was the same band, with the same musicians. As much as I do enjoy the later commercialy successful Crusaders, this is where it's at, with The Jazz Crusaders on Pacific Jazz!

2005 proved to be a banner year in correcting the history of the Jazz Crusaders. Mosaic's box set of the core group's Pacific Jazz studio recordings puts this group on the mantle it so richly deserves as a solid hard bop unit of the 1960s before they transformed themselves into a solid funk group of the 1970s. As for live recordings of the Jazz Crusaders,only the first Lighthouse recording of 1962 and the last,Lighthouse '69,remain to be reissued. Let's hope EMI finds it in their heart to bring them out eventually. This "Festival Album" hits square in the middle of their time and features a nice long near 8 minute "Young Rabbits" and equally lengthy "Freedom Sound"-both songs might be considered "theme" songs of what the band was all about.

But wait till you hear the additonal twenty minutes culled from a 1968 date at Shelly's Manne-Hole. Joe Sample is just smokin' on both performances! Buster Williams is the bassist this time,my personal favorite filling the Jazz Crusaders revolving bass slot. Michael Cuscuna alludes to the fact that these two tracks are probably the only salvagable pieces from this recording,so there probably won't be a complete set for the public,but these two tracks are not your usual "bonus track" miscues,re-takes or filler found on many a CD. They are prime Jazz Crusader additions to the canon.

It's a live album, and it has all the energy and spontaneity

of the best musicians who have enthusiasm for everything

they play. There is a lot of great groove coming from

the 3 different acoustic bass players, the tenor sax is

interesting without being overwhelming, there is wonder-

ful phrasing from trombonist Wayne Henderson, and delight-

fully unpredictable yet expressive soloing from pianist

Joe Sample. Joe is the only player who became a success-

ful solo artist out of the group, though he is known for

his more contemporary r & b/soul jazz style, you will love

his 'straight' postbebop virtuostic playing on this album.

YOU MUST CHECK OUT HIS "FANCY DANCE" solo album, which

he recorded at about the same time as this album, during

the mid sixties! It is equally outstanding!

For the jazz enthusiasts, this is a great example of

the distinctive postbebop style which evolved from these

younger musicians associated with Blue Note. This album

is so classic it makes me feel as if I could have attended

this live festival yesterday, and it charges along with

such excitement that it is especially good when driving.

I always love good driving music, makes having to get

from here to there an enjoyable experience, it makes me

really grateful for the chance to enjoy some really

wonderful music!