Customer Reviews

Old Socks New Shoes New Socks Old Shoes (Reis)

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Back in the day, they were the Jazz Crusaders. Then, I suppose, to broaden their appeal, they became the Crusaders. Call them what you wish, but this was among the best music they ever made.

Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Wayne Henderson and Stix Hooper made some bold, brassy music. The Crusaders were dominated by a strong horn section, which not only led way out in front, but also provided gentle smooth harmonies.

Old Socks/New Shoes has a fine mix: their renditions of classic works like "Golden Slumbers", "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Thank You". They also put down their own signature tracks, like the classic "Way Back Home".

Wonderful jazz, regardless of the name.

I remember getting this album on LP during my sophomore year in high school, 1971. I was literally blown away by the infectious, jazzed-up, arrangements of popular tunes at the time as well as their own originals. I LOVED that big, southwest sound (now it's more PC to call it a Texas sound) that Wilton Felder was putting out on tenor and the R&B rhythms that Stix Hooper was laying down.

I didn't really think of this as fusion at the time - the jazz purists at my high school kind of eschewed my tastes for this stuff and Maynard Ferguson, but I didn't care - I liked it! This material was as much fusion as the outside CD's of the time - they just took R&B rhythms and voicings to the popular tunes and their own. At the time, there weren't a lot of people doing this with popular music, so I think it was innovative.

I never really was a fan of jazz trombone, or, really of two-horn jazz bands, but Felder and Wayne Henderson on trombine really carried it off. Joe Sample was the pianist. There were two guitarists credited, Arthur Adams and Freddie Robinson. There was no bass player credited. Felder played electric bass on some of their CD's and he might have done so here.

At this time, they were still called the Jazz Crusaders. They had started in the early 60s with a strong jazz combo tradition. They were moving more toward the soul-jazz/funk style, but did not have the slicker productions that they employed on their later albums, including Southern Comfort, one of my favorites.

I'm now listening to the CD version. When I saw that it was available, I JUMPED at it.

Most of the cuts tend to be driving, medium tempos, but there are several slower tunes, making a nice mix. My own favorites are Golden Slumbers and Felder's original, Way Back Home, and Thank You first recorded by Sly and the Family Stone. However, there are no bad cuts on this album at all. This CD is well represented in the band's retrospective CDs

The only con is that this is LP length - around 40 minutes. There were no bonus tracks added to the CD version.

Cal them Jazz Crusaders,Crusaders or whatever when Joe,Wilton,Wayne and Stix get together you can certainly do no wrong and this is no exception to the rule.As is typical of the time covers of Sly Stone and Tony Joe White ("Rainy Night In Georgia") and Wilton's sax free-for-all in the middle of Sly's "Thank You".The band also take their own approch to The Beatles "Golden Slumbers" (it includes the "Carry That Weight" part too).Generally speaking though this album finds the Jazz Crusaders beginning to move into a funkier direction but the leaning is still very much towards soul jazz;look to the Ramsey Lewis Trio's Another Voyage for reference to such a sound. The originals also showcase another wonderful quality that would benifit the band greatly when they became The Crusaders a year later:the idea of a strong connective thread between musicians outside the acoustic jazz context.Today people such as...well Wynton Marsalais have claimed that with electric instruments it is not as easy for musicians to listen to each other and improvise well. Obviously The Crusaders never came to mind in that train of thought because they were one of the bands that were able to counter that commonly held opinion;their amazing chemistry is actually enhanced by the electric and groove oriented sound that they were forging here.

This album was one of the 5 for the price of one I picked when I joined the Record Club of America in 1970 as a freshman in college. I was really glad to see it come out on CD.
The Crusaders/Jazz Crusaders are one of my favorite influences.
The signature sound of the Tenor Sax and Trombone grabbed me from the first time I heard them. As a high school trombone player, I was always looking for groups that featured the trombone. I found them when I discovered a local Black owned radio station (KPRS AM) that featured Jazz. I became a fan immedeatly and followed them as they moved from Bop to Jazz-Funk.
They have both covers and originals and I like all the cuts. My favorites are Sly Stone's Thank You, Rainy Night In Georgia, Golden Slumbers, Hard Times and Way Back Home.
I love Joe Sample's electric piano and Wilton Felder's emotional tenor. Wayne Henderson's solos still bounce around inside my head all these years later.
These four guys are a great story, going to High School together, starting their own band and keeping it together during the struggles it took to make the big time.
Besides being a great group they are formidable on their own.
Joe Sample has produced and played on too many well known projects to list.
Wilton Felder has made an impact not only on tenor but as a producer and bad-ass bass player.
Wayne Henderson has been a producer as has Stix Henderson.
This reissue sounds great and the group was at the top of their game.

This recording seems to mark an evolution for the group from hard bop origins and the result is essential soul jazz. My favorite cut on the CD is their version of the Beatles' Golden Slumbers, which includes Carry That Weight. I admit to never having been a fan of Abbey Road but the Jazz Crusaders managed to take a fairly simple melody from that album and transform it into a moving, satisfying piece that exudes soul. Somehow, their instrumental version just seems to have more feeling than the original. They do a fine job with Hard Times but I recommend and prefer the original, which has a slightly slower tempo, by Ray Charles and David "Fathead" Newman. This release should be a welcome acquisition for most who enjoy soul jazz.

One of my favorite Crusaders' albums. It really reflects the sound of popular jazz of the 1970s.