egroj world: The Jazz Crusaders • The 2nd Crusade

NOTICE / AVISO

 


As many of you may have noticed apart from the Ulozto problem the main Mega account has been suspended, therefore the blog will be temporarily down until we can restructure and normalise the blog. I appreciate all the support you have shown me. Thank you for your understanding.

 /////// 

Como muchos habrán notado aparte del problema de Ulozto la cuenta principal Mega ha sido suspendida, por consiguiente el blog se verá disminuido temporalmente hasta poder reestructurar y normalizar el blog. Agradezco todas las muestras de apoyo que me han brindado. Gracias por comprender.



Saturday, March 6, 2021

The Jazz Crusaders • The 2nd Crusade



 In 1961, four fellows from Houston transplanted themselves to Los Angeles and added more distinctly bluesy elements to the soul jazz style with an ear-grabbing album called “The Freedom Sound,” on the Pacific Jazz label. Its four co-leaders were trombonist Wayne Henderson, tenor saxophonist (and occasional bassist) Wilton Felder, pianist Joe Sample, and drummer Nesbert “Stix” Hooper.

They first joined together in Houston in the fifties with the formation of The Swingsters, the group’s embracing of many different musical styles starts where it normally does, at the beginning. “Because we came up on the streets and not in the studios,” says Felder, “our music was live. The Texas streets were rich with the blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins. We grew up on all the deep country sounds. At the same time, we had ears for modern jazz�”Miles and Monk�”and never saw a contradiction between the old and new.” It’s no surprise, then, that once in senior high, The Swingsters became The Modern Jazz Sextet, a group that continued through their college years at Texas Southern University. Before graduation, though, the call of the road was irresistible, and they were off to L.A.

Two years later, in 1960, the group was signed to Pacific Jazz Records and re-christened The Jazz Crusaders. Their trombone/sax frontline sound was unique, their bop chops impeccable. In a series of superlative albums, The Jazz Crusaders built a national reputation, surviving a decade in which the popularity of jazz was in extreme decline. On one hand, the British Invasion and Motown dominated the youth market; on the other, the jazz avant-garde alienated scores of fans.

The Jazz Crusaders sound caught on big time, and their subsequent Pacific Jazz albums rewarded them with a good deal of exposure. The band performed regularly and got plenty of airplay. But as times changed, so did the Jazz Crusaders. In the late Sixties, they placed popular songs in their repertoire, and firm backbeats began to bolster many a selection. By 1971, they decided that the word “jazz” kept them from attracting a wider listener base, and so they emerged anew with “The Crusaders, Vol. 1,” (Chisa), an album that openly infused jazz with pop, soul, and R&B elements.

If the Jazz Crusaders had achieved some degree of popularity, it was nothing like the crossover success that greeted the Crusaders. Such albums as “Scratch,” “Southern Comfort,” “Chain Reaction,” “Those Southern Knights,” “Free as the Wind,” “Images, Street Life,” and “Royal Jam” (recorded variously for the Chisa, ABC Blue Thumb, and MCA labels) sold well and brought in a deluge of new fans. Street Life’s title track, with Randy Crawford on vocals, provided the Crusaders with a major crossover hit in 1979.

The Crusaders’ popularity started to fade in the early Eighties, prompted by Henderson’s departure. Hooper then left as well, and by the early ‘90’s, Sample and Felder had disbanded the group.

A few years later, Henderson and Felder began performing together, first as the New Crusaders and then, as the Jazz Crusaders. Henderson was able to hold on to the name Jazz Crusaders and is still touring under that name.

They reunited after a 20-year absence, and in 2003, Verve Records released “Rural Renewal.” This record featured the heart of the original Crusaders lineup;Joe Sample on keys, Wilton Felder on saxophone, and Stix Hooper on drums, along with trombonist Steve Baxter, in Wayne Henderson’s former spot. Also on board was Stewart Levine, the producer credited for The Crusaders’ major successes in the 1960s and 1970s.

Henderson and Felder both went on to have solid solo careers both as performers and producers. Hooper likewise remained active though not as visible as the others.Joe Sample of course has gone on to become a first call pianist and has produced a score of fine albums as leader as well.

Even during the days of commercial success, the Crusaders had at their core a note of integrity. Though many will judge them for their latter more popular period, they are recognized by jazz aficionados for their work in the early ‘60’s as the Jazz Crusaders.

The young musicians performed their own mix of the sounds that came out of their culture and their experiences. It was only when they were signed to Pacific Jazz that they adopted the name that would remain unchanged for a decade.

From their first recordings, The Jazz Crusaders proved they sounded like no one else. They took as their foundation what Sample called the three pillars of African American music: jazz, blues and gospel. In fact, part of what makes The Jazz Crusaders' music through the decade of the 1960s so appealing is that their background and musical influences seemed to put them on a course of musical discovery, seeking ways to apply the art of self expression and improvisation to their own compositions and to a wide repertoire from the jazz and pop worlds.
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/jazzcrusaders

//////////////

 En 1961, cuatro compañeros de Houston se trasladaron a Los Ángeles y añadieron elementos más claramente blueseros al estilo del soul jazz con un álbum muy atractivo llamado "The Freedom Sound", en el sello Pacific Jazz. Sus cuatro colíderes eran el trombonista Wayne Henderson, el saxofonista tenor (y bajista ocasional) Wilton Felder, el pianista Joe Sample y el baterista Nesbert "Stix" Hooper.

Se juntaron por primera vez en Houston en los años cincuenta con la formación de The Swingsters, y el hecho de que el grupo abarcara muchos estilos musicales diferentes comienza donde normalmente lo hace, al principio. "Como surgimos en las calles y no en los estudios", dice Felder, "nuestra música era en vivo. En las calles de Texas abundaba el blues de Lightnin' Hopkins. Crecimos con todos los sonidos profundos del country. Al mismo tiempo, teníamos oídos para el jazz moderno�"Miles y Monk�"y nunca vimos una contradicción entre lo viejo y lo nuevo." No es de extrañar, por tanto, que una vez en el último año de instituto, The Swingsters se convirtieran en The Modern Jazz Sextet, grupo que continuó durante sus años universitarios en la Texas Southern University. Sin embargo, antes de graduarse, la llamada de la carretera fue irresistible y se fueron a Los Ángeles.

Dos años más tarde, en 1960, el grupo fue contratado por Pacific Jazz Records y rebautizado como The Jazz Crusaders. Su sonido de trombón y saxo en primera línea era único, y sus habilidades de bop, impecables. En una serie de álbumes superlativos, The Jazz Crusaders se forjó una reputación nacional, sobreviviendo a una década en la que la popularidad del jazz estaba en extremo declive. Por un lado, la Invasión Británica y la Motown dominaban el mercado juvenil; por otro, la vanguardia del jazz alejaba a decenas de aficionados.

El sonido de The Jazz Crusaders caló hondo, y sus siguientes álbumes de Pacific Jazz les recompensaron con una buena exposición. El grupo actuaba con regularidad y tenía mucha difusión. Pero a medida que los tiempos cambiaban, también lo hacían los Jazz Crusaders. A finales de los años sesenta, incluyeron canciones populares en su repertorio, y los firmes ritmos de fondo comenzaron a reforzar muchas selecciones. En 1971, decidieron que la palabra "jazz" les impedía atraer a una base de oyentes más amplia, por lo que surgieron de nuevo con "The Crusaders, Vol. 1" (Chisa), un álbum que infundía abiertamente el jazz con elementos de pop, soul y R&B.

Si los Jazz Crusaders alcanzaron cierto grado de popularidad, no fue nada parecido al éxito transversal que recibieron los Crusaders. Álbumes como "Scratch", "Southern Comfort", "Chain Reaction", "Those Southern Knights", "Free as the Wind", "Images, Street Life" y "Royal Jam" (grabados para los sellos Chisa, ABC Blue Thumb y MCA) se vendieron bien y atrajeron a un aluvión de nuevos fans. El tema que da título a Street Life, con Randy Crawford a la voz, proporcionó a los Crusaders un gran éxito de difusión en 1979.

La popularidad de los Crusaders empezó a desvanecerse a principios de los ochenta, provocada por la marcha de Henderson. Hooper también se marchó, y a principios de los 90, Sample y Felder habían disuelto el grupo.

Unos años más tarde, Henderson y Felder empezaron a actuar juntos, primero como los New Crusaders y luego como los Jazz Crusaders. Henderson consiguió mantener el nombre de Jazz Crusaders y sigue haciendo giras con ese nombre.

Se reunieron después de 20 años de ausencia, y en 2003, Verve Records publicó "Rural Renewal". Este disco contó con el corazón de la formación original de los Crusaders; Joe Sample a las teclas, Wilton Felder al saxofón y Stix Hooper a la batería, junto con el trombonista Steve Baxter, en el antiguo lugar de Wayne Henderson. También se incorporó Stewart Levine, el productor al que se atribuyen los grandes éxitos de The Crusaders en los años 60 y 70.

Henderson y Felder siguieron una sólida carrera en solitario, tanto como intérpretes como productores. Joe Sample, por supuesto, se ha convertido en un pianista de primera fila y ha producido una veintena de buenos álbumes como líder.

Incluso durante los días de éxito comercial, los Crusaders tenían en su núcleo una nota de integridad. Aunque muchos los juzgarán por su último periodo más popular, los aficionados al jazz los reconocen por su trabajo a principios de los 60 como los Jazz Crusaders.

Los jóvenes músicos interpretaban su propia mezcla de los sonidos que surgían de su cultura y sus experiencias. Sólo cuando fueron contratados por Pacific Jazz adoptaron el nombre que permanecería inalterado durante una década.

Desde sus primeras grabaciones, The Jazz Crusaders demostraron que sonaban como nadie. Tomaron como base lo que Sample denominó los tres pilares de la música afroamericana: el jazz, el blues y el gospel. De hecho, parte de lo que hace que la música de The Jazz Crusaders a lo largo de la década de los 60 sea tan atractiva es que sus antecedentes e influencias musicales parecían ponerles en un camino de descubrimiento musical, buscando formas de aplicar el arte de la autoexpresión y la improvisación a sus propias composiciones y a un amplio repertorio del mundo del jazz y el pop.
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/jazzcrusaders


Tracks list:
A1 Don't Let It Get You Down 3:00
A2 Take It Or Leave It 3:40
A3 Gotta Get It On 2:50
A4 Where There's A Will There's A Way 5:30
A5 Look Beyond The Hill 3:20
B1 Journey From Within 4:51
B2 Ain't Gon' Change A Thang 4:30
B3 A Message From The Inner City 8:50
C1 A Search For Soul 9:40
C2 No Place To Hide 8:44
D1 Tomorrow Where Are You? 5:10
D2 Tough Talk 6:00
D3 Do You Remember When? 6:00

Credits:
Directed By – Stewart Levine
Guitar – Arthur Adams, David T. Walker, Larry Carlton
Keyboards – Joe Sample
Percussion, Effects – Nesbert "Stix" Hooper
Saxophone, Electric Bass, Marimba [Bass] – Wilton Felder
Trombone – Wayne Henderson
Joe Sample (tracks: A1, B3, C1, D2, D3),
Wayne Henderson (tracks: A2, A4, C2, D2),
Wilton Felder (tracks: A5, B2, D1)









MORE The Jazz Crusaders ...





This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader









No comments:

Post a Comment