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The Crusaders: Finest Hour

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: The Crusaders
Title: Finest Hour
Released: 2000.06.27
Label: Verve Records
Time: 78:22
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Appears with:
Category: Jazz
Rating: ******.... (6/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2001.06.27
Price in €: 10,99
Web address: www.vervemusicgroup.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Stomp and Buck Dance (W.Henderson) - 5:51
[2] Chain Reaction (M.Franks/J.Sample) - 5:36
[3] Free as the Wind (J.Sample) - 6:18
[4] I Felt the Love (S.Hooper) - 5:11
[5] It Happens Everyday (J.Sample) - 5:43
[6] Put It Where You Want It (J.Sample) - 5:30
[7] Marcella's Dream (S.Hopper) - 6:50
[8] Steet Life (J.Sample/W.Jennings) - 11:16
[9] Last Call (J.Sample) - 8:00

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


The Crusaders:
WAYNE HENDERSON - Trombone except on [3],[7]-[9]
WILTON FELDER - Saxophones, Electric Bass on [1]-[2],[6], Producer on [7],[8]
JOE SAMPLE - Keyboards, String and Horn Arrangement on [3]-[5],[8], Producer on [7],[8]
STIX HOOPER - Drums, Percussions, Producer on [7],[8]

Special Guests:
LARRY CARLTON - Guitars on [1]-[6]
ROBERT "Pops" POPWELL - Electric Bass on [1],[3]-[5],[7]-[8]
ARTHUR ADAMS - Guitar on [3]-[6],[8]
RALPH MCDONALD - Percussion on [3]-[5]
DAVID T. WALKER - Guitar on [6],[9]
CHUCK RAINEY - Electric Bass on [6]
BILL ROGERS - Guitar on [7]-[8]
OSCAR BRASHEAR - Trumpet on [8]
BOBBY BRYANT - Trumpet on [8]
GARNETT BROWN - Trombone on [8]
MAURICE SPEARS - Bass Trombone on [8]
JEROME RICHARDSON - Alto Saxophone on [8]
ROBERT BRYANT Jr. - Alto Saxophone on [8]
BILL GREEN - Baritone Saxophone on [8]
ROLAND BAUTISTA - Guitar on [8]
PAULINHO DA COSTA - Percussion on [8]
RANDY CRAWFORD - Vocals on [8]
B.B. KING - Guitar on [9]
BOBBY FINNERTY - Guitar on [9]
JAMES JAMERSON - Electric Bass on [9]
EFRAIM LOGREIRA - Percussion on [9]
JOSIE JAMES - Vocals on [9]
THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORHESTRA - Orchestra on [9]
SIDNEY REGINALD GARRIS - Conductor on [9]

STEWART LEVINE - Producer on [1]-[6]

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2000 CD Verve 543 762-2



After a career that spanned the '60s with a number of releases on Pacific Jazz records as the Jazz Crusaders, the beginning of the '70s found the band dropping the jazz moniker from their name and moving toward the more commercially accessible pop/R&B crossover audience. These nine selections are taken from seven albums originally released on the Blue Thumb and MCA labels recorded between 1971 and 1979 with a live cut featuring B.B. King from 1981. The Crusaders have a lot of material still available featuring both incarnations with this compilation containing a worthy sample from the second half of their career. For a closer inspection of the earlier Jazz Crusaders, seek out Live at the Lighthouse 66 on Pacific Jazz.

Al Campbell, All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



The core band of the Crusaders--Wilton Felder on tenor saxophone and bass, Joe Sample on keyboards, and Stix Hooper on drums--first got together in high school in the 1950s to play modern jazz. Throughout their early career as the Jazz Crusaders, they emphasized the roots side of hard bop with strong infusions of funk, soul, and gospel, making them naturals for the rise of fusion. They reached the peak of their success in the 1970s on a series of GRP records that provides the sources for this Finest Hour collection. The band had become increasingly electronic and studio-oriented, and the result is instrumental R&B that effectively mixes Felder's powerful tenor with Hooper's strong rhythmic grooves and Sample's layered keyboards and arrangements. The early tracks get additional solo contributions from trombonist Wayne Henderson and guitarist Larry Cramer, while Randy Crawford's vocal adds another dimension to the extended "Street Beat." Sample's ballad "It Happens Everyday" shows just how lyrical the band could get.

Stuart Broomer, Amazon.com



The four Texans who formed first the Nighthawks, then the Jazz Crusaders and then the Crusaders were Sample, Felder, Henderson and drummer Stix Hooper. Their acoustic post-bop sounds were always leavened by a leaning towards pop and soul, and their career really took off in the 1970s when they started adding session guitarists such as Larry Carlton and eventually guest vocalists. This greatest-hits-by-another-name album reminds us of their musicianship and precision. "Street Life" (originally released as an edited single) is restored to its full 11 minutes, even including a 90-second verse featuring Randy Crawford. The symphonic "Last Call" with B.B. King is a structural mess, but the simple, guitar-led funk of "Put It Where You Want It" is glorious.

Rough Guide / Jazz
 

 L y r i c s


Instrumental Album!

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!