A number of years ago, Mosaic Records put out a multi-disc set of the “Pacific Jazz Studio Sessions” of the prototypical jazz/soul group The Crusaders. I remember my frustration back then when I realized they left out the cooking “At the Lighthouse ‘62” album. What, were they in a bad mood or something, not to make the set complete?
Well, here’s that concert disc at last, along with 3 hot little songs from The Thing. Recorded August 5, 1962 and actually released in ’63, the album with charter members Wayne Henderson/tb, Wilton Felder/ts, Joe Sample/p, Stix Hooper/dr and recent arrival Victor Gaskin/b delivering the goods on seven self-penned tunes and Jackie McLean’s adventurous “Appointment in Ghana.” Hooper drives the band like he’s on the wagon train from Red River, keeping the horses moving at a fervent clip, as on “Congolese Sermon” and “Weather Beat.” Henderson and Felder sound authoritative on “Cathy’s Dilemma” and the funk factor is high on “Blues For Ramona.” Sample has some fun on the bonus track “Penny Blue” and the whole band gels in a rivulet of a groove on “Scandalizing.” A perfect meld of toe tapping and soulful bop.
Fresh Sound Records