Sweet funky Crusaders – one of the first records the group made after dropping the "Jazz" from their name, and a soulful electric set through and through! The group still have that tightly-crafted soul jazz sound that made their late 60s recordings so great – but they're also stretching out here in more of a 70s electric funk mode – letting the keyboards of Joe Sample really set the tone for most of the numbers, as Wilton Felder's basslines weave with the drums of Stix Hooper to create a set of really great tracks. The double-length album is overflowing with great numbers – and in addition to the contributions of the core quartet, the album also features guitar from Larry Carlton, David T Walker, and Arthur Adams – plus a bit of extra bass from Chuck Rainey! The hip sound is a bit like some of Hugh Masekela's best jazz-based work for Chisa – and titles include "Full Moon", "Sweet Revival", "Mud Hole", "It's Just Gotta Be That Way", "Three Children", "Mosadi", and "So Far Away". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Crusaders album – and one that's a perfect bridge between their earlier soul jazz styles, and their tighter funkier electric one. The record was recorded live at the Roxy, and the group is augmented by Larry Carlton on guitar, who gives the tracks a nice razor edge at his best moments. All songs are pretty long – and the band is in extremely good form, jamming away with lots of funky vamping, and breaking out with some very soulful solos. Titles include "Scratch", "Hard Times", "So Far Away", and "Way Back Home". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the funkiest periods in the career of the Jazz Crusaders – that point when they first dropped the "jazz" from their name, and started moving into groovier territory! The set's a bit electric, but never as much so as their later, bigger hits – just enough so that the basslines bump the tunes along strongly, and the keyboards start to sparkle in the mix too – but still leaving plenty of space for acoustic contributions on piano, trombone, and tenor. Arthur Adams joins the group for a bit of guitar, which is well-placed – and titles include the massive "Pass The Plate" medley, which runs for over 15 minutes – plus "Young Rabbits 71/72", "Goin' Down South", "Listen & You'll See", "Greasy Spoon", and "Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself". LP, Vinyl record album

Very nice heavy funk material, recorded by The Crusaders right at the pivotal time when they were moving from straigher soul jazz to a nice electric 70s groove! The record features some excellent original compositions by the band – like "Crossfire", "Unsung Heroes", "In The Middle Of The River", "Heavy Up", and "Night Theme". Very full-on playing, with a complexity not imagined on earlier records. LP, Vinyl record album

Wickedly funky work from the Jazz Crusaders – a pivotal set that has them electrifying their groove a bit more from the 60s, yet still not hitting the smother sound of later years! The core soul jazz mode of the group's start is still nicely in place – hard-hitting grooves from Wayne Henderson on trombone, Wilton Felder on bass, Stix Hooper on drums, and Joe Sample on keyboards – really opening up in an electric mode that's warm, but never mellow – really giving the album a strongly righteous undercurrent. Added to the mix are guitars from Arthur Adams and Freddy Robinson – both of whom really open up the groove and underscore the funkier elements – and again, in ways that have a lot more edge than on later Crusaders dates. The whole thing's great, filled with hard groovy cuts – and titles include a great version of "Golden Slumbers", plus "Jazz", "Jackson", "Rainy Night In Georgia", "Time Has No Ending", "Hard Times", and "Funny Shuffle". CD

An early 70s classic from The Crusaders – and a record that has the group perfectly poised between the rougher soul jazz of their roots and some of the tighter styles they brought into play during the 70s! The sound here is heavily electric – thanks to great keyboards from Joe Sample and bass from Wilton Felder – but the style isn't nearly as slick as on later albums recorded under the Crusaders name, thanks to the hipper, looser feel the group were allowed while working for the Chisa label! As on the first album recorded after the group shifted their name from the Jazz Crusaders, the set features added guitar work by Larry Carlton, David T Walker, and Arthur Adams – all of whom really help to emphasize the funkier side of the tracks while Wayne Henderson's trombone and Wilton Felder's tenor remind us they've still got a great talent for jazz! Titles include "Search For Soul", "Gotta Get It On", "Look Beyond That Hill", "Ain't Gon Change A Thing", and "A Message From The Inner City". LP, Vinyl record album

Wickedly funky work from the Jazz Crusaders – a pivotal set that has them electrifying their groove a bit more from the 60s, yet still not hitting the smother sound of later years! The core soul jazz mode of the group's start is still nicely in place – hard-hitting grooves from Wayne Henderson on trombone, Wilton Felder on bass, Stix Hooper on drums, and Joe Sample on keyboards – really opening up in an electric mode that's warm, but never mellow – really giving the album a strongly righteous undercurrent. Added to the mix are guitars from Arthur Adams and Freddy Robinson – both of whom really open up the groove and underscore the funkier elements – and again, in ways that have a lot more edge than on later Crusaders dates. The whole thing's great, filled with hard groovy cuts – and titles include a great version of "Golden Slumbers", plus "Jazz", "Jackson", "Rainy Night In Georgia", "Time Has No Ending", "Hard Times", and "Funny Shuffle". CD

A really mixed bag of grooves from the Crusaders – but still an album that's quite tasty if you dig their work on the Chisa label! The record appears to be a greatest hits collection – with the "best" in the title – but it's more a summation of the styles they'd been digging on previous records, as some tracks feature a tight funky groove, others have a mellower electric one, and still others have a straight jazz approach. Highlights include the African-sounding "Time Has No Ending", the Sly Stone cover "Thank You Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin", and a nice reading of Wilton Felder's "Way Back Home". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great larger group recordings that pianist Abdullah Ibrahim gave us in the 80s – from a moment when he was able to use added horns to really expand that amazing sense of color and rhythm he'd brought to his music on earlier trio recordings! There's a sense of musical vision here that really lives up to Abdullah's majestic look on the cover – a fantastic merging of flute and tenor from John Stubblefield, soprano and alto from Horace Alexander Young, tuba and baritone from Howard Johnson, and trombone from Robin Eubanks – all vibrant horn players who seem to have just about every tone and mood covered with their horns – given this wonderfully warm support from Buster Williams on bass, and Brian Adams on drums. All titles are originals by the leader – and tunes include "Chisa", "Sweet Samba", "Duke 88", "The Wedding", and "Joan Capetown Flower". CD

Massively wonderful work from the mighty Hugh Masekela – easily one of his hippest, most soulful sessions ever! This double-length gem really has Hugh letting go – moving way beyond the pop modes of the late 60s, into a long-flowing, open-rolling groove that's played by a spare quintet lineup with plenty of African themes in the rhythms! Players include Larry Willis on acoustic and electric piano and Dudu Pukwana on alto sax – both of whom are wonderful, and really get a chance to sparkle in the session – almost sharing equal space with Masekela in the sound and shape of the record, although Hugh's horn work is pretty darn amazing too. Other players include Eddie Gomez on bass and Mahaya Ntshoko on drums – and the record has the sort of open, righteous feel of a session on Black Jazz or Strata East – a vibe that really blows away most other Chisa Records work of the time. Titles include Willis' classic "Inner Crisis", plus "Blues For Huey", "Part Of A Whole", "Maesha", "The Big Apple", "Minawa", and "Nomali". (Global Grooves, Jazz) CD

A key linking of two traditions of British avant jazz expression – and a session that's co-led by percussionist Louis Moholo and saxophonist Evan Parker! The sound here is almost more in Parker's camp than it is Moholo's – as the album's improvised tracks have a spare, contemplative quality that builds very slowly – working strongly in space and sound, as the group finds themselves through a rich array of techniques, tones, and expressions. Other players include Barry Guy on bass and piccolo bass (right channel), Gibo Pheto on bass (left channel), and Pule Pheto on piano – and titles include "Bush Fire", "For Chisa", "South Afrika Is Free OK", "Baobab", "Sticks", "Back Beat", and "Flaming July". CD

Hugh Masekela at a really fantastic point in his career – recorded live for a radio broadcast, and working with a freewheeling style that's quite different than both his early and later work! The vibe here is right up there with some of the few longer-form jazz recordings made by Hugh in the early 70s – mixing his trumpet with lots of percussion and guitar, in a style that's nice and loose throughout – sometimes funky, sometimes earthy – and very much in the farthest reaches of his Chisa period sound! Many of these tracks show even deeper African roots than some of Masekela's original South African recordings – and the set includes the tracks "Languta", "Stimela Coal Train", "Love Song For A Jungle Afternoon", "Nye Tamo Am", and a number of untitled tracks. (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album