Though originally conceived as a modern jazz act in the 1950s, The Jazz
Crusaders meandered through R&B, soul and funk trends as they became a
long-running musical institution and were responsible for a classic slice of
1970s disco pop. High school friends Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder
(saxophone) and Stix Hooper (drums) started playing together in their teens
under the name The Swingsters, but really got serious when they moved from
Houston, Texas to Los Angeles in 1960, recruited trombone player Wayne Henderson
and signed to the Pacific Jazz label for debut Freedom Jazz. Ea...