Scratch was an important album for The Crusaders with Joe Sample on piano and Wilton Felder on saxophone. Andy Ross, saxophone player for UK acid jazz band Incognito named this album as a huge inspiration for his own playing. Find out why you should check it out too.
Classic Album:
ARTIST: The Crusaders
ALBUM: Scratch – Live at the Roxy
RELEASED: Blue Thumb Records 1974
Musicians:
PIANO: Joe Sample
SAXOPHONE: Wilton Felder
TROMBONE: Wayne Henderson
GUITAR: Larry Carlton
BASS: Max Bennett
DRUMS: Stix Hooper
Why you should check this out:
The Crusaders (also know as the Jazz Crusaders) have produced more than 40 albums since the 1960’s and influenced generations of players with their crossover jazz fusion style. This album shows the band at their peak and it’s a great example of the magic combination of Joe Sample, Larry Carlton and Wilton Felder that set the foundation for commercial jazz music.
Andy Ross Saxophone
ANDY ROSS: My Classic Album:
The first player that influenced me as a saxophonist was Wilton Felder. He’s got that Texas Tenor thing – it’s a big sound with blues in it. His sound is very funky but it’s got that smeary jazz thing too. His solo on the track “Hard Times” from this album always blew me away. It’s kind of jazzy but it’s his take on jazz.
Wilton Felder is one of those players that has his own vocabulary. I really like his style of playing. It’s a very singing style, and he’s got that RnB influence where the sax can be very vocal but retaining that jazziness. I love all those Old School guys, there’s a certain swagger about them!
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