Recent Jazz Records: Crusaders and Singers

Among the things that make jazz the most vital form of popular music is the constant infusion of new talent, bringing with it new ideas. Many recent record releases by lesser-known but rising groups and individuals deserve a hearing, and some are worth listening to seriously.

One such is the latest album by the Jazz Crusaders, Lookin' Ahead (Pacific Jazz PJ-43). The Jazz Crusaders are four young men who grew up together in the rock 'n' roll atmosphere of Houston, Texas. Their music is definitely in the bluesy, "funky" tradition which dominates jazz today, but unlike others, they are not content simply to imitate Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley. The most gifted member of the group is Wilton Felder, who is the first really exciting thing to happen to the tenor saxophone since Sonny Rollins came out of retirement a couple of years ago. Felder, at the age of 21, has already developed a unique style, as tough as David Newman's but in a different way. Felder's horn has an extremely clean, virile, somewhat angry sound; its emotional quality is strong and sincere. Occasionally, he uses a little vibrato (almost heretical in modern jazz); the contrast with his precise phrasing is quite effective. The other Crusaders are Wayne Henderson, trombone, Joe Sample, piano, and "Sticks" Hooper, drums. On records, they are joined by Jimmy Bond, bass, and Roy Gaines, guitar. Lookin' Ahead demonstrates the group's versatility: the tunes range from Rimsky-Korsakoff's Song of India to Felder's Big Hunk of Funk, all played with drive and feeling. The ensemble work is as good as on the Crusaders' first record, Freedom Sound (Pacific Jazz PJ-27), and the solos lack the recording-studio stiffness of that alubum.

Yolande Bevan is a funny name for a jazz singer; but then, most jazz singers are not, like Miss Bevan, from Ceylon. Almost by accident, she met up with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks and is now the third member of what used to be the Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross trio. (Annie Ross has returned to England for reasons of health.) The new trio's most recent release, Lambert, Hendricks, and Bevan at Basin Street East (RCA Victor 2635) is interesting solely for the novelty of a Ceylonese girl singing Charlie Parker-type solos.

Speaking of singers, one who is more than a novelty is Danny Small, whose first record, Woman, She Was Born for Sorrow (United Artists UAJ 15004), was released a few few months ago. Small sings quietly, unpretentiously, and sentimentally. His style is not demanding: he doesn't try to flatten the listener, only to engage his attention, like a good conversationalist.