Ian Bateman’s Jazz Crusaders

The original Jazz Crusaders were a fusion of jazz/funk/latin/soul and smooth jazz. Formed in the 1960s, it featured a list of players who would soon become household names in the jazz world. Hubert Laws (flute), Wilton Felder (tenor sax), Wayne Henderson (trombone), Joe Sample (piano), ‘Stix’ Hooper (drums) and Larry Carlton (guitar) were the mainstays of the band throughout a 50-year history.

This tribute features the well-known tunes from those days of the ‘Jazz Crusaders’ through the heydays when they dropped the word ‘jazz’ from their name (!) to the 90’s when they adapted to the world of synthesizers!

Their music was accessible to a wider audience than just jazz, yet it was complex and very rich in harmony. The band also appears with the ocassional guest artist and if we find the right singer, you might even get their biggest hit which they performed with Randy Crawford, “Street Life”.

The band features Tom Hill’s 70’s Funk Machine. That’s Tom Clarke-Hill (bass), Al Gurr (keyboards), Lee Jones (guitar), Nick Millward (drums) and Andy Shillingford (tenor sax). Joining them are trombonist, Ian Bateman and flautist, Amy Roberts.