The Golden Years is a monumental, definitive 3-CD retrospective box set showcasing the stellar evolution of the legendary jazz-funk powerhouse outfit The Crusaders, released in 1992 by GRP Records. Spanning over two decades of high-caliber musicianship, this collection chronologically charts their incredible journey from their early 1960s hard bop beginnings as "The Jazz Crusaders" through to their late-seventies and eighties peak as pioneering masters of crossover jazz fusion and urban street funk. Anchored by the core genius of keyboardist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper, the set is a masterclass in deep grooves and sophisticated horn arrangements. Listeners are treated to their essential foundational tracks, their golden era collaborations with guitar giant Larry Carlton, and massive commercial triumphs like the sprawling title track Street Life with Randy Crawford. Beautifully remastered and curated, this box set stands as the ultimate testament to the group’s enduring legacy as architects of modern instrumental soul-jazz.

Southern Comfort is an absolute monument of 1970s jazz-funk, a masterful double-album statement by the legendary outfit The Crusaders, released in 1974 on Blue Thumb/MCA Records. Deeply steeped in their signature Down Home style, the record serves as a definitive showcase for the group's unique blend of sophisticated West Coast jazz fusion and greasy, foot-stomping Texas soul. The classic powerhouse lineup—composed of keyboard maestro Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, trombonist Wayne Henderson, and drummer Stix Hooper—is augmented to absolute perfection by the searing, blues-drenched electric guitar work of session giant Larry Carlton. The tracklist is an impeccable, high-caliber run of tight instrumental hooks, rolling seamlessly from the infectious street beat of Stomp And Buck Dance and the swampy grit of Greasy Spoon to the epic, horn-driven beauty of Lilies Of The Nile. Radiating with warm, organic grooves, driving Rhodes piano lines, and immaculate horn interactions, this classic stands out as an essential milestone of the golden era of instrumental funk.

Ghetto Blaster is an incredibly slick, high-energy, and rhythmically infectious studio album by the iconic jazz-funk outfit The Crusaders, released in 1984 on MCA Records and preserved here on an early Japanese Victor CD pressing. Moving aggressively into the mid-1880s urban landscape, core masterminds Joe Sample and Wilton Felder brilliantly fuse their signature Texas-soul-jazz roots with street-savvy synth grooves, snapping electro-funk bass lines, and heavy dancefloor production styles. To execute this vibrant sonic evolution, the duo assembled a legendary roster of session titans—featuring thunderous rhythm sections guided by bass giant Abraham Laboriel and drummer Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, vibrant percussion from Paulinho Da Costa, and an elite guitar army consisting of Cornell Dupree, David T. Walker, and Dean Parks. From the gritty, driving horns of Dead End and the celebratory pulse of Gotta Lotta Shakalada to the expansive, Afro-centric soul of Zalal'e Mini (Take It Easy), this high-caliber collection radiates with masterful instrumentation, undeniable club-friendly hooks, and pristine dynamic warmth.

When trombonist/producer Wayne Henderson, pianist/keyboardist Joe Sample, sax-man Wilton Felder, and drummer Stix Hooper changed their name from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders back in 1971, it signaled a more R&B-minded direction for the group – they were always funky, but in the '70s, they became even funkier. And so, the names the Crusaders and the Jazz Crusaders came to stand for two different things – if the Jazz Crusaders were synonymous with a funky yet acoustic-oriented approach to hard bop (à la Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers), the Crusaders were about electric-oriented jazz-funk and fusion. In 1995, Henderson (who left the Crusaders in 1975) resurrected the name the Jazz Crusaders and produced Happy Again for the small, Los Angeles-based Sin-drome Records.

Although the Crusaders could not have known it at the time, their recording of "Street Life" (which features a memorable vocal by Randy Crawford) was a last hurrah for the 20-year old group. Their recordings of the next few years would decline in interest until the band gradually faded away in the '80s. However this particular set is well worth picking up for the 11-minute title cut and there is good playing by the three original members (Wilton Felder on tenor, soprano and electric bass, keyboardist Joe Sample and drummer Stix Hooper) along with guitarist Barry Finnerty; horn and string sections, plus additional guitarists are utilized on Sample's commercial but listenable arrangements.

In 1971, the Jazz Crusaders reinvented themselves for the first time. First they dropped the word "jazz" from their moniker, and secondly they wholeheartedly embraced electric bass and guitars in their mix. Their new "debut" is a wonder of jazz-funk as a natural evolution out of hard bop and soul-jazz. While the wonderful horn interplay between saxophonist Wilton Felder and trombonist Wayne Henderson is still everywhere evident, the badass, beat-driven rhythm section has Joe Sample playing funky Rhodes piano against Chuck Rainey's basslines and an orgy of guitars – led by Larry Carlton's brilliant lead work. These are all anchored by Stix Hooper's never out-of-the-pocket, popping kit work. Certainly other acts had used the same instrumentation, but the sheer sophistication in the Crusaders compositions and charts combined with their dedication to grooved-out accessibility – and Stewart Levine's magnificent production – made them a singular entity even in the up-and-coming jazz-rock fusion scene.