The Crusaders — Newport Jazz Festival, 1987

Filmed live concert by The Crusaders at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, captured on 15 August 1987. A flagship jazz-funk fusion outfit, the American group unfolds its signature blend of jazz, soul and funk: tight grooves, fluid piano lines, deep bass and incisive horn sections. The full concert runs through Mischievous Ways, Chain Reaction, Blue Ballet, Carmel, the essential Street Life, The Good Times and Way It Goes, moving between melodic themes and improvised solos. Heirs to the Jazz Crusaders, The Crusaders deeply shaped electric jazz and R&B from the 1970s onward through their sense of groove and harmonic sophistication. This live capture restores the elegance and spontaneity of a festival set played before the audience of one of the world’s most prestigious jazz gatherings. A valuable document for hearing, in 1987, a band at the peak of its stage craft, at the crossroads of jazz, soul and American popular music.