Les McCann
& the Jazz Crusaders
Jazz Waltz
Pacific Jazz (81)
1963
Rating: ****(Recommended)
McCann teams up with the newly formed Jazz Crusaders for this set. While the group provides a bigger sound than on some of McCann’s offerings, there’s an intimate small-combo feel to it. The horn players get some room to show their stuff, but all the cuts are served up short order, all clocking in at under five minutes. McCann and Sample alternate between piano and organ, and the churning Hammond really helps fatten up the sound. With the band cooking, the set sizzles. Worthwhile grab for fans of soul jazz.
— winch
(author of Kalamazoo: Growing Up Sideways in the 1970s)
Sounds Good 