Jazz Crusaders: New Morning - The Paris Concert (2006)

Wayne Henderson was one of the founders of the Jazz Crusaders - with pianist Joe Sample - back in the 1960s in California. The group has had its ups and downs over the years, but keeps bouncing back to the delight of its many fans digging their sophisticated Soul and Funk-laced jazz. The current band is led by Wayne Henderson and this live concert was taped during a tour of Europe, when they performed at the popular Paris jazz venue New Morning in November of 2002.
Henderson wears his zebra-striped outfit and matching cap, leading the band in nine tunes on the disc. Pianist Christian Vaughn spends more time at various organ and synth keyboards than at the piano, and he's first rate. The band's arrangement of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby is quite a tour de force, and was my personal favorite number in the concert. Singer Carne takes over the stage for three of the numbers. She's a high-powered soul diva, but I found her minimalist repetitions of the choruses to the songs endlessly…uh… repetitious. Perhaps those heavily into the strong groove established by the Crusaders would find her timing impeccable; I don't know. The DTS surround sound is terrific and kept me listening to the whole concert even though this genre is not exactly pour moi.