At Their Best
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Album Summary
At Their Best is a 1973 compilation release by The Crusaders, issued through Motown Records in the United States, drawing together some of the finest moments from a group that had been quietly redefining the boundaries between jazz, funk, and soul since their Houston days. The record showcases the remarkable ensemble chemistry of a lineup that included the brilliance of Joe Sample on keys, Wilton Felder on reeds and bass, Wayne Henderson on trombone, and a supporting cast of heavy hitters — Hubert Laws, Joe Pass, Stix, Buster Williams, Monk Montgomery, Arthur Adams, and Leon Ndugu Chancler — names that alone could fill a hall of fame. Compiled to bring The Crusaders' music to the wider Motown audience, the album reflects the label's recognition that this band was something special, sitting at the sweet crossroads of jazz-funk, hard bop, and soul-jazz with a groove that was undeniable.
Reception
- As a compilation designed to introduce or reintroduce The Crusaders to a broader audience, At Their Best served its purpose in widening the band's reach within the soul and funk marketplace of the early 1970s.
- The inclusion of their interpretation of Tony Joe White's 'Rainy Night In Georgia' and the Sly Stone-penned 'Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)' signaled the group's versatility and likely broadened their appeal among soul and R&B listeners beyond the core jazz audience.
Significance
- At Their Best stands as a document of The Crusaders operating at the precise intersection of jazz craftsmanship and funk groove — a fusion that would prove enormously influential on the sound of the mid-to-late 1970s and beyond.
- The album's eclectic program — spanning hard bop originals like 'Papa Hooper's Barrelhouse Groove' and 'Jazz!' alongside soul covers — captures the group's rare ability to move fluidly between genres without losing their essential musical identity.
- Released on Motown, the album represented a significant cultural moment: one of America's premier soul labels lending its platform to a jazz-rooted ensemble, reflecting the era's hunger for music that refused to stay inside any one box.
Samples
- "Young Rabbits-'71'72" — one of the most sampled tracks in The Crusaders' catalog, its raw funk groove has been lifted by numerous hip-hop producers across the decades.
- "Papa Hooper's Barrelhouse Groove" — sampled by various hip-hop and funk artists drawn to its deep pocket rhythm and horn stabs.
- "Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" — The Crusaders' reading of this Sly Stone classic has itself attracted sampler attention, building on the already legendary status of the original composition.
Tracklist
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A1 Jazz! —
4:10
-
A2 Listen And You'll See 91
5:27
-
A3 Papa Hooper's Barrelhouse Groove 90
2:37
-
A4 Time Has No Ending —
4:20
-
A5 Young Rabbits-'71'72 —
4:50
-
B1 Rainy Night In Georgia —
4:00
-
B2 Way Back Home 176
4:07
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B3 Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin) —
5:15
-
B4 Spanish Harlem 112
7:02
Artist Details
The Crusaders — originally known as the Jazz Crusaders — came together in Houston, Texas in the late 1950s, a band of brothers forged in the church and the streets, blending hard bop jazz with blues, funk, and soul into something so deep and righteous it had no choice but to become its own thing. With cats like Joe Sample on keys, Wilton Felder on saxophone, and Stix Hooper holding down the pocket on drums, they became one of the defining forces in the development of soul-jazz and funk, laying the groundwork for what folks would later call smooth jazz while always keeping that raw, earthy feeling underneath. Their 1979 smash "Street Life," featuring the incomparable Randy Crawford on vocals, brought them to the mainstream masses, but true music lovers knew long before that these cats were the real deal — session players, bandleaders, and sonic architects who shaped the sound of an era.
