Extra Pages

▼

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Farewell to Wilton Felder. Sad news of the Crusaders, Wilton Felder's passing yesterday

I got the news yesterday that Wilton Felder, the sax player from the Crusaders passed away.  The Crusaders were a big part of the soundtrack of my life in the 70s and 80s and still today I listen to their music.   Wilton Felder, saxophonist for the fabled Crusaders. Mr. Felder was 75.



I was lucky to see the Crusaders several times in a time I would call their peak (early to mid 1970s) and something about their music just hit me right.  Jazzy yet still with a melody.  Funky and soulful, yet with a feel of comfort and laid back blues.  Not only did Felder play in the Crusaders but he appeared on albums  by Joni Mitchell, America, Seals and Croft,  Billy Joel, Michael Franks, Tom Scott and The LA Express, Randy Newman, Joan Baez, and John Cale.  And he even collaborated with Bobby Womack and had several solo albums.  So farewell Wilton, you will be missed.  Thanks for adding the soul and cool to so many recordings.  For more about the Crusaders here is a link to some of their live recordings.  http://arizjones.blogspot.com/search/label/Crusaders

at

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2015 at 10:23 PM

    Sad to hear the news. So many from "our generation" have been passing lately. What a great band.

    ReplyDelete
  2. mumbles dupreeOctober 1, 2015 at 1:27 PM

    The Crusaders were a great band. Mr. Felder also played bass on some of their recordings. What a fantastic band. He will be missed. Really sad to hear the news. Saw them in KC back in the day.

    ReplyDelete