Wayne Henderson

by Scott YanowWayne Hendersons trombone teamed up with Wilton Felders tenor in the Jazz Crusaders to give the group its own trademark sound. A fine hard bop soloist who later in his career chose to become an R&B producer instead, Henderson first played regularly with Felder, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper in Houston in the mid-50s. By the time they moved to Los Angeles and started recording in 1961, they were known as the Jazz Crusaders. After many records for Pacific Jazz, the group in 1971 changed their name to the Crusaders. With Hendersons decision to quit the band in 1975, the Crusaders lost a great deal of their originality. In the mid-90s, Henderson and Felder had a nostalgic reunion with an enlarged group for a recording on the Par label.