Love Is Blue

Recorded in Los Angeles as part of the Jazz Crusaders' session work of the late 1960s, featuring the core lineup of Wilton Felder on tenor saxophone, Joe Sample on piano, Wayne Henderson on trombone, and Stix Hooper on drums. The track was the Jazz Crusaders' instrumental take on the Paul Mauriat-popularised 1967 hit, positioning the group within the mainstream pop-jazz crossover moment when instrumental versions of chart hits were commercially viable on soul and jazz radio. The recording stands as a document of the Jazz Crusaders' transitional period before they shortened their name to The Crusaders and fully committed to the funk-soul direction that would define their 1970s commercial peak.