Recorded live at
the Roxy,
Scratch was one of
the Crusaders' best recordings, an extravaganza of
jazz and
funk with great soloing from the group on top of a set of excellent grooves. From the loose-limbed
funk of
"Scratch" to a restless, understated version of their live standard
"Eleanor Rigby" (which they'd been performing live for over six years),
the Crusaders displayed a command of
R&B forms in a
jazz context. Another cover,
Carole King's
"So Far Away," is betrayed by a muddy '70s arrangement and sound, but nothing else here fails to illustrate the excellence of the best
R&B group in the
jazz world. ~ John Bush
