The Crusaders - Unsung Heroes (1973)

"Unsung Heroes" is a studio album by the American band The Crusaders, released in 1973 on Blue Thumb Records.
It was the band's third album after officially shortening their name from The Jazz Crusaders to The Crusaders. This decision reflected their definitive departure from traditional hard bop toward a more rocking, accessible, and funky sound that defined the instrumental music of the 1970s.
The album is a benchmark example of jazz-funk and soul-jazz of the first half of the 1970s. The music is dense, rhythmic, and incredibly groove-driven. Unlike many jazz bands of the time, which embraced complex experimental fusion, The Crusaders relied on pumping rhythms, catchy melodies, and blues roots. The album's signature signature is the perfectly executed interplay between the horn section (Wayne Henderson's trombone and Wilton Felder's tenor saxophone) and the rhythm section. Joe Sample's Fender Rhodes electric piano creates a warm, enveloping analog sound, while guitarist Larry Carlton adds rich soul and rock accents.