I was into the classic rock of the 60s and early 70s, along with the standards of jazz such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck. But hearing The (Jazz) Crusaders opened me up to a different type/tempo of music. Their renditions of some “standards” of the time, like So Far Away, opened my eyes to what was possible. Made me track down their early Jazz Crusaders stuff.
