Following the demise of The Swingsters and The Nite Hawks, Joe Sample (keyboards), Wilton Felder (tenor saxophone), Wayne Henderson (trumpet) and Stix Hooper (drums) relocated to Los Angeles and took on a new name, The Jazz Crusaders.  Quickly landing a recording deal with Pacific Jazz, the group drafted in guest musicians Jimmy Bond (bass) and Roy Gaines (guitar) to record their debut album Freedom Sound.  The composing talents of the group also emerged during those early days, with five of the album's six tracks being composed by group members, Ernest Gold's theme to Exodus being the lone outsider.  Whilst the group would later find greater success as a jazz funk combo (and drop the 'Jazz' prefix), there is evidence of their hard bop and soul influences to be found on their debut album.  Recorded in just two sessions, Freedom Sound announced the arrival of a fresh new talent in the jazz world.