Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela

AMG Review of Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela

Richard S. Ginell
All Music Guide

A mustachioed Herb Alpert breaks out of his '70s blue funk to fuse himself with fellow horn player Hugh Masekela and producer/pianist Caiphus Semenya in a magnificent LP (later issued on CD) of South African/American pop/jazz. From the joyous opening strains of the South African oldie "Skokiaan," continuing with the haunting groove of "Moonza," Alpert wholeheartedly melts into Masekela's distinctive idiom, his trumpet a relaxed foil for the South African exile's blazing flugelhorn. But Masekela can also lean the other way, joining Alpert in TJB-like dual harmony on "Ring Bell." The band is mostly a coterie of L.A. sessionmen, but they can swing along to the township jive pretty well, and they get some excellent musical material (mostly by Semenya) to work with. Alpert sounded like he was having more fun making music than he had in a long time.