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 of South African/American pop/jazz. From the joyous opening strains of the South African oldie "Skokiaan," to 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 flügelhorn. 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 have some excellent musical material (mostly by
Semenya) to work with.
Alpert sounds like he's having more fun making music than he has in a long time.