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A decade's worth of groundbreaking funk and African rhythms – all of it recorded by Hugh Masekela for his legendary Chisa label! Back in the 60s, Hugh cracked the American charts with a playful version of South African jazz – but he was also an even hipper cat than you'd guess from his hits, and worked with a variety of incredible acts to expand his sound – a good number of whom ended up recording for Hugh on the Chisa label, in a unique blend of American soul and African inspiration that was years ahead of its time! The Chisa sound was one of the first true forays into pan-global grooving – and it brought the sounds of Africa to the American mainstream at a level that few had managed before. Some groups were unique projects done for record – like the Johannesburg Street Band, which featured members of The Crusaders alongside Masekela – but others featured a variety of ex-patriots living in the US, with key singers and players who shine brightly under Hugh's guidance. This set really digs deep, and offers up some of the most heavily African-tuned tracks from Chisa's catalog – 14 titles that include "Witch Doctor" and "Ahvuomo" by Baranta with Miatta Fahinbulleh, "Joala" and "Za Labalaba" by The Zulus, "Awe Mfana" by Johannesburg Street Band, "Macongo" and "U Se Mcani" by Letta Mbulu, "Tepo" by Baranta, "Aredze" by The Zulus, "Mahlalela" by Letta Mbulu, and "Afro Beat Blues" by Ojah with Hugh Masekela.

Great work from one of the funkiest periods in the career of the Jazz Crusaders – that point when they first dropped the "jazz" from their name, and started moving into groovier territory! The set's a bit electric, but never as much so as their later, bigger hits – just enough so that the basslines bump the tunes along strongly, and the keyboards start to sparkle in the mix too – but still leaving plenty of space for acoustic contributions on piano, trombone, and tenor. Arthur Adams joins the group for a bit of guitar, which is well-placed – and titles include the massive "Pass The Plate" medley, which runs for over 15 minutes – plus "Young Rabbits 71/72", "Goin' Down South", "Listen & You'll See", "Greasy Spoon", and "Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself".

One of the funkier albums by African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and a record that's filled with lots of short little groovers that have more of an edge than on previous pop instrumental albums – much more of the hard funky vibe of the Chisa years! The set features loads of great funky 45 cuts – including "Fuzz", "Riot", "Mace & Grenades", "Gold", and "Head Peepin".

Nice groovy Afro soul, recorded by Letta with some hip arrangements by Hugh Masekela. This record grooves much more nicely than her Capitol sessions, and includes some nice tracks that mix African rhythms with 60's LA pop soul production. Titles include "Qonqoza", "Macongo", "I Need Your Love", "What Shall I Do?", "Use Mncane", and "Melodi".

An early 70s classic from The Crusaders – and a record that has the group perfectly poised between the rougher soul jazz of their roots and some of the tighter styles they brought into play during the 70s! The sound here is heavily electric – thanks to great keyboards from Joe Sample and bass from Wilton Felder – but the style isn't nearly as slick as on later albums recorded under the Crusaders name, thanks to the hipper, looser feel the group were allowed while working for the Chisa label! As on the first album recorded after the group shifted their name from the Jazz Crusaders, the set features added guitar work by Larry Carlton, David T Walker, and Arthur Adams – all of whom really help to emphasize the funkier side of the tracks while Wayne Henderson's trombone and Wilton Felder's tenor remind us they've still got a great talent for jazz! Titles include "Search For Soul", "Gotta Get It On", "Look Beyond That Hill", "Ain't Gon Change A Thing", and "A Message From The Inner City".

Great work from one of the funkiest periods in the career of the Jazz Crusaders – that point when they first dropped the "jazz" from their name, and started moving into groovier territory! The set's a bit electric, but never as much so as their later, bigger hits – just enough so that the basslines bump the tunes along strongly, and the keyboards start to sparkle in the mix too – but still leaving plenty of space for acoustic contributions on piano, trombone, and tenor. Arthur Adams joins the group for a bit of guitar, which is well-placed – and titles include the massive "Pass The Plate" medley, which runs for over 15 minutes – plus "Young Rabbits 71/72", "Goin' Down South", "Listen & You'll See", "Greasy Spoon", and "Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself".

Great work from one of the funkiest periods in the career of the Jazz Crusaders – that point when they first dropped the "jazz" from their name, and started moving into groovier territory! The set's a bit electric, but never as much so as their later, bigger hits – just enough so that the basslines bump the tunes along strongly, and the keyboards start to sparkle in the mix too – but still leaving plenty of space for acoustic contributions on piano, trombone, and tenor. Arthur Adams joins the group for a bit of guitar, which is well-placed – and titles include the massive "Pass The Plate" medley, which runs for over 15 minutes – plus "Young Rabbits 71/72", "Goin' Down South", "Listen & You'll See", "Greasy Spoon", and "Treat Me Like Ya Treat Yaself".

We don't know what Hugh's trying to reconstruct here, because from our perspective, it seems like he's trying to forge a new style – a nice one, with lots of soulful moments, and a strong Afro groove on the best tracks. Some tracks have Hugh singing mellow soul vocals, and others have a tight jazzy groove with cool electric piano! Titles include "Woza", "I Can't Dance", "Make Me A Potion", "Sala Le Mane", "Traces", and "Leave Us Alone". Great players throughout, too – like Francisco Aguabella, Larry Willis, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Arthur Adams, and Wayne Henderson.

Funky LP from Monk, with nice tight electric bass playing, and groovy arrangements by Wayne Henderson, who also produced the LP. The record's got a nice mix of soul instrumentals and jazzy bits, with a similar feel to some of the other stuff on the Chisa label at the time. Tracks include "Big Boy", "Your Love", "Bluesette", "It's Never Too Late", "My Cherie Amour", and "The Lady", which was arranged by Hugh Masekela.

A really mixed bag of grooves from the Crusaders – but still an album that's quite tasty if you dig their work on the Chisa label! The record appears to be a greatest hits collection – with the "best" in the title – but it's more a summation of the styles they'd been digging on previous records, as some tracks feature a tight funky groove, others have a mellower electric one, and still others have a straight jazz approach. Highlights include the African-sounding "Time Has No Ending", the Sly Stone cover "Thank You Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin", and a nice reading of Wilton Felder's "Way Back Home".