From Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass ; "The Lonely Bull", "Mexican Shuffle", "Whipped Cream", "Lollipops And Roses", "A Taste Of Honey", "Spanish Flea", "Tijuana Taxi", "Zorba The Greek", "What Now My Love", "So What's New?", "The Work Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Casino Royale", and from Herb Alpert ":Route 101", "Fandango", "Rise", "Rotation", "Diamonds", "Keep Your Eye On Me", and "Making Love In The Rain". (Now Sound, Jazz) CD

Two top trumpet talents – coming together beautifully on this groovy late 70s set! Both Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela had a big rise to fame in the 60s – Herb, for his Tijuana Brass albums on A&M – and Hugh, for the way that he brought South African jazz currents to the American soul mainstream! Given that both had strong presence on the Cali scene in their time, the pairing here is a great one – and works well with some larger jazz backings that color things out in a mix of soul, fusion, funk, and some slight South African touches. Other players on the set include Lee Ritenour and Arthur Adams on guitars, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, James Gadson on bass, and Hotep Cecil Bernard on piano – and titles include "Skokiaan", "Moonza", "Lobo", "African Summer", "Ring Bell", and "Happy Hanna". CD

One of Airto's most polished records, and an album that we've really grown to love over the years! There's a pretty strong modern soul/R&B component to the album – but at the core, there's still a strong feeling for Brazilian rhythms, and the record's got a wonderfully warm Brazilian fusion component. Marcos Valle arranged many of the tracks with Airto, and the record's similar to some of his excellent R&B-ish work from the early 80s, particularly the stuff he did after working with Leon Ware. Great players and singers on the sessions, too – including George Duke, Herb Alpert, Flora Purim and The Sweet Inspirations. Tracks include "Heartbeat", "Amajour", "Partido Alto", "Open Space", "Tempos Atras", and "And Then We Touched The Sky". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A late record by Stan Getz – one of his last – recorded with Herb Alpert and Eddie Del Barrio arranging – a record with a some surprisingly wonderful sax solos by Stan given the late date – and a surprisingly tight sound given the extended roster of players! The sound is pretty polished as a whole, which doesn't squander Stan's work, and the clean & lean vibe features contributors such as Del Barrio on synth, Kenny Baron on piano, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, Oscar Castro Neves on guitar, a George Bohanon & Reginald Young on trombone, Rick Bapist and others on trumpet, and more. Titles include "Apasionado", "Coba", "Waltz For Stan", "Espanola", "Madrugada", "Amoruous Cat", "Midnight Ride" and "Lonely Lady". CD

A mind-blowing set by James Moody, and one that shows him hitting some amazing new ground! The set's a real mixture of styles, and features some incredible post-Coltrane tenor work that will make you think you're listening to Wayne Shorter or Gary Bartz, instead of bop-man Moody. The album's also got one very groovy little vocal number with Eddie Jefferson called "Hey Herb! Where's Alpert?" – but although that track always makes us giggle, we keep coming back for the deep spirituality of "Don't Look Away Now", "Hear Me", and the great reworking of Moody's perennial "Darben The Redd Foxx". Great stuff, and an album that we consider to be one of the lost gems of the 60s! CD