... CD

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". CD

Worth it alone for Herb's incredible take on Nilsson's "Without Her"! CD

Not sure what they mean by "Ameriachi" in the title – but from the sound of the music, there's definitely a great A&M Records-styled mix of jazz, Latin, and South American modes! The set begins with a set of cookers from drummer Hideo Shiraki – working with an excellent group that features tenorist Hidehiko Matsumoto handling arrangements – often in ways that have this upbeat, swinging, and pretty darn groovy way of moving along – sometimes with a bold Herb Alpert-styled trumpet in the lead – other times with a bit of marimba vibes. Titles include "Ashita Ni Nareba", "Akasaka After Dark", "You & Me", and "Ginza Wa Koi No Jujiro". The second half is handled by Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Plus All-Stars – a group that has an equally great A&M approach to the groove – thanks to arrangements from pianist Masao Yagi! The whole thing's a great illustration of the way that 60s Japanese jazzmen could also work in some groovy instrumental styles in the right setting – and titles include "One Rainy Night In Tokyo", "Omoide", "Goodbye Mr Tears", "Koi Wa Akaibara", and "Aitakute Aitakute". (Jazz, Now Sound) CD