One of the grooviest albums ever from trumpeter
Al Hirt – thanks to some great arrangements from
Lalo Schifrin! The "Latin" in the horn is a bit subdued here – not as firey as the title might make you think, but
with a majestic, noble sound – one that has
Al blowing a mixture of Brazilian and Spanish themes in a slightly dramatic way, underpinned by groovy
Schifrin arrangements that have the sweeping feel of his cinematic work of the 60s! There's less bossa than you might expect, but the setting is still pretty darn great – and the Latin themes really take
Hirt past his usual hoke of the time. Titles include "Manha De Carnival", "Taboo", "Baia", "Gringo A Go Go", "A Sky
Without Stars", "Be True To Me", and "Desafinado".