🎵 AotW AOTW: Herb Alpert & Hugh Masekela - MAIN EVENT LIVE! (SP-4727)

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Captain Bacardi

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Herb Alpert & Hugh Masekela
MAIN EVENT - LIVE!
A&M SP-4727
sp4727.jpg

Released 1978
Peaked at #31 on the Jazz Albums Chart (1978)

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/8-Track

Produced by Herb Alpert, Hugh Masekela and Mosa Jonas Gwangwa
Associate Producer: Don Hahn

Songs:
  • 1. Foreign Natives (Mosa Jonas Gwangwa) - 9:15
    2. People Make The World Go 'Round (Thom Bell/Linda Creed) - 5:36
    3. Besame Mucho (Consuelo Velazquez) - 4:14
    4. I'm Comin' Home (Herb Alpert) - 5:22
    5. She-Been (Mosa Jonas Gwangwa) - 3:30
    6. Kalahari Nights (Mosa Jonas Gwangwa) - 6:24
    7. Shame The Devil (Mosa Jonas Gwangwa) - 6:58
    8. Mama Way (Henry Sithole) - 5:50
Musicians:
Herb Alpert - Trumpet
Hugh Masekela - Flugelhorn, Vocals (8 )
Mosa Jonas Gwangwa - Trombone, Vocals (8 )
Larry Willis - Piano, Synthesizer & Electric Piano
Arthur Adams - Guitar
Jeff Sigman - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar (8 )
Manolo Badrena - Percussion, Snare Drum (3)
David Williams - Upright and Electric Bass
Buddy Williams - Drums
Tommy Tedesco - Acoustic Guitar (3)
Michael Boddicker - Sythesizer Programming (3, 5, 6)
String Quartet: Charles Veal, Jr., Kenneth Yerke, Denyse Buffum and Ray J. Kelly (3, 4, 8 )
Orchestrated by Michel Colombier
Caiphus Semenya - Vocals (8 )

Recorded Live at the Roxy and A&M's Sound Stage
The remote truck for the Roxy recording was provided by The Record Plant

Engineered by Don Hahn and Derek Dunann
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Recording Studios, Hollywood

Art Direction: Roland Young
Design: GRAFIS
Photography: Bonnie Schiffman
Inner Sleeve Photography: Jim McCrary

Capt. Bacardi
 
I still remember the excitement of listening to this album when it first came out. I was in the Air Force at the time and living in my first apartment with a new stereo system. "Foreign Natives" simply blew me away. I kept thinking "is this really Herb blowing that horn? Man, this is great!" Obviously for me, trombonist Mosa Jonas Gwangwa - Hugh Masekela's cousin - was another highlight, both with his horn and his compositions. It still sounds fresh today and "Foregin Natives" still gives me goosebumps. My other favorites are "Mama Way" and "She-Been". Still hoping this will be reissued on CD with some bonus tracks!
 
Still hoping this will be reissued on CD with some bonus tracks!

Boy ain't that the truth! Since they had the recording gear set up, I'm betting there are a lot more tracks in the can. It would be neat to hear how the band did some of his earlier songs, too, with different arrangements. Mr. Bill was at one of those tapings, IIRC.
 
No earlier recordings (TJB) were done, though, as he does today they put a lick or two of Lonely Bull and Taste of Honey ina couple tunes and when Herb and Hugh intorduced each other, Hugh said, "and form Tijuana, Mr. Herb Alpert!" They did most of the songs form the first album but not "African Summer."
 
The live versions of the tracks from the first Herb/Hugh album would be a neat addition. :agree:
 
"Lobo" was break sng with each ember leaving the stage after an impressive solo. IIRC only the bass player and drummer never left the stage. But it's been a few years. Man, a video would've been awesome!
 
Ditto im in agreement a video would be great if there are more tracks in the can. So to speak there should be a real deluxe edition iwas only 11 at the time and like many lps iknew they were there but i didnt have the funds until later but well worth the wait.
 
They did most of the songs form the first album but not "African Summer."

IIRC, that track predated the Herb/Hugh album. Not even sure if it is a track they collaborated on...
 
The artwork style for the MAIN EVENT LIVE album actually stems from ads for the first HERB/HUGH album. This ad was in a Billboard Magazine:

AlpMasekelaAd.jpg

Harry
 
I owned that single and it should have been a hit in my opinion The you in me in particular.fits in the power ballad category.and i think it still stands up to this day as for african summer i think masekela might have participated the producer credit on he single was caiphas semenya who also co produced both herb and hugh lps. Both versions single and lp of african summer sunded exactly the same to me BUT I MAY BE WRONG......
 
I owned that single and it should have been a hit in my opinion The you in me in particular.fits in the power ballad category.and i think it still stands up to this day as for african summer i think masekela might have participated the producer credit on he single was caiphas semenya who also co produced both herb and hugh lps. Both versions single and lp of african summer sunded exactly the same to me BUT I MAY BE WRONG......

Herb and Caiphus Semenya had co-produced Letta Mbulu's albums, which is what gave Herb the impetus to record African music. When those sessions didn't quite work out he called Stewart Levine, but Hugh Masekela - who was staying at Levine's home - happened to answer the phone. After talking a bit Herb thought about the possibility of collaborating with Hugh and called him back to talk about it. The rest, they say, is history.


Capt. Bacardi
 
Would "African Summer" have been from those original sessions? The timing would be about right.
 
That's a good a guess as any. My recollection of hearing "The You In Me" on radio was late summer/early fall of '77. With "African Summer" being on the flip side I had thought that there was a new album about to come out and judging from these two songs it would've been something totally different from Herb. I was totally shocked when the Herb/Hugh LP came out in January '78.


Capt. Bacardi
 
That one surprised me a little, but what really took me aback was seeing Main Event Live at Peaches as I was not expecting another album so soon (or at all), and hadn't heard a word about it. It took me a few years to get it on LP, as I got the cassette as a gift shortly after I spotted it at the store.

I wish I had known of all these Alpert/TJB singles over the years--I'd have bought them new if I'd known they were out there. But we didn't have the Interwebz at the time. :laugh:
 
Wow its true you never what may happen until you pick up a phone thank you captain for shedding some more light into the impetus for alperts african music phase i know stewart levine also produced the crusaders early albums too Good choice on Herbs part
 
"African Summer" first appeared as the 'B' side to Herb's little known vocal "The You In Me" (A&M 1962) in 1977.

"The You In Me" was actually the B-Side. African Summer was a solo effort follow up to Just You And Me and at some point before any other tracks were recorded, Stewart Levine arranged Herb and Hugh meeting and the collaboration was inevitable. The double-sided "African Summer" promos and 12" 45rpm radio copies of "African Summer."

--Mr Bill
 
I had afeeling that african summer might have been recorded before anything else in any case thank you mr bill for confirming that in retrospect that song had to be an omen. Did masekela get dubbed in later or did they redo the song completly or did they just tack on the single as is???
 
Was looking up tracks of thus album here to see which tracks on this album were written by Jonas Gwangwa, whose music I happen to really like (and first discovered on this album), and noted Captain's comments about Foreign Natives.

Mr Gwangwa did a new recording of this excellent tune on his album, Songs From Exile. I highly recommend. Alas, only available here in digital formats.
 
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