Grrr | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1966 | |||
Recorded | April – May 1965 | |||
Studio | New York City | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 32:41 | |||
Label | Mercury SR 61109 | |||
Producer | Ed Townsend | |||
Hugh Masekela chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [3] |
Tom Hull | B+ [4] |
Grrr is the second studio album by South African musician Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York City and released in 1966 via Mercury Records. [5] [6] Grrr was re-released on LP in 1968 on Wing/Mercury labels as Hugh Masekela and on CD in 2003 on Verve label. On this record, he seamlessly fuses jazz ideas with the rhythmically complex South African music known as Mbaqanga. [7]
A reviewer of Dusty Groove wrote: "Great early work from Hugh Masekela! The record features all instrumental tracks – all short, and with Hugh's funky South African trumpet rolling over the top! The overall sound is a lot less slick than on some of his late 60s hits – and you can really hear his roots in the South African jazz scene on this one. The tracks are spare, with a strong jazz component – and dancing piano lines behind the raspy and soulful trumpet and trombone solos that dominate much of the record." [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "U, Dwi" (Song for my Mother) | Hugh Masekela | 3:09 |
2. | "Zulu and the Mexican" | Hugh Masekela | 3:17 |
3. | "Emavungweni" (Green Home) | Ndikho Xaba | 3:05 |
4. | "Ntjilo-Ntjilo" (The Love Bird) | Miriam Makeba | 4:05 |
5. | "Sharpville" | Hugh Masekela | 3:26 |
6. | "Umaningi Bona" (Long River) | Zack Nkabinde | 3:11 |
7. | "Sipho" | Gwigwi Mrwebi | 3:37 |
8. | "Kwa-Blaney" | Jonas Gwangwa | 2:07 |
9. | "Mra" | Christopher Mra Ngcukana | 3:04 |
10. | "Phatsha-Phatsha" (Hurry-Hurry aka Puffin' on Down the Track) | Lemmy "Special" Mabaso | 2:54 |
Total length: | 32:41 |
The uncredited personnel is identified by Hugh Masekela in his autobiography Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela (Crown 2004, ISBN 978-0-609-60957-6). [9]
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing well-known anti-apartheid songs such as "Soweto Blues" and "Bring Him Back Home". He also had a number-one US pop hit in 1968 with his version of "Grazing in the Grass".
Trumpet Africaine: The New Beat from South Africa is the debut studio record (LP) by South African musician Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York City and released in August 1962 via Mercury Records. The album was released whilst Masekela was still in school.
The Americanization of Ooga Booga is a live album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. MGM released the record in June 1966.
The Emancipation of Hugh Masekela is the fifth studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in Los Angeles and released in 1966 via Chisa Records label. On this album he performs mostly his own songs. Tracks "Child of the Earth", "Felicidade", and "Ha Lese Le Di Khanna" were later included in his 2004 album Still Grazing.
Hugh Masekela's Latest is the sixth studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was released in 1967 via Uni Records label.
The Lasting Impression of Hugh Masekela is a 1968 live album by South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela.
The Promise of a Future is the eighth studio album by South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela released via Uni Records label. It was recorded in March 1968 in Los Angeles, California. The album was re-released on CD in 1993 on One Way label. The Promise of a Future features Masekela's version of a famous instrumental composition "Grazing in the Grass".
Africa '68 is a studio album by South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela released in 1968 via Uni Records label. It was probably recorded in New York circa 1966 and Los Angeles circa late 1967.
Masekela is the eleventh studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela released via Uni Records label in 1969.
Hugh Masekela & The Union of South Africa is the thirteen studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela released via Chisa Records label in May 1971. The album was re-released on CD in 1994 on MoJazz label.
I Am Not Afraid is the sixteenth studio album by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in Los Angeles and released in 1974. Tracks 2 and 7 were also included in the 2004 album Still Grazing.
The Boy's Doin' It is the seventeenth studio album by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York City and in Lagos, Nigeria, and released in June 1975 via Casablanca Records label. The album was re-released on CD in 1998 on Verve Records with six additional tracks.
Colonial Man is the eighteenth studio album by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York and Chicago and released on LP and eight-track cassette on 30 January 1976 via the Casablanca Records label. The album's title song "Colonial Man", "Vasco Da Gama" and "Cecil Rhodes" express African anti-colonial sentiments. At the time of its release, it was referred to variously by reviewers as a concept album and a protest album.
You Told Your Mama Not to Worry is the twentieth studio album by South African musician Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in Kumasi, Ghana, and released on 9 November 1977 via Casablanca Records label.
Main Event Live is collaborative live album by Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California and released in 1978 via A&M Records label.
Waiting for the Rain is a 1985 studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
Tomorrow is a 1987 studio album by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
Hope is a 1994 live album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
Black to the Future is a 1998 studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. The album was recorded in Mafikeng, South Africa.
Time is a 2002 studio album by South African jazz trumpeter, Hugh Masekela. The album was recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa, and released via Sony and Columbia labels.