Melody Maker is the nineteenth studio album by South African musician Hugh Masekela.[1] It was recorded in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Fairfax, Virginia, and released in 1976 via Casablanca Records label.[2][3] Songs "Toejam" and "Hi-Life" were re-released on CD in 1998 on Verve Records as part of The Boy's Doin' It album.
| Melody Maker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Recorded | c. 1976 in | |||
| Studio | D & B Studios (Silver Spring, Maryland) American Star Studios (Fairfax, Virginia) | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Casablanca NBLP-7036 | |||
| Producer | Hugh Masekela, Stewart Levine | |||
| Hugh Masekela chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception edit
A reviewer of Dusty Groove stated: "Hats off to Hugh Masekela – one of the few artists who could record for the Casablanca label and never manage to lose his own sense of sound and spirit! The album's a surprisingly great one, filled with the kinds of subtle touches and earthy soul we've always loved in Hugh's music – certainly a bit more polished than before, given the date of the record, but still filled with some really personal, individual moments. The set begins with a beautiful long instrumental titled 'Hi Life' – with Hugh blowing a long, lean solo over the top of a mellow groove – then it moves into a range of shorter numbers, both vocal and instrumental, including the funk track 'Toe Jam', plus the cuts 'Come On Home', 'Melodi', 'I'll Make You Feel Alright', 'Melody Maker', and 'Dance'."[4]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hi-Life" | Adaloja Gboyega, Hugh Masekela, Yaw Opoku | 9:34 |
| 2. | "The Best of My Love" | Don Henley, Glenn Frey, J. D. Souther | 3:12 |
| 3. | "Melody Maker" | Hugh Masekela | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Dance" | Stanley Todd, Hugh Masekela | 3:00 |
| 5. | "Toejam" | Hugh Masekela, Yaw Opoku, Jagger Niisai Botchway | 4:30 |
| 6. | "I'll Make You Feel Alright" | Stanley Todd | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Come on Home" | Hugh Masekela | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Melodi" | Hugh Masekela | 3:10 |
Personnel edit
- Isaak Asante – percussion[5]
- Richard Neesai Botchway – guitar
- Eka-Ete – vocals
- Adaloja Gboyega – composer, keyboards
- Stewart Levine – engineer, producer
- Hugh Masekela – composer, horn, producer
- Yaw Opoku – bass, composer
- Papa Frankie Todd – drums
- Stanley Todd – guitar, organ, vocals
References edit
- ^ "Hugh Masekela - Biography". Amoeba Music. amoeba.com. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Hugh Masekela: Melody Maker". Discogs. discogs.com. 1976. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "DISCOGRAPHY: 1970-1979". dougpayne.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Hugh Masekela: Melody Maker". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "Hugh Masekela: Melody Maker". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 May 2016.