The Americanization of Ooga Booga

The Americanization of Ooga Booga is a live album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. MGM released the record in June 1966.

The Americanization of Ooga Booga
Live album by
Hugh Masekela
ReleasedJune 1966
RecordedNovember 1965
VenueThe Village Gate, New York City
GenreJazz
Length42:30
LabelMGM E/SE-4372
ProducerTom Wilson
Hugh Masekela chronology
Grrr
(1966)		 The Americanization of Ooga Booga
(1966)		 Hugh Masekela's Next Album
(1966)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Tom HullB+[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz RecordingsCD reissue [4]

Background

The album is a blend of American jazz themes and traditional South African musical influences.[5] It was recorded live in November 1965 at The Village Gate night club in New York City and released in June 1966 via MGM Records label.[6][7] MGM's president was convinced that Masekela's albums were too African for American tastes, so soon after Masekela moved to Chisa/Blue Thumb labels.[8]

Verve Records re-released the album in 1996 as a CD named The Lasting Impression of Ooga-Booga, adding five more tracks from his 1968 album The Lasting Impression of Hugh Masekela.

Reception

Bruce Eder of Allmusic noted about this album: "The influence of Dizzy Gillespie and Freddie Hubbard can be heard, along with McCoy Tyner in the playing of pianist Larry Willis, and he shows his debt to John Coltrane as an inspiration on 'Mixolydia' as well as his affinity for Brazilian music on 'Mas que Nada.' But the core sound was what Masekela called 'township bop'—his short trumpet bursts, sometimes seemingly approaching microtonal territory, are engrossing celebrations of the melodies of his repertory, which is mostly of South African origin (including a pair written by his then-wife, Miriam Makeba). Among the latter, the opening number, 'Bajabula Bonke,' aka 'Healing Song,' got its first airing on record here—it would later receive a bolder performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, comprising one of that event's numerous musical highlights, but where that later performance streaked and soared, this one starts out slowly and quietly, exquisitely harmonized and rising gradually and gently like a glider catching rising winds; it's impossible to fully appreciate the Monterey performance without hearing this one. With Herbie Hancock's 'Cantelope Island' providing one firm reference point in the American jazz idiom, the set really wasn't that removed from 1965 listeners, as its stronger-than-expected sales proved."[9]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bajabula Bonke" (Healing Song)Miriam Makeba7:12
2."Dzinorabiro" (The Good Old Days)Miriam Makeba5:57
3."Unhlanhla" (Lucky Boy)Angela Makeba5:01
4."Cantelope Island"Herbie Hancock5:04
5."U-Dwi" (Song to My Mother)Hugh Masekela3:09
6."Masquenada"Jorge Ben6:18
7."Abangoma" (Song of Praise)Miriam Makeba3:35
8."Myxolydia"Hugh Masekela6:14

Personnel
  • Acy Lehman – artwork
  • Hal Dotson – bass
  • Hugh Masekela – cornet, flugelhorn, vocals
  • Henry Jenkins – drums
  • Carl Fischer – photography
  • Larry Willis – piano
  • Tom Wilson – producer, liner notes
  • Reice Hamel – recording
  • Val Valentin – recording, director

References
  1. Eder, Bruce. "Hugh Masekela – Grrr". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  2. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1203. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Hugh Masekela". Tom Hull. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 959. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. "Hugh Masekela: Americanization Of Ooga Booga". Dusty Groove. dustygroove.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  6. "Hugh Masekela: The Americanization Of Ooga Booga". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. "DISCOGRAPHY: 1955-1969". dougpayne.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  8. "Hugh Masekela - Biography". Amoeba Music. amoeba.com. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  9. Eder, Bruce. "Hugh Masekela – Grrr". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
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