Contains 6 tracks appearing for the first time on CD.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
After his 1968 chart-topping hit "Grazing in the Grass," sold-out tours, and a stint with Afrobeat godfather Fela Kuti , South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela produced a series of recordings that stirred jazz funk fusion into a brew of Afro-pop and American R&B. In its finest moments, 1975's THE BOY'S DOIN' IT cuts some of the era's deepest grooves.
"Ashiko" is a dance floor classic; its up-tempo percussion bounce, echo-drenched trumpet solos and catchy breakdowns sum up what's best about Masekela. The title track opens with a chanted chorus and lowdown Kool & The Gang groove. There's also a little bit of West African highlife, roots samba, and straight-up world beat soul--all tight like a talking drum. Aside from the album's six original tracks, the CD includes six from subsequent albums the trumpeter cut for Casablanca. Masekela's fusion became smoother and more predictable with each release, but like other cross-cultural bands of the time including Santana and Osibisa, he reached out, played it his way, and shook our booties doing it.
