🎵 AotW AOTW: Letta Mbulu - THERE'S MUSIC IN THE AIR (SP-4609)

[Captain Bacardi]

Letta Mbulu
THERE'S MUSIC IN THE AIR
A&M SP-4609

Released 1976

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette/CD (Japan)

Produced by Herb Alpert
Associate Producer: Caiphus Semenya

Songs:

• 1. Music Man (Caiphus Semenya) - 3:37
  2. Tristêza (Reunião De Tristêza) (Sivuca/Severino De Oliveira) - 3:53
  3. Let's Go Dancing/You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (Joan Armatrading/Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil/Phil Spector) - 7:07
  4. Sacred Drum (Caiphus Semenya) - 3:34
  5. Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady (Harriet Schock) - 3:32
  6. Mara A Pula (Clouds Of Rain) (Caiphus Semenya) - 3:41
  7. Feelings (Morris Albert) - 2:37
  8. Rainy Day Music (Caiphus Semenya/Will Jennings) - 2:27
  9. There's Music In The Air (Caiphus Semenya/Will Jennings) - 6:53
  
  Arrangers: Caiphus Semenya/Letta Mbulu/Herb Alpert
  Orchestrations: Johnny Mandel/Donald Cooke/Caiphus Semenya

Musicians:
Letta Mbulu - Vocals
Richard Tee - Keyboards
Joe Sample - Keyboards
Chuck Rainey - Bass
"Spider" Webb - Drums
Jim Gordon - Drums
Freddie Harris - Guitar
Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Erroll (The Crusher) Bennett - Percussion
Louis Johnson - Bass (1, 8 )
James Gadson - Drums (1, 8 )
Bernard Purdie - Drums (1, 8 )
Herb Alpert - Flugelhorn Solo (7)
Caiphus Semenya - Vocals (2, 3, 7, 8 )
Singers: Sharon Routt, Oren Waters, James Gilstrap, Alexander Brown, Denise Trammel
Woodwinds: William Perkins, Jerome Richardson, Bernard Fleischer, Jack Nimitz, Ernest Watts, Herman Riley
Horns: Bob Edmondson, George Bohanon, Dick Hyde, Charles Loper, Marion "Buddy" Childers, Gene Goe, Warren Luening, Bobby Shew, Benjamin Powell, Sidney Muldrow, Robert Bryant, Reunald Jones, JohnAudino
Strings: Wilbert Nuttycombe, Gordon Marron, Marvin Limonick, Bobby Bruce, Mari Tsumura, Marilyn Baker, Shari Zippert, Jay Rosen, Jerome Reisler, Dan Neufeld, Samuel Boghossian, Anne Goodman, Raphael Kramer

Recorded at A&M Studio "B", Hollywood, California
Engineered by Steve Mitchell
Assistant Engineer: John Beverly Jones
Re-Mix Engineers: Steve Mitchell, Herb Alpert, Caiphus Semenya
Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman

Parts of "Sacred Drum" and "Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady" are sung in Letta's native languages - Xhosa and Sepedi. "Tristêza" is sung in Portuguese.

Art Direction: Roland Young
Album Design: Chuck Beeson
Illustrations: Joe Garnett

Special thanks to Freddie Harris for his feel, smile and righteousness. Thanks to John Barnes for the Bridge Modulation in "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".

"She's a root lady, projecting a sophistication and warmth which stirs hope for attaining pure love, beauty and unity in the world. Letta's music is simply too beautiful to miss." - Quincy Jones




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Mr Bill]

Man I love this album. I just played some of the cuts on my iTunes as I was getting ready for church today. Tracks 1, 6 & 8 are my faves.

Back in the days when I had a working turntable I'd often play about three hours consisting of this LP, the Herb & Hugh collaboration and the two LPs by the Herb & Hugh back-up players -- Arthur Adams' I Love Love Love Love Love My Lady and Manolo Badrena's Manolo. All from HErb's "African Period" which predates Paul Simon's...

--Mr Bill
who can't believe he hasn't been able to play vinyl for 19 years now... Gotta figure out a fix for that turntable my wife at Neil's suggestion! Surely that broken hook can be replaced.