What many audiophiles don’t realize is that A&M Records (one of the labels with a better reputation for good sound) was founded by two musicians. The “A” in “A&M” being Herb Alpert. I don’t see his albums being featured in the usual hifi magazines as recommended R2D4 but many of Herb Alpert’s albums have fabulous sound as well as great music.
The other name that doesn’t get much respect by audiophiles is Hugh Masekela. Whenever I mention that name, audiophiles think only of a single piece Stimela – a single track from his album Hope that gets played at audio demos way too often. It’s that one with “Whooooo! Whoooooo. A chuga chuga.”
If you really want to explore how great a musician Hugh Masekela is, get this album. It features Alpert on trumpet, and Masekela on flugelhorn. Two very similar-sounding instruments. Genesis owners will easily distinguish between the two. The music and performance is astoundingly good, and fortunately it is wholly ignored by audiophiles, so it is cheap and plentiful on eBay and Discogs.
How good is this album? Well, Herb Alpert owns the record label, and so far, every single copy I have managed to find (multiple) have been “Not For Sale” promos. It’s going to give your speakers a real workout!
Gary L. Koh of Genesis Advanced Technologies