{"product_id":"hal-singer-jazz-quartet-soweto-to-harlem","title":"HAL SINGER JAZZ QUARTET-SOWETO TO HARLEM","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen the U.S. State Department announced in the mid-1970s that they were sponsoring a South African tour for the Oklahoma-born, Paris-based saxophonist \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eHal Singer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, producer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eRashid Vally\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e took note. Even though his nascent record label As-Shams\/The Sun (established in 1974) was making waves on the local scene, the idea of commissioning a recording from an international artist was a ballsy idea. With a discography that stretched back to the 1950s, Hal Singer was already somewhat of a legacy artist by 1976. Vally was well-versed on Singer's accomplishments and specifically enamored by his composition \"Blue Stompin',\" which appeared on a Prestige album from 1959 that had struck a chord in South Africa. With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of \"Blue Stompin'\" with South African sax star \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eKippie Moeketsi\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, which became the title track of a 1977 album by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eMoeketsi\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The recording session also yielded an album's worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer's trip to South Africa entitled \"Soweto to Harlem.\" Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eSoweto to Harlem\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cspan\u003e captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eHal Singer Quartet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"FORCED EXPOSURE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41835782307955,"sku":"AF 1008LP","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0270\/0342\/0787\/files\/AF1008LP_THMB.jpg?v=1716498763","url":"https:\/\/www.techniquerecords.com\/products\/hal-singer-jazz-quartet-soweto-to-harlem","provider":"Technique Records LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}