'Trumpet Africaine' was Hugh Masekela's debut album, recorded in New York and released in 1962, two years after Masekela had left South Africa as reaction to the increasing inhumanity of the apartheid regime. Masekela's trumpet shines on top of Hugo Montenegro's fine orchestral arrangements while the tracklist includes, among others, five fresh instrumental versions of Miriam Makeba's songs. 'Trumpet Africaine' was an important early statement from one of the most representative South African musicians of its time.