Reviews (page 6 of 7)
4/10
Tedious.
The Mountain //
Dollar Brand luego Abdullah Ibrahim, sudafricano lo que quiere decir que tocó con la reina de la música Miriam Makeba. No solo, ha trabajado con Ellington, Coltrane, Sunny Murray, Ornette Coleman o Don Cherry. Mandela tiene un ritmo caribeño que suena a De camino a la vereda de Buena vista social club, pero unos años antes. El resto es jazz, con toques swing, latino etc. No sé, no me impresiona mucho.
It was fine. Good background music Standout song: Tuang Guru
jazz normal nada que decir
Listened in morning
nah.
50 nuances de trompettes relou
Yet another jazz album I don't care about. The issue with all of them is as soon as the album is over and Spotify continues playing another jazz song not from the album, I have no clue the song is not from the album I was listening to. It all sounds the same.
Nah
Kind of background music. No strong opinions either way.
Light, breezy, too easy to ignore.
Abdullah Ibrahim hat schon bessere Alben gemacht... Das ist ein seichter Schritt in den Mainstream
184/1089 was excited for this based on the cover and title, then i get hit by the (dated) jazzy trumpets… i can appreciate this as a cool jazz album and it did have some highlights, it just didn’t excite me. (that said, i wasn’t bored enough to keep track of how long i had left and actually only noticed once it had looped and replayed the first two tracks) i love the intent behind it and the idea of a mixture of jazz and african elements to express Abdullah’s feeling/experience of exile. However, i’m not knowledgeable enough with jazz to be able to pick these out tbh faves: The Mountain, Manenberg Revisited 48/100
Background music
I dunno what makes this stand out from any other jazz album. Its just jazz man
Straight forward Jazz ensemble. Not all that impressed with great skills in playing. Show me something creative.
- cool ambiance music, would listen to it while doing homeworks or reading mais pas trop mon vibe au quotidien
I'm not a big fan of jazz I guess. I felt bored.
Really not a fan of Jazz, especially Jazz piano. 2 stars or D.
Background music
Is dirty, germ-infested and full of bacteria.
Starting with a bad bar-jazz, it became more jazzy.
I saw the name of the album, and, having not known of Abdullah Ibrahim before this listen, made a strong assumption that this was going to be a lame jazz album. 8 songs and 44½ minutes later, I'll say I was right. Perhaps the final hundred or so seconds will disabuse me of that belief. Like a LOT of jazz, it is played competently, has some really interesting melodies and harmonies, and is absolutely unlistenable to the vast majority of people a vast majority of the time. I swear, this album gave me flashbacks to playing some of the lesser known songs I was forced to play in jazz band. You are asking the whole way through, who was this made for other than jazz enthusiasts and high school jazz band musicians who deserve a bad song or two to play as punishment? I couldn't find the answer to that question as a seventeen year old for my jazz band reject songs, and I can't find the answer for this. A 2/5 mainly because the playing and compositions are decent but there are far better jazz albums out there.
when this type of things come onto the list you will think that all british indie rock on here are completely nesseccery. i mean whats the difference of this and every other jazz album? we need something thats *refreshing*. gimme some good old a love supreme. 2/5
Beautiful stuff on here. But lingers on.
Nice, but not gripping enough for me to to play another round.
I'd rather listen to a house band play standards. This was horribly dull
Decent, not great
"None of our staff can take your call right now. Please hold. You are now 7th in the queue"
Not something I’d put on but would be good background noise at an nice bar
Some of the water tastes a bit stale. Otherwise innocuous album.
Good chill, but couldn’t listen for too long
Ok
Christmas jazz without the holiday spirit. I respect the skill and artistry, but was kind of bored.
While this isn't my wheelhouse for jazz, and I know very little about Cape Jazz in general, this was still pretty decent. I don't know how to rate this *really*: it doesn't do a ton for me personally, and I don't see myself really returning to this, but there is an undeniable level of musicianship, and some emotive melody writing. This isn't bad, not at all, it just also isn't that interesting to me. I even think some of the longer winded passages drag on a little (even if the solos dotting these passages are usually pretty good). But I did manage to get something more out of Song For Sathima, Tuang Guru, wedding, and Sameeda. Also, parts of the title track (and others, sporadically) are really good. But it is also worth noting that my favorite song here is the shortest (Wedding). This is a situation where I'm sure that a more experienced Cape Jazz fan would get more out of this than me. At risk of feeling a little mean, I'm giving this a (pretty high) 2: it's nothing personal, and I'm sure this is of some level of objective importance, I just didn't get a whole lot out of the experience.
I enjoy some jazz albums. This not one of them. ★★
I know part of it was the 80s sound quality, but felt like many of the instrumental solos just didn't take stage. The trumpet player sounded like they were losing control of the instrument, frankly. Their notes were increasingly uneven as solos went on and it took me out of the music several times. That, and their sound just died out instead of definitively ending. Were they only stopping when out of breath? Just felt like the pieces weren't coming together well and overall was kinda bored. I was getting really intrigued at the end when sounds suddenly got bold and clearer. Realized the album ended and Spotify was just auto-playing another Jazz record.
Jazz, but so smooth you barely feel anything.
Nice background music but that’s it
Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Mandela.
This is nice jazz music, but it doesn't wow me in the way that some of the other jazz albums on this list have. Favorite track: "Manenberg Revisited"
Weird coincidence, the only two songs I saved from the album are the opening and closing tracks. The first one got my hopes too high that I might connect with the rest of the album, unfortunately I didn’t, but that last track was a nice reminder I do like jazz, but I might be picky. Because the heart of this album does nothing for me. And the goofy song at the end which reminded me of Ed, Edd, and Eddy was by far my favorite track on these tracks album. I guess when it comes to jazz I want something either sorta silly and full of life/joy or something really funky and wild. Also, on one last negative note, I think the album cover is totally boring and lifeless. If it wasn’t for the opening and closing tracks, I’d literally hate this album.
Couldn’t find this album anywhere to listen to. Was all grayed out on iTunes. Not on YouTube. So listened to his top songs on iTunes. It’s jazz. Not blown away.
It horrible but did not strike me as interesting at all
For Jazz music, this album seems a bit dated, and maybe a beat slow.
Good solid listenable Jazz. Nothing special or particularly African about it.
Wasn’t my thing understood the vibe and loved the core beat.
Het is niet de meest verschrikkelijke jazz, maar het is wel jazz. Ik heb vandaag niet echt de mentale ruimte om er heel goed voor te gaan zitten, dus het staat een beetje aan op de achtergrond en dan blijft er ontzettend weinig plakken. Het goede nieuws is vooral dat het ook niet irriteert. 'Niet te zenuwachtig' merkt iemand anders terecht op. Het is redelijk knap, zoals ik alle jazz wel knap vind, maar er is geen moment dat ik opleef. En dat is wel waar je een beetje op hoopt als je muziek aanzet. Ik heb meestal de neiging om jazz een beetje naar stijl te raten en dan zou dit een 3 krijgen. Zet ik dit tegenover muziek die ik wel graag luister dan is dit gewoon een 2. Dat is een beetje m'n twijfel nu.
*Shrug* 2
Muy del estilo "Yanni", no digerible para todo el mundo.
Mediocre jazz and big band type stuff
This album doesn't exist on apple music.
Took me a while to get into this one. Currently not on Apple Music. Not really my style.
Maybe I just don't like jazz.
Only listened to part of this. Didn’t particularly inspire
Nice little jazzy album
This one just sat there. Nothing bad about it, but nothing caught my attention, either.
Nothing very memorable on this one!
Yeah this was decent I guess (I know nothing about jazz and have already forgotten everything that happened)
surprisingly I somehow liked this.
Yet another jazz album. I cannot differentiate this album from any of the other jazz albums I've listened to on this list.
It’s nice but I couldn’t find it on Apple Music and had to use Spotify free which is like getting a drill stuck in your head.
I enjoyed the title track, but the rest didn't interest me.
Just a okaish Jazz album.
Kind of boring. To me it’s just background music.
Pleasant background music, I guess
Background music for Charlie brown cartoons.
Didn’t hate it but also didn’t love it. It passed the time and occasionally made my toes tap!
I did not enjoy this. Felt like Sesame Street music for adults, at any moment some numbers and letters might start dancing.
I really wanted more from this - with the album title as well as the artist being a prominent jazz pianist from South Africa, I thought we would get 1) more piano (seemed mostly buried by the horns) and 2) some sort of different musical flavor identifying this as being from somewhere discernible. It was just sort of middle of the road jazz, pleasing and proficient enough, but just didn't do much for me. Some pretty moments and I like the base line on Mannenberg a lot but other than that pretty forgettable.
boring.
Why is the Sims music an album I have to listen to before I die?
Opening track didn't work for me but the album is much better beyond this. There are a couple moments that got my attention but overall it wasn't for me but it might grow on me.
Not for me.
1. mandela - 2 2. zong - 2 3. manenburg - 1 4. guru - 2 5. uuedding - 1.5 6. mountain - 1 7. zameeda - 2
Nice jazz/ new age album. Never heard of Them , thanks for the introduction.
Oh, was expecting this to be some funky Bedouin tribal rhythms. Just some regular ol' jazz.
I may be totally missing this because it's hard for me to distinguish good from bad jazz, but this wasn't as good to me. I can't clarify or quantify it in any way, so I'll just leave it at that. It's giving 2
Best I can say is that the musicianship is competent and that the overall mood is "pleasant", but otherwise this jazz album is barely more than wallpaper music.
So you’re telling me that Abdullah Ibrahim has 58 fucking albums dating back to 1968 and I need to fucking hear this jazz album my Mother In Law would play at a lame ass dinner party with other 70yr olds. I imagine he made more interesting music than this and the Generator fucked him. This was dry as toast and not even worth a background listen. 2 stars
Fine for background jazz. Piano in track 2 moved me a bit but generally not my box of frogs.
Lot of "please stay on the line and a customer service representative will be with you shortly" energy.
Better (and very different) than what I expected by judging the book by the cover and not reading the jacket sleeve.
Pretty but a bit sad
This is a perfectly pleasant album, but not my favorite style of jazz. It's sleepy, and a little too "safe" for my liking.
The type of pleasant background jazz you'd hear playing quietly over the speakers at a Sunday Brunch in a fairly nice hotel
Jazz is really not my thing but I guess this sounded good 🤷🏼♂️
Its not that its bad, its a pleasant little record, but time and time again I feel like cool jazz just does nothing for me as far as the things I want out of my jazz Like, again, its pleasant but it never goes over something that makes me go "oh wow" in the playing which is a shame
This was crazy because I can’t really pinpoint what was bothering me to much. I like jazz. But this seemed so self indulgent to me lol idk I just felt like they were trying too hard to sound so cool. I wonder what happened to me yesterday that made me so mad about it.
Laidback jazzy loungemuziek. Veel deuntjes hadden ook in een 80s sitcom gepast als filler tussen de scenes. Sowieso zit er, met name door de toeters denk ik, best een 80s deken over de muziek. Ik ben te weinig bekend met jazz om te horen wat wel of niet goed in elkaar zit, of in ieder geval knap gemaakt. Ik ben al lang blij dat het niet te zenuwachtig is. Wat ik wel geinig vind, is dat je bij de naam Abdullah Ibrahim een compleet andere eerste indruk krijgt, dan bij Adolph Johannes Brand. En met de naam Dollar Brand had hij zo een hiphopalbum op kunnen nemen. Wat dat betreft ben ik blij dat het dan jazz is geworden. Ik vind het net te weinig enerverend om er een 3 voor te geven.
Jazz init
Some good playing but both the songs and the album as a whole are very uneven in terms of focus, quality, and production. I like Jazz but this isn't one I'll be revisiting.
honk shoe
Rating: 2 Nothing inherently bad if you like jazz. But as this is my rating, I'd rather listen to cats shagging. 2 it is.
I got a preview - Apple Music wanted $10.99 to listen to it all - and concluded it is not for me.
it was okay, some sounded pretty basic
Jazz, it's jazz.
very Groovy tunes, I am not a massive fan of music without singing tbh so not for me
More jazz - it's pleasant enough I guess. Kind of boring though
I typically like most genres of music but I bloody hate jazz.
2 - pretty dull tbh
Without the backstory of Ibrahim's exile, I don't that I would find much to say about this recording. Even with the backstory, it is hard for me (ignorant as I am) to locate Ibrahim's biography in this buoyant, gentle, gospel jazz. I'm sure that does the work a disservice, as it deserves a more considered descriptor than 'pleasant.' And, yet, its pleasantness is what strikes me, after the impressionistic, virtuosic, and cerebral jazz records we've already listened to. Pleasant may not be memorable, but it doesn't ruin an afternoon either. 2 There is something not quite right here. Whatever the cover art, the grandiose album title and the title of the opening track ‘Mandela’ evoke - it does not fit with what then proceeds musically. ‘Mandela’ should have been titled ‘Parkinson’ surely. The closer ‘Sameeda’ is redolent of something from the Jazz Club sketches on the Fast Show. The title track is extemporisation on Film 95 with Barry Norman. Whoever ‘Sathima’ is I am imagining an American lady with a perm and an oversized jumper (or is it a cardigan hanging round her shoulders?) who has been disappointed in love in the previous scene. Whoever ‘Tuang Guru’ is, he has a private dick tailing him. On the whole this was an enjoyable but I dare say forgettable album. I will give it credit for proving, conclusively, that try as they might, no one out-sillys a trombone. 2/5
Blahhhhh this was just kinda exactly what I expected. I don’t know I feel like sure it could be better could be worse but I just yes I can see it’s influence but personally it’s a no from me.
Peaceful, sure - but when in the FUCK would I return to or seek this shit out?? Homework background noise type shii
It sounds nice. But average. I read a review where someone said "Wedding" was so beautiful they used it at their own wedding. It's a nice song that would indeed sound pretty at a wedding. I am confident I could also find some Kenny G that sounds equally nice.
for sure musically impressive but just not for me
Fine. Half of it felt like an extended version of the sex and the city theme song. It was instantly forgotten
Started out bad and then improved
Wel geinig, niet zo boeiend. Klinkt soms een beetje als Efteling-jazz. Het is sowieso geen goed teken als het enige noemenswaardige feit over een album is dat het in deze lijst is opgenomen.
1.875
Old fashioned jazz . Ok for a short while then gets tedious
Very nice background music but nothing super noticeable
Bit jazzy annoying
Not bad, but there are other big band/jazz albums I’d rather hear rather than revisit this one.
This was pretty fine, but nothing special!
Pretty but not my style
#514. Jazz 2/5: jazz
Average Jazz.
2.5. Better than the other jazz album, but still not something I want to crank up
Sounds like a pixar movie. Also straining trumpets sounds like squeaky farts. So... Pleasant but jazz just ain't my thing.
Meh it was cool I guess. Jazz
i’m bad at distinguishing jazz but it was an easy listen just not a standout for me
For jazz, this wasn't too bad. Smooth and mellow, but it also kind of reminded me of 70's sitcom/drama theme music. Still, it's not something I'd ever voluntarily play.
That's some jazz.
It's pleasant but forgettable.
Standard score of 2 for "it's jazz. "
It's nice to have on - you hit play and kind of forget that it's on. Maybe you had to be involved in this scene at the time to really appreciate it, but 39 years later it doesn't feel particularly groundbreaking or interesting.
Some interesting stuff happening here. “Manenberg Revisited” has a really cool bass-driven polyrhythm that I loved. “The Wedding” is the most annoying sort of sax-driven smooth jazz.
El jazz es un estilo que a veces me cuesta apreciar. No es que este sea un mal álbum; reconozco la calidad técnica, pero me ha aburrido bastante. Empieza algo animado con "Mandela", un tema de estilo big band, y poco a poco se va volviendo más lento hasta llegar a lo casi soporífero. Además, tampoco creo que sea un álbum especialmente innovador, teniendo en cuenta que es de finales de los 80. En fin, me cuesta asignarle una nota. Lo voy a dejar en 2.5.
Pretty straight jazz. Was surprised this was an 80s record, as it sound like something that would have been decades earlier. I fail to see how it pushes the envelope or a particularly mark of excellence or influence. It’s competently played, has interesting moments and fine on the ears, but mostly forgettable.
Instrumental medio tribal pero grave, atmosférico. Bastante monótono y aburrido.
Hat mich nicht gepackt. Klang alles wie die Musik aus einem alten Tom und Jerry Film. Aber handwerklich nicht schlecht gemacht.
Good musically but jazz just not my thing
To start, I like jazz. I found this album to be very sloppy. The mix was jarring and unbalanced. I felt tense listening to this, and listening to jazz should be a relaxing and perhaps inspiring experience. The saxes sounded unconfident, which made the listening experience unpleasant. I feel bad for anyone that has this as a first jazz album, as it's not a good introduction to the genre.
Sounds like a colliery brass band doing covers of obscure TV themes and playground songs. That isn’t a good thing.
Part old school jazz……even heard some hints of Vince Guarldi. Good background music.
Schnödes Bigband, Piano und Jazz Arrangement. Es war nicht inspirierend und eher langweilig bis unangenehm.
Sigh. I want to like jazz more than I do. From my musician standpoint, there's a lot of really interesting stuff going on with all the instruments, especially the bass. I like the several different saxophones. But man, it's just so boring to listen to for an entire album.
That was jazz song music. Not for me but not completely horrid
There are a few jazz albums I like and then there’s stuff like this that all sounds the same
Listened Before? N Meh. I'm sure it's great. Not my cup of tea. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Mandenberg Revisited
Forgettable
Yep, it's jazz
not the vibe
This made me feel like I was in an elevator not on The Mountain.
Smooth jazz for a specific listening session. I was not in that session today. Another meh for me.
What next? Chuck Wagon’s Honkytonk Hoe Down turns out to be Death Metal?
<jazz_guy.gif>
Sounds too old-fashioned for me. From an ancient well, indeed.
This is some big band jazz, at least 50% held my interest
I hope the musicians had fun making this because I sure as hell didn’t enjoy listening to it
It sounds like all the other jazz albums.
An enjoyable easy listen. But in terms of jazz that was pretty boring. Giving this a 2 just on the jazz scale, but it is way better than every 2 I have rated.
There are so many amazing and interesting jazz albums in the world. This is not one of them.
Good listen, lots of interesting instrumentals and arrangements!
Jazzzzzzz.. Nothing special comes to mind.
Don’t know enough about jazz to say if this is any good or not. Not really my cup of tea.
Just A ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Pleasant enough background (lift) music ... but that's about it, for me.
Nice background music but a little boring.
okay
The soundtrack to a low budget daytime tv drama or hallmark film. Jazz, niiiiicccceeeee! 2.3
Not digging it very much
Not really going to leave an impression on me.
..
Jazz. No.
Jazz is really not my genre, and i cant say i really enjoyed this album. I can see how the musicality is appreciated- there were some parts where clarinet and piano had a nice back and forther. However, the time signatures and dischordant nature, while complex, just didnt do it for me. Overall- I can see how this woild be an influential album. But it really wasnt for me
Cocktail lounge jazz?
I knew nothing of this. I'm now keen to find out more. There's a light and breezy touch. It should be sold as one of those introduction to jazz albums. It dragged a little towards the end.
Ok
It was over before I realized
It’s so hard to rate these kinds of albums compared to a pop album or an album of bangers. I really liked the first song, but it mushed together afterwards.
Such background music, I’m not sure I even really heard it. So I’ll give it two stars because it obviously wasn’t hugely offensive.
Enjoyable jazz that is extremely thin and forgotten mere moments after listening. That isn't to say the album is bad, but the whole thing feels like it is meant to be the soundtrack to an old Disney Silly Symphony. Y'know, the things that Disney used to sync their animations with? The music is okay enough, but it just feels like jazz music purely meant to elicit relaxed vibes, and nothing more. A soundtrack to an Olive Garden, perhaps? Or something more spicy, like the Old Spaghetti Factory? Either way, the music is sound, it's fine, but would you catch me listening to it in my free time? Hell no. The instrumentation is fine, the variation is fine, the improvisation is fine, it is all FINE. But there has to be better jazz coming out of the mid-80s, yes?
Perfectly pleasant, but not really my thing. 2*
Eh, an average Jazz album, totally fine for some background music, but nothing to write home about in my opinion. Not too sure why it's included in this list. Best: Mandela Worst: Sameeda Note: Spotify didn't have the rights to the title track so I listened on YT Music.
not available on streaming service in US. was able to find title track & listen to it. nice enough background dinner music
Pretty dull, incredibly light, elevator music jazz. It was pleasant enough to have on in the background and I even searched out the title track as Spotify didn't include it.
I wasn´t expecting an album this traditional when I saw that it was an african jazz album from 86. It´s just... jazz. It could have been recorded in 1946 by the it sounds. It´s not a bad album. It´s just very conventional.
An album to have listened to before you die? Nah, that's in-ear out-ear Jazz despite the political statement that I am told it was. Nothing bad to it, but nothing musically overly interesting either.
Background music from the Peanuts
funky. Boring.
Enjoyable album, but nothing really stands out.
Easy listening jazz. Inoffensive, dull. Let’s move on…….
A bit of an average lowfi jazz, unfortunately Abdullahs piano skill didn't come to shine too much. Not my favourite album to listen to... anytime.
Quick, easy listen. Love Mandela but I really just don't have a ton of time for Jazz. There is so much I'd rather put on.
Soyons honnête, pas particulièrement d'ennui ici, ni de sentiment de ne pas faire partie du club des initiés. Un jazz qui ne se regarde pas trop le nombril et donc forcément plus accessible que d'autres opus. L'écoute est plutôt aisée, les mélodies ne sont pas déstructurées, on comprend et c'est déjà beaucoup ! Ma préférence ici est cependant rythmique (Mandela, Tuang Guru), l'ennui pointe inévitablement le bout de son nez lorsque les tempos ralentissent, d'où la note...
Pleasant but not something I’d listen to again.
Honestly the first jazz album I've listened to that I wasn't completely blown away by. Some of the songs are decent, but I feel like a majority of the songs are forgettable or go on for way too long. A bit disappointing. Top tracks: Song for Sathima, Water From an Ancient Well (though it goes on way too long), The Wedding
Enjoyed this at first then fell away. All felt a bit filler background music
Middling jazz
Meh. Lower side of 2 stars. Jazz just isn’t my jam.
With a name and title like "Water From An Ancient Well - Abdullah Ibrahim", you'd think this would be some avant garde heavy metal music, or funky ethno folk, or some really wild prog rock extended play 2 hour piece. Nope, just plain old boring light jazz.
I won't give it one star because maybe I'm missing some brilliance, but I don't get it. Just not for me.
I respect these guys - the music is pretty laid back generic Jazz and it was done under a difficult oppresive environment. If this was a band from NYC from the 80's it wouldn't be on this list though.
Background music in a wine bar or restaurant. It's OK chill out jazz style music, and nothing bad about, it's just that there's nothing interesting about it. There have so many great jazz albums produced that I fail to see why this album in particular has made the list.
Jazz just doesn't cut it for me, this has nice background piano style however .
Couldn't get into this at all. Had the background feel to it. There were short passages, the solos, that were almost arresting.
Sounds like something I'd hear in a fancy restaurant. Pleasant but kind of boring
Pleasant music. Instrumental. Sort of has a 50s sitcom feel to it. Not sure why it is on this list.
Jazz that I likley need to listen to more than just sitting at my desk distracted by my inbox.
It’s jazz music but it’s kinda listable. Jazz isn’t my favorite style but if this album was playing in the background at a party there might be a few moments that I’d notice. Probably won’t spin again.
More jazz, but worse! Second half of the album better than the first, but still not enough to elevate it beyond a 2.
I am sure there is a backstory to the significance of this choice, late 80s isn't exactly a jazz revolution period that I am aware of. It's good for the genre, seems pretty standard issue stuff. If it came out in the 20s I would get being on this list...but it wasn't, so I am left confused.
This is fine I guess? Honestly a pretty sleepy album and not sure what makes this special.
Cool. It’s a nice album with what sounds to be some great musicians. I’m not deep into jazz but good to listen to in a coffee shop, or if I need something without words to listen to while working, or if we’re having a dinner party and 1) we’ve exhausted the yatch rock playlist 2) my wife won’t let me listen to MCR or 3) I’m trying to make people think I’m cultured. But I don’t quite understand why this stands out from other jazz albums. I could put on a Spotify playlist and be good.
It’s JAZZ!!! 2/5
Hienosti meni taustamusana ohi enkä oikeastaan huomannut koska se loppui.
Du jazz :') j'aime pas ça
not my favorite
This is not my favorite type of jazz. It sounds good what it is just, not my preference. I think it does make good soundtrack or background music. Spotify took me to one of his solo albums afterwards, and I liked this artist as a piano soloist much better, rather than as part of a jazz ensemble.
meh
Found it a bit anodyne. Trying out the Dollar Brand recording instead
Meh
Not for me, but not bad. Would be inoffensive in the background.
Boring jazz for me, Clive
5/10 Highlights: Manenberg Revisited
Lovely background music but didn't do much for me besides
Pretty standard jazz. Doesn’t have as much of that African flair that I was hoping for. Feels like it’s missing a certain element to make it unique.
Meh
Just very very meh Jazz.
Sadly, the song, \"Water from an ancient well\", is not available in my country so I couldn't hear it. Alas, the abstruse laws on copyright shoot the artist in the foot, once again.
1/8, 13%
2/5. This album was not available in my country so I had to resort to a live performance of the title track to get this gist of things. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t fulfill the length requirement obviously.
Too sleepy for my tastes. I enjoyed the first song though
My name is jazz
Not a huge fan of this one.
Background music, not much more
Perfectly fine, but a bit plain and not that memorable.
Not my kind of jazz. Doesn’t stand out much to me.
Not bad per se but way too smooth for my taste.
I fell asleep, face first on my cold spaghetti plate at the local restaurant on an uncrowded Wednesday. It seems the waiter also fell asleep, since I only woke up the following morning.
Smooth jazz for breakfast restaurants.
Not my cup of tea, but fine in its own right. Turns out I really don't like flute in my jazz.
Funish. Not my thing, but fun parlour music
There is jazz worth listening to, but this just feels so bland
It's not bad, but nothing particularly exciting either. It comes across at times like something off a jazz Christmas album. There's something inherently '80s cheese about the sound. Again, it wasn't bad, but nothing to bring me back.
Not a big fan and haven't listened to a lot of jazz so I don't have anything to compare this album to. It was a pretty decent album which I would never have listened to if not for this list.
This ranges from highly sensitive and sophisticated jazz to little numbers that sound like the moment in the 70's movie when the bombshell looks at the suitor and says, "It's time I slip into something more comfortable." Really, there are parts that are very strong and the technical skill with which, particularly the horns are played is outstanding. Yet there is that aspect of cheesiness that haunts with a pervasive aura.
One stellar track, Mannenberg Revisited, and a couple of other goodies, but the spectre of new age noodlings I am afraid frequently derails this. The mid-eighties was not a great time for jazz, and this kind of shows why.
Great music for elevators, classic movies or a trip on a Cruise
I only listened once. It really didn’t make enough of an impression on me that I wanted to listen again, consequently a possibly harsh 2*
Didn't listen too much but didn't grab me.
Taitavasti soitettu. Sekä saksofoni että huilu kuulostivat miellyttäviltä. Vaikea sanoa muuta. Biisien tarinat eivät välittyneet.
Seems talented. I don’t know what made it special.
jazzy but could not find whole album
Handig om 2 jazzplaten zo kort op elkaar te hebben. Deze vond ik betrekkelijk minder tof
It's very pleasant jazz. Again, my enjoyment of it is limited by my lack of genuine understanding. I realise it's 'Important' and was created by black musicians in apartheid South Africa. But I don't get it. It sounds like nice background music for sophisticated people. Also, one of the musicians on this is called Dick Griffin, and if that was my name I'd never tire of jokes about rising.
Little too much. Not my kind of jazz, tuang guru was a good song though.
I'll admit I didnt give this one a lot of time to settle into, sounded like pleasant elevator music.
meh
Background music. Inoffensive but not particularly interesting either.
The tracks are fine, though they quickly faded into café jazz background music for me. Is it a "must listen" album, nah not really.
Yeah, this feels quite dated and none of the heads really stuck with me. It had a nice atmosphere though, and Tuang Guru especially was a lot of fun
Mwa....
Sorry to say that I can think of probably 30 other albums I’d just as soon listen to as this. It’s certainly *good* but I couldn’t find the special in it.
Honestly... kind of boring. This was just some bog-standard jazz that didn't do much to stand out or be interesting to me.
Woof, too bland, dangerously close to a 1.
Jazz
The most interesting thing about this album is how bloody uninteresting it is. Up to this point, every album on this list that I've listened to that had its roots in any African country - north/south/east/west, didn't matter - had a palpable energy and joy to it that set it apart from the American and European entries on the list. This one didn't. You could have told me that it was made in middle America and I'd have believed you. It's... safe. There are no surprises. It's just basic, big band jazz. And it's boring which, as far as I'm concerned, is a cardinal sin for a jazz album.
I don't really like jazz. Some of it is ok. The first song Mandela was really pleasant. I thought this might be a breakthrough for me, but the rest of the album faded into the sounds I'm familiar with. I did not hear anything else that I would like to come back to.
It was fine. Kinda boring, though. No standouts.
Nothing that stood out for me in the collection of jazz ensembles.
Sounds like a cross between coffee wake cup FM and bleeding gums Murphy. Manenberg revisited was a bit of a belter though
The opening song and a few others ones were certainly nice, but the slow songs were rather tedious to listen to (the pace of the list generator is pretty relentless if you are not in the mood for a certain type of music).
Jazz does grab me sometimes but not on this occasion.
Meh
where was this on christmas day? some background lounge jazz to open presents to while you embrace the sweet numbness that only alcohol can provide.
🫠
Det är för mycket jävla jazz.
I like Jazz, but I'm not well versed in it. I tend to err towards the out there, or improv stuff. First impressions of this are pretty inoffensive coffee shop jazz, from accomplished musicians. Does it grab me? Well Mandela didn't particularly, but I was much more into Song for Sathima. Near the end now and yes, it's nice enough, not the kind of thing that will live long in my memory though. And I would hardly call it essential listening amongst the vast pantheon of jazz out there.
Rambled a little too much for me
Pleasant but not unique
Ich habe meine Limiten und dieses Album hat es depassiert.
Besides recording quality, there is very little that would distinguish this from jazz 30 prior to when this was recorded. I suppose most jazz hit the same plateau after the fusion experiments of the 70s. Since the title track wasn't available on Spotify, I listened to a live recording of it with his trio and I preferred it by far to anything on this album. As usual, I prefer jazz in smaller arrangements. Anything beyond a quintet is generally too much for me, unless we're talking about Miles Davis' fusion stuff.
Jaaaaá frekar litlaus djazz. Gerði ekkert mikið fyrir mig.
I found this bland. When the first track came on, I assumed that it was from c. 1960, and was surprised that it was from 25 years later. The ensemble playing was nice, and I liked the bass solo in the tittle track. The tunes are pleasant enough, but nothing really grabbed me. I had never heard of this artist before, and have no idea why this is on the list. They are not an important artist, this album is far from ground-breaking or innovative. Surely there are far better and more notable jazz albums that deserved a place on the list above this. (I am clearly feeling pretty cranky this week. I haven't really liked anything.)
This is a perfectly serviceable jazz album. I'm not sure what else to say about it. It's fine background music, not that exciting. Even among jazz I would not have picked it out of a lineup. There wasn't one solo that made me catch my breath.
not really my jam tbh
I feel very meh about this album. Soft and pleasant jazz, but nothing at all unique or interesting about it. 4/10
Kinda disappointed that this wasn't available in Apple Music and that I had to listen to it in YouTube Music. LOL. Overall decent background music, but didn't seem like anything special.
I’m sure it’s great. I’m just not a jazzy person.
Soothing background music
Jazz, kinda boring, maybe don't appreciate it like I should
It's just a little too "cool" for me. I like jazz to be a bit more frenetic and energetic.
Un jazz amb elements de world music i un toc espiritual que li dona un aire diferent. No m'ha captivat, malgrat tot
I am the biggest jazz hater this side of the galaxy, but even I have to admit that this album has some alright sounds. Two outta five, probably the highest rating I've given to a jazz album so far.
This looked intriguing. South African jazz. I was expecting some rhythms with lively brass. The upbeat opening track "Mandela" is ace. It then all becomes a bit dreary and unremarkable. Disappointed. 2
2/5 naaah
I'm sorry, I'm too hyper for this. It is slow, nice, music for like the intermission in a Jazz club while you wait for the next person to sit at the piano. It is fine, nice, sweet, slow, i'm falling asleep.
Its very relaxing but also quite underwhelming
Pleasant enough but meh
It was a jazz album. I don't know a lot about jazz but it didn't seem remarkable. The wiki had zero info so I'm guessing there's no real story behind this album.
With this album, there is nothing great about it but conversely, there is nothing terrible either. As individual songs, they are not bad, chill jazz, background music basically. Here lies the problem, the songs combined into an album have no coherence. They are all just background cafe jazz. There are no standout tracks. As songs, I would give 3 stars, but as an album, it is lacking...
world jazz hmmm
I accidentally started off by listening to the wrong album by Ibrahim by mistake and I enjoyed that other album way more haha so that put us off to a bad start. The feeling I got from this was that I was in a 00s chick flick at a posh wedding or garden party being offered a tray of canapes. Each song didn't contain any surprises they were very one-note and I don't find that very exciting. Meh - was waiting for the African and Indian influences I was promised and I didn't catch them (my fault but that was disappointing)
this was a tepid listen, easy listening pop jazz is not my jam.
Easy listening that still slaps.
Was expecting some world folk music, not a soft jazz collection. I don’t quite understand the theme of this album. Individually, there is not a bad track, but together, it is disjointed.