Home Is Where The Music Is

One thing I’ve learnt from 1001’ is that I can’t really handle Jazz in most forms.

This is the jazz album I didn't know I was looking for, but definitely was. Blown away. 1. Love the groove. The trumpet/flugelhorn riff is fun. The sax quality has a Canterbury scene sound, which I'm into. Here's the trumpet solo---what a intro!!! Holy cow I am so into this... Piano solo ugghhgbfffnnn 2. Slowing things way down---lovely cocktail bar/impressionistic style piano to start. Trumpet solo starts to heat up... tasty alto sax solo. The band is so in sync, it just feels incredible. The technical imperfections are part of the magic. 3. Another tasty groove holding us down with the winds blowing strong in the skies. The break before the piano solo stops you cold, and in fact you notice the bass before you realize the piano is even taking it, but it gets going. Could be a stronger climax here though. A minor complaint about a great track. 4. Fun bass line. Quiet and kind of mysterious. This doesn't sound like American jazz---it's just more fun. This song by itself doesn't go anywhere new... Except into a fun solo to start the next track! 5. This has a Mariachi/Super-Mario vibe! Moving into a hard swing. To be honest this isn't my favorite part---it almost sounds like the band is having trouble holding it together. But now we're onto solo piano... And back to impressively high speeds. Really in sync at the end here---still a satisfying close to the weakest track so far. 6. Dreamy dark piano. oOOh mmmhm into a funky funky funk! This track is definitely not disappointing. 7. Drum solos! 8. Sounds like a lazy summer day in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood. I'm into it. The piano solo adds a just a hint of mystery, drums add some edge, open up some new dimensions. I love the unison melody that takes us out. 9. Rhodes piano? Mellow opening into a triumphant wall of horns. back to the mellow groove... Lovely keyboard solo, and now we have a groove going. Very nice. Mmm heatin up. I'm bobbin my noggin. Ready for the trumpet solo when it comes---hits perfectly. I love the topography of this piece. 10. Jungly drum intro with some wanton sax. And vocals! Bantu? Love this as a cap to the album. I assume the vocals are placing the album in South Africa, where Masekela grew up. It's a departure from the rest of the album, but a good one. The final trumpet note leaves you hanging---there is definitely more to come for me: I am going to check out the rest of Masekela's catalog.

Nothing quickens the pulse but then again it's not meant to. By the end you realise that what's seemed like exceptionally good background music has actually occupied the forefront of your mind for an hour and a quarter. Hell of a trick, that.

Too long. A few highlights. Mostly not for me.

Great walking album. Sunset album. Goood vibes all around

Clearly talented but couldn’t really get into it

5/5. Funky and Jazzy, rambles from awesome big band blues to more mellow, wandering piano solos. A new favorite. Big horns, jammy piano and lots of hi hats. Feels like Art Blakey with slightly more blues/rock influence.

A great listen, love it!

This was a fun one to explore. Big fan of jazz and while I love my jazz to be “unstructured” from time to time, there is nothing more satisfying than a properly laid out jazz tune. Enjoyable from start to finish.

What a great feast of music this is

What a great album. It's an amazing blend of jazz with african rhythms and instruments. So glad I found this album and this artist!

Now that's what I call background music. I've been listening to these albums mostly as I do my daily walks, and while this wasn't the best album I've heard so far, it was probably the most enjoyable walk I've had. Energetic but serene, with killer horns, drums and bass, this is exactly what I want to hear out of jazz musicians. You could probably cut a track or two, but at the very least, the ones that feel more like filler make me appreciate the standout deviations more. Key Tracks: Minawa, Maseru, Maesha

Slick and cool. Not normally my thing (I know little about jazz) but this was an easy and smooth listen. I quite enjoyed Ingoo-Pow-Pow with some vocals. The album had some touching pieces and some uplifting ones. Grab a scotch and let this album play.

Warm, soft jazz perfection-- I can actually feel the waves of calm come over me as I listen to this, it's incredible.

First, double albums are notoriously hard to produce with high levels of quality. There are a handful of 5 star examples ("The Beatles" "London Calling" "1999"). This is a solid 4, and some may say 5, because it changed direction and did something new and important -- the fusion of African and American spiritual/soul into jazz.

This is a kick ass jazz album. His connection to Fela Kuti is fascinating as well. Weirdly it reminds me of SimCity 3000 music a bit!

I don't think of myself as a jazz fan... but this site is going to make me one. I don't listen to jazz often and I'm not too familiar with classic records in this genre but so far I've been enjoying most of the jazz records this site is throwing at me. This is another good one.

This album is exactly what I needed to hear at the time that I did. This is a record that takes you through a journey of emotional and geographic artistry. The instrumentation is not over the top, it’s precisely structured that the artists play to each other and never leave an empty void in their sound (even in times of silence). The accompanying keyboard is such a nice addition and shake-up to the traditional piano jazz sound. This is probably one of my favorite jazz records ever, I never want it to stop. Favorite Song: Inner Crisis Least Favorite: Legitimately don’t have one…

Nice and refreshing album. Not my usual style but I wouldn't mind listening to it while reading or working.

South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who has been described as "the father of South African jazz". Great living room lounging album.

Mostly pretty inoffensive light 70s jazz. Much of the material was already sounding a bit dated by 1972. Not as funky and edgy as I would like; kind of early 1960s Miles Davis lite. Very lite. Inner Crisis is the best of the bulk of the album. The real highlight in Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song), which is much more like African music with a jazz inflection. If only the rest of the album was more like that.

Good but a bit too long and repetitive.

Home is Where the Music Is My liking for Jazz is definitely increasing in inverse proportion to my disinterest in metal, and I thought this was great. The piano-flugelhorn tandem is fantastic, particularly when it's the electric piano, like on Part of a Whole, Inner Crisis or Maesha, and the drumming is absolutely fantastic, it’s definitely jazzy, but combined with South African rhythms and phrases it gives a brilliant dynamism and variation in tone and feel. Part of a Whole is excellent, it has a great feel, hitting a lovely low key groove, reminding me a bit of Rikki Don’t Lose That Number by Steely Dan, with some great horn and piano interplay. Minawa is excellent too, a great smoky number with some great drumming and The Big Apple continues the superb run of tracks, as does Unhome, the nagging bass and forlorn piano and horns giving it a great, sad, rainy feel. I’m not familiar with Miriam Makeba's original but will check it out Maseru goes a little too jazz-frantic, take the bass for a walk about halfway through, and it is probably the only track I wasn’t keen on, especially as Inner Crisis does a similar thing but better and with a great soul influence, quite Curtis Mayfield-esque. Blues for Huey is perhaps a little too drummy, but there are some great tones and sounds to the recording of it. Nomali is another superb track, the bass is fantastic, kind of loping and stuttering, but keeping things anchored while the piano plays around it. Maesha also has a rainy, soulful feel, the electric piano rippling away a little like Ray Manzarak, before it hits a great up tempo groove. Ingoo Pow-Pow is the most overt display of their South African origins and is great, the tom toms punctuated by the solitary snare and the percussive piano is a superb combination, another excellent track. It was a 4 initially, but it got better and better the more I listened. Apart from Maseru and possibly Blues for Huey, every track is superb, combining piano, rhythms, horns and great production brilliantly, so much so it ends up a 5. 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹 Playlist submission: Nomali or Part of a Whole, I’ll go with Part of a Whole

Listening to anti-apartheid jazz while watching ICE trucks barreling down my street towards the the farms is definitely making me feel a type of way…

Masekela's afrobeat-jazz-funk fusion double album creates such a welcoming sonic home that you'll never want to leave its irresistible grooves, making even a sprawling 76 minutes feel too short.

Beautiful, soulful, uplifting every single second.

another i'd never heard of, and would totally have missed - but holy cow, does this album RIP. there's a lot to love here, but i especially liked the panning of the drums at the very end of the last track. it was the best kind of unnecessary.

Generating a jazz album doesn't excite me. Generating a double jazz album REALLY doesn't excite me. However, I really quite enjoyed this (in fact I listened to it twice!). I appreciate the variety, with every musician getting tracks where they get to shine.

Maybe it's just the fact that I'm lying in bed on a sunny Oxford spring morning and enjoying some nostalgia literature while I listen to this, but yeah, I'm Extremely digging this

I just pulled an Elf: "I know him! I know him!" LOL. I met him once at my old job. He and his whole group was nice and he included me in the pre show song circle :)

Exactly the beta blocker some of us needed today.

Perfect soundtrack on a slow Sunday afternoon with a coffee and a book.

Super solid jazz/funk/soul record with a touch of Afro-Beat thrown into the mix. Very reminiscent of similar era Crusaders, Mizell brothers, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Headhunters and so forth. As good as anything in this vein from any of those artists and the era in general. You can play this as background music, or you can really dig in and listen to the musicianship. Either way is rewarding. Also check the horns on ‘Inner Crisis’ that Theo Parrish sampled.

T'as un peu commencé à m'agacer sur la fin mais je t'en tiens pas rigueur.

I actually really liked to work to this. Lots of character in his playing.

Hugh Masekela is a giant of the African jazz scene. This record exemplifies this, with tons of character and dynamics. No two songs sound the same and the 70 minute run through is a breeze. Best Tracks: - Maesha Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 7/10

good jazz music, great for feeling like chuck mcgill

This is comfortable, familiar and long, like an amiable work Christmas party conversation that, despite similar will on both sides, neither of you can bring to stop, though you are really very tired and just want a slice of cold pizza and to go home.

Elvis never meant shit to me.

Nothing particularly bad about this album. Also nothing I would call exceptionally good. Just some easy listening music I suppose.

Despite it being jazz, I quite liked it. Nice and easy to listen to, good rhythms and flow.

no jazz pls

boring

What an album! it's jazz... but it's world music as well... Masekela, known for his flugelhorn playing and composing... with two African musicians... sax man Dudu Pukwana, and drummer Makhaya Ntshoko... match them with jazz veterans, Larry Willis on piano (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Nat Adderley, Lee Morgan, Jackie McLean, etc), and Eddie Gomez on bass (Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, and too many more to mention)... bad ass, thought provoking, groovin', interplay... Masekela only wrote one song, "Maseru"... five songs written by Hugh's fellow South African exile, Caiphus Semenya... and a few others... all well crafted... and STIMULATING to listen to... Five Stars!

I’m such a sucker for good jazz, and this has such impressive performances across the board.

wow, this is one of those albums that pushes me to keep going w/ this list <3

One of the better jazz albums I've listened to

ME ENCANTÓ.

Superb. Uplifting music that moves the soul. If you are not familiar with Masekela then ignore the reviews (mostly ignorant), put this on and let it wash over you.

Really liked this- easy to listen to and very enjoyable.

5/5 un álbum de jazz hermoso con una composición inmaculada sin ningún tipo de pérdida

Lovely jazz album. Superbly played by everyone, this album is filled with soft moody sections and explosions of energy. Really makes this hour and 15 minutes fly by. I love the drum tone on here

me RE encantooooo me encanta el jazz se me ha hecho un viaje en bus increible

Excellent album! I was in a rut of music that just wasn't clicking with me and this pulled me right out. This is way more structured than what Miles Davis and co were doing in the 70s. It reminds me a lot of what Snarky Puppy would do, which is always a great thing: set up a strong motif and then let your musicians dance around it. The Big Apple and Inner Crisis were definitely my favorites. This is a very beautiful album and one I could listen to all day.

Had a lovely walk listening to this

Beautiful, soulful, relaxing. Great date night music.

This is what jazz should be. All of the time. Forever.

Solid album with some serious groove. I'll definitely go back to this one. Great listen all the way through. I'd heard of him before but hadn't really delved very deep. 4.5/5

This was a terrific surprise to me. I was only two tracks in and I was already to listen this again.

5/29/25. Really engaging Jazz here! Just lovely music and love the different styles incorporated into this, especially the Afro elements. Will be revisiting again and again.

Superb.

An abslolute bop!

Jag har tappat förståelsen för när nåt träffar mig eller inte, men detta gjorde det. Såhär ska jazz va.

Beautiful album. So glad I was introduced to it.

this album is phenomenal. i want it on vinyl so bad

A fantastic album from start to finish. This is one of those that deserve five stars and a comment.

Love this album!

Originally was gonna make this a 4.25 but honestly 4.5 rounding to 5 star.

a very chill and funky fusion jazz album, blending soul, afrobeat, and traditional south african foundations. the album has a lot of improv throughout its 40-something minute runtime. i don't know about you, but i really love me some "head empty" jazz albums. don't need to think about much when those grooves are letting you unwind and loosen up. many tracks keep you interested with unique drum fills, engaging sections and a uber-carefree vibe i'm obsessed with.

Really cool and funky. I was very surprised to find out that it was an instrumental jazz album!

It was an awesome listen, performance and production top tier, one of the best jazz albums I have heard

Hugh brings it on home with textbook blues jazz that keeps you invested in unique song structures, killer solos and changing vibes throughout.

A true great from a beautiful land.

Interesting wonder if he influenced Ben Mulwana

this album is so suave Love the first few notes of Maesha

The depth of this album is so subtle throughout its run time. Despite coming out during the Jazz-fusion era it harkens back to an older time in jazz but also manages to add in afro-influences. This album has definitely become one of my favorite jazz records.

Nomali is my new jam.

Fun jazz album with a hint of funk, great brass - I would definitely buy this album.

such a fun listen quite structured forms but still exciting and dynamic - heavily due to the solo sections soloists crush on this album with every track. they’re all unique characters that build cohesion by sharing motifs between each other. these guys love to play outside the changes which i’m a sucker for. definitely a healthy amount of stank face moments for me that rhythm section is also tight af. they play so well with the soloists and vice versa will 100% be revisiting this - was between a 4 and 5 but i listened to this during a beautiful sunny day walk which bumped it up

Solid five. All scattershot drums, spasmodic piano and strange melodies. Spacious stuff.

This is a masterpiece- it combines so much of jazz with African music and seems very ahead of its time. It’s groovy and beautifully done. Standout songs: The Big Apple, Minawa, Blues for Huey, Maesha

Real good!

I like it since 1972!

I had never heard this before, and it was beautiful!

Superb

This was my album on a cold dreary winter Monday. And it is so up my alley that my day just improved. This album had exactly the right energy and feel. The instruments were tight and the melodies were great. Even on some of the more out there tracks like Blues for Huey, I found myself coming around to liking them by the end. I don’t know how I hadn’t heard Hugh Masekela’s work before this, but I will certainly return to find other albums of his.

Oh I loved this. Wow wow wow. What a magical jazz album. I'm going to listen to more of his catalogue for sure.

Yes

South African trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn player Hugh Masekela. I can't help but wonder if his 1972 album "Home Is Where The Music Is" appears on the list because it was recorded in London following his exile from South Africa, and this list has a heavy British bias. But, jazz critics also consider it a highlight of a very prolific career. Masekela had international commercial success in the late 1960s with original compositions but became better known for pop jazz covers. "Home Is Where The Music Is" dispenses with comfort of the familiar, Jazz vocalists were struggling to stay relevant when pop radio switched to rock and roll and Julie London was covering The Doors, while Carmen McRae dramatically interpreted Simon and Garfunkel's The Sounds of Silence. Hugh Masekela records an album of songs by South African composers and singers. It sounds mellow and warm. But, this isn't the Mbaqanga of South African pop music under apartheid that would inspire the cultural theft of Paul Simon's Graceland, this is not "world music" as signifier of cultural difference. In a way this Afro-jazz album transcends imposed labels, reviewers consider it to be a cross-cultural conversation between Western conventions and an unheard by Western ears, African musical heritage. "Minawa" is beautifully mellow and sprawling, "The Big Apple" bears a passing resemblance to "Summertime" before the familiar is spontaneously composed away.

Can't believe I haven't heard this, really enjoyed it and will explore his entire songbook more!

Wow, a new name to add to my jazz library, awesome!!

very chill

This is what I've been waiting for.

Definitely on of my favourite jazz albums on this list. I feel like I need to dip my toes first into the whole genre, instead of attacking Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk and quickly regretting it. I like every song on this album by Hugh, great bass line throughout the record, and sound of flugelhorn is just amazing. If I'm ever buying a jazz vinyl, here is where I start with.

In cre í ble. El segundo tema all fav

Amazing!

Jazz!

I can listen to this all day every day

Very solid jazz album. Almost has moments that evoke "free jazz", which was a movement prominent during this time.

Hits all the funk fusion I like, some straight ahead. Lots of great playing, especially the keys. Everything I'm looking for in a jazz album.