Reviews (page 4 of 12)
Genuinely liked this one I really enjoy jazz and I find it very interesting though I have a hard time naming all the songs bc there long asf and there are so many I love the genre and when I was actually listening to it instead of me zoning out and having it as just background music I loved every note and from what I can remember my favorite was Minawa but somewhere along the way I added the big apple to my liked playlist the album is definitely a save
Very cool! Definitely need to revisit.
Very nice album
I'm not a jazz expert but this was smooth and sounded interesting.
Nice groovy jazz. Suits well as background
Really well done
Maybe my tastes are changing but I have really enjoyed this album. It is atmospheric and welcoming.
A 4, maybe even a 5.
Some good ass jazz
lovely
Jazz from this era is a sweet spot for me. It isn't Miles Davis, but it is still pretty good.
Another very pleasant album to listen to, especially in the background during studying like I did. I am not very familiar with jazz and afro beats but the quality of the album is undisputed
I would listen again. I love some of the sax parts
No mi tipo de jazz pero que bueno que exista.
Playing with the genre a little
Those cats are swinging! Loved the African infusion.
Skönt sväng, fin ton. Fyra
Pretty good Blues Album. Nice to have on in the background or to Relax to. Songs were pretty long but enjoyable. Fav Songs: Part of a Whole and Maseru. Worst song: Unhome. My rating: 8/10
Really nice mixture of jazz textures and Afrobeat rhythms. A bit overlong but this was a solid discovery and a worthy addition to the book.
I liked this! Upbeat a good listen
very much background music album, really good
Jazz is one of those genres that are pleasant to listen to, but aren’t necessarily something that I’d put on when listening to my music on my own. This album was a good jazz album, with many solos and other musical elements that make up an album of the sort. A solid 4 stars; fun and pleasant to listen to, but nothing rivaling my favorites music of all time.
This made for some really nice background listening. It also felt a lot like Headhunters to me, which was cool. Definitely a lot funkier than a lot of standard Jazz from the USA. The grooves were really nice. Favorite Track: Inner Crisis
YESSIR!! I guess I was unfamiliar with this portion of the right honorable gentleman’s game. I AM aware, & indeed quite fond, of what this man will be throwing down a few years in the future. But this was a lovely surprise & no longer will I overlook the straight ahead jazz propers of his arsenal.
Sonically diverse with lots of nice melodies and soloing on this fine collection. It's long and, for me, mostly served as stellar background music. One of the most interesting songs was the last one, "Ingoo Pow Pow (Children's Song)," which featured some native American vocals and rhythms. Seemed more diverse than many jazz albums
Its the kind of jazz I always get behind. Vibrant, atmospheric, always shifting enough to stay interesting, with some great worldbeat rhythms. Maseru in particular is an awesome song. Mr Masekela knew his way around the horn, and i had to look up who played piano/keyboard on here - shout out Larry Willis, some of the best jazz keys ive heard. Would love to add this one to the vinyl collection
Groovy jazz funk, great vibe. Good mix of funk, bop, and afrocuban rhythm.
Jazz, we meet again! I’ve had Time Out and Bitches Brew, but this is my favorite so far. Time Out is fairly tepid (to me) and Bitches Brew is almost completely incoherent - this is just excellent musicianship combined with fantastic arranging. I’m still not huge on jazz and I have essentially zero knowledge of Afrobeat or “the scene” around this album, but on a purely listening basis I definitely enjoyed this one.
Yess
Shoutout Earl (Thebe) Sweatshirt for kind of getting me to know who this guy was before I got this album. Hugh is sampled on the track “Riot” from Earl’s fantastic record “Some Rap Songs”. With that being said, this was cool. It’s a long record and quite much to get through, but what I hear stand outs. The piano work is strongest for me on this record, especially on tracks where it sets the scene (Minawa, Inner Crisis). Blues For Huey ends with some sort of free form drum solo that goes under the composition. The closer has the record’s only lyrics with it being chants. And the back half acts as the strong-suit where the music becomes more of a feeling than a sound. I don’t think this needed to be as long as it is, but what I got out of it was something positive. Thanks, Thebe (8/10, 4/5 on this scale)
Good stuff
Absolute jazz. I love this! I was completely unfamiliar with Masekela but I love his style. The man is a mega talent. I can listen to this over and over. Gonna seek out his other records.
Fun jazz
What an album. 4 stars only because the length is still a detriment to it. Under an hour it would've been perfection. The tracks are great, the playing is tasteful, soulful and all-around incredible. The african teibal elements were incorporated perfectly too. Great album! 4/5
Nice! *points at camera* I’ve listened to this a couple of times and still don’t feel I’ve listened to it enough to review it yet. Because Jazz is complex instrumental music and this is a double album I think it will need more attention for me to “get it”. So far, I can tell there’s a mix of fairly funky grooves, laid back pieces and freak out jazzery… and that it’s good! Will return to.
Loved this!
Lots of trumpets.
*kid reaching out his hand with a butterfly flying right above it meme* — Is this … “jazz”?
I dig it. 3.9/5
Not got a lot to say other than I love jazz, I like this album and it's beautiful. Even if I'd never heard of it before.
Fand ich sehr entspannt um gedanklich wegzugleiten
Part of a Whole 4.2 Minawa 3.8 The Big Apple 4 Unhomé 3.4 Maseru 3.8 Inner Crisis 4.1 Blues for Huey 4 Nomali 4.1 Maesha 4.3 Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song) 3.3 Score: 3.9
jazz
Good Jazz record.
Great Jazz, very chill
3.5 stars I’ve been iffy on jazz and double albums so far. And a jazz double album really sounded like something I would be cold on. But this got me. It rocked. It wasn’t bland or boring. It was vibrant and exciting. I loved it. It was still too long, but will probably grow for me with more listens. Saved.
Im never sure what to do with these types of albums. On one hand it has so many beautiful passages dotted all of the whole thing but I also dont feel strongly enough about anything here to give it a like and listen to it outside of the album context. Dont get me wrong its a very good record. Even great and I could put the whole thing on. Just not a single song. And thats usually what im looking for is songs. I will for sure listen to this again just not sure when that time will come again
As someone who really enjoys jazz, but lacks knowledge of the genre, I truly enjoyed this album from beginning to end.
Cool jazz! My favourite was Inner Crisis
Talented jazzy
Good bunch of jams. The highlight is definitely the expressive and exciting flugelhorn playing. I think this is the first jazz album to pop up in the list, which reminds me that I do in fact like jazz and should listen to more.
Enjoyable all the way through.
Really great. The piano intro on “Inner Crisis” was beautiful.
Animado e lindo. A trombeta de Masekela dança lindamente. Um espírito livre, livre como um pássaro. É bem lindo vê-lo voar. Mas não é só a trombeta que impressiona, tudo aqui é bem finamente tocado. Pianos lindíssimos, percussão requintada, e afins. Antes de ouvir o disco eu me atentei à sua duração. Fiquei preocupado. Mas até que ele passou batido, não me causou fadiga nenhuma. Uma surpresa, certamente. Tudo aqui é magistralmente executado, mas falta um pouco de excitação. Você têm aquela sensação de que já ouviu isso antes. É um disco seguro. Se você ama Jazz vai amar o que ele oferece, mas não vai se excitar tanto. Foi um ótimo acompanhante enquanto eu fazia minhas entregas no Euro Truck Simulator 2. 4/5
Mjög ánægjuleg hlustun. Elska þetta rafmangspíanó og hljóðheiminn allan.
This is the perfect album to listen after a hard day's work. Perhaps on the way back home, while slowly watching the lights of the houses fade away. One slowly cradles oneself in one's home.
What a legend! Rest In Peace
Lovely trumpet and Piano Jazz, long songs that feel session-like
Pretty groovy African jazz; I liked it.
Afrikansk jazz, aldri hørt (om) før. Ikke verst!
Love finding new to me jazz
Disco incrível, que abre mão do exótico e do exagero percussivo, comum no jazz africano, em prol de uma riqueza rítmica e melódica. Excelente!
Not normally into instrumentals but really enjoyed this
Great Jazz Album. It is very long, but it’s a good listen.
I'm not super into jazz albums at full length, but this was super well done. Great vibes.
I haven't met a jazz album on this list that I haven't liked so far, and that continues to be true with this album. I like the composition of this album's ensemble. The saxophone and flugelhorn sound quite nice together and shine on their own and the piano has many sweet moments throughout. I like the motown-like quality of some of the songs. My three favourite songs are Minawa, Maseru, and Maesha. The matching intro and outro in Maesha is one of the coolest moments for me. 8.5/10. Fun Fact: Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho, which is a tiny country landlocked within South Africa.
I thought this was a cool and pretty album. I liked the jazz mixed with some with some Latin rhythms. Or was a fun album overall
This was a really great jazz album! Was not expecting to like it as much as I did based off the album art and name hahaha, guess you can never trust an album by its cover!! It was just so much more funky and fast paced than I would have guessed. Amazing trumpet playing, as well as the piano solos were absolutely baffling. Favorites were Part of a Whole and Maseru 8.5/10
This was a great surprise, I knew Hugh Masekela's name and that he was a jazz musician with some political impact but didn't really know what to expect. Although the songs are quite long they aren't in one style and flit between a relaxed jazz club vibe to more uptempo bops. The standout track was the ballad Nomali which has a haunting melody.
Need some of this
Tracks waver between energetic and serene, but groovy throughout. Fantastic horn, piano and bass.
70s jazz. I like it.
What makes this a great album is that it intermingles so many apparent and yet inevitable influences in engaging and memorable ways. On the opening track, Masekela blows like Freddie Hubbard (I think the trumpeter's implicit mentor); Larry Willis comes in on the second track sounding like his best + most fragrant version of Keith Jarrett; the third has a Cannonball Adderley-type feel; the fourth is a Miles thing w/ Ntshoko injecting the Elvin Jones we know from 'Psalm'; etc. And thankfully, he never draws from the dismal + boring hard bop of Horace Silver. I do not mean to diminish the originality of the artist by citing so many prior jazz authorities, but isn't that the point of jazz criticism to an extent? Anyway, this long record is really excellent.
Nice and jazzy. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4, but I’ll be damned if I don’t want to give this a 5 just to reward its highest highs. Can’t justify it though. It sure is 73 minutes of afrobeat-influenced jazz, with a little more of a lean towards the “jazz” than the “afrobeat” the longer the album goes along. I think it’s a delightful listen regardless, since it’s usually pretty rich in instrumentation, with melodies galore & some keyboard / percussion work that feels electric. However, there’s so, so many little paper cuts this thing has where I struggled to decide if it was a 4 or a 5. The length is… yeah, it’s too long. A lot of these tracks do have a good structure to them, and at their best, they can make some of these 10 minute tracks sound more compelling (especially so on “Maesha”, what a track). Whenever these tracks lose their structure, or get far too loose, the album hits a stale point that sounds good, but just sort of blends together in a deeply unsatisfying way. Disappointingly, Miriam Makema’s track “Unhome” is an example of this, as is the closing track, “Ingoo Pow-Pow”. They’re not bad listens at all, but they both go absolutely nowhere the whole time, just feeling like a bit of a slog in the long run of an already long album. For “Ingoo Pow-Pow”, it’s even worse, because it just doesn’t feel like it deserves to close the album out over “Maesha”, at least not to my ears. I also think this album just consistently misses the mark about when to end tracks; a lot of these build up to a really nice point, progressing in a way that feels like it’s the climax to end on… and then reverts back to the opening minute or so, just going along for another minute or two, like a YouTube video left on loop. It’s frustrating because there ARE tracks here that hit the fun, satisfying big-band finish, and do it spectacularly. That’s part of the “structure” issues I have here, which stops the album from having a more natural flow. I really do want to give this a 5, but I can’t justify it to myself – the instrumentation feels great in the moment, but the compositions themselves aren’t as disciplined as they could be. Their technical skills are incredible, and when they can hit on an electrifying sort of moment, the album feels like it’s soaring. Whenever it hits a stale point though, it just feels like it’s stuck in a traffic jam, and those moments are too persistent to keep the album’s momentum as fruitful as it could be. It is still a deeply, deeply enjoyable jazz album, but I do wish there were more of the Afrobeat elements of the first few tracks retained throughout the majority of the album, as opposed to small scatterings of it in the back half, when it mostly becomes a straight jazz / blues album. It’s a bunch of smaller paper cuts, but it’s enough where I think I have to give this a 4; granted, a 4.5 bumped down to a 4 that I still really recommend as an album, but one that just doesn’t feel as complete as some of the other jazz albums we’ve gotten. Still though, pretty good stuff.
Yes. Cool jazz, sutil. Lo volví a poner
oh hell yeah
It’s a good hang
I like me some Jazz and Afrobeat intersection, good for working music
Shreds the trumpet like his son does a half pipe. I really liked this album. Big Apple was really familiar sounding.
This is a perfect encapsulation of a type of music that’s like “record store jazz”….melodic and something you can hum along with, not too avant garde, great musicianship and grooves, fairly suitable for any situation/mood, something you expect to hear in a record store or chopped up in your favorite sample which leads you to find the original, etc. I really enjoyed it, only demerit is a little long at 77 minutes
the saxophone is crisp and instrumentals make you want to shimmy around the room like i feel like i've been transported to a jazz bar in 1920s new orleans or something. 'part of a whole' has like 5 different songs flowing seamlessly together as one 9 minute track favourite song: inner crisis
While I haven't listened to much jazz, I always find it to be an enjoyable experience. I enjoyed the variety with this album and the many different styles incorporated.
Have to remember to listen to this with nobody around
Very enjoyable, hard bop album
Not usually much of a jazz fan but this one was fun and groovy. Really found myself liking much of it. Nice discovery for me.
Great instrumental album. Hugh Masekela was a master of the flugelhorn. My complaint is the pieces on this album could have been divided up into two albums. It began to drag near the end.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL JAZZ ALBUM. this is like perfect background music, everything is just tasteful, all the songs just work and are so cohesive, and i love the moments where the band goes into just talk and chatter. really made me feel right at home
Apart from whatever that last song was, this album is so beautiful. I love the easy to listen to background music, yet masterful playing.
jazz/swing
Fun
Snuck up on me. Great jazz album
I really wanted it to be funkier, but that's just decades of Fela influencing my expectations.
👋Jazz hands👋
Maybe I like jazz?
Mostly forgettable. But, sometimes forgettable is a good thing - it's exactly the kind of jazz I like to listen to in order to be at my most productive. Mellow. 4/5
Ég á svolítið erfitt með að segja til hvort ég sé bara svona hrifinn af þessari tónlistarstefnu eða Hugh sjálfum en ég fílaði þetta í botn. Allt nema síðasta lagið sem mér fannst ekki passa á plötuna.
Nice. An album I’ll play again. Great horn. Very listenable.
good stuff
Love this
Enjoyable.
This album has a warmth and depth that’s immediately inviting. It blends jazz, funk, and African rhythms in a way that feels both effortless and carefully crafted. The arrangements are spacious, giving every instrument room to breathe, and the interplay between the musicians creates a fluid, organic energy that never feels forced. Tracks like “Part of a Whole” and “Minawa” stretch out beautifully, letting the grooves build and shift in subtle ways. Masekela’s trumpet work is rich and expressive, but it never dominates. Instead, it weaves in and out of the ensemble playing, highlighting how much this record thrives on group chemistry. There’s a balance here between improvisation and structure that keeps the music constantly moving. Home Is Where the Music Is is the kind of record that rewards attention but also works as a deeply atmospheric listen. It’s expansive without being overwhelming and has a timeless quality that makes it easy to sink into. A powerful and soulful piece of jazz that shows Masekela at his creative peak.
Started strong but devolved.
Already listening to it again!! So good!
Don’t know enough about the genre to say much more than I love it. 4/ 5
Never heard before.Very impressive .
Blues for Huey…. Wow. Loved this a lot
really good awsome!!
Pen jazz. Ikke så mye mer å si.
Good
Pretty good jazz
good
Taking one star off for the length. This is great. Just a little too long
gOOD BACKGROUND TO KEEP ME MOTIVATED WHILE i DO WORK.
Not one standout song to add to my 1001 playlist. It's just not that kind of album. However, this is like the best background music ever. In the right environment and mood this album hits right
jazz muito bom
9/10, fantastic jazz album that's a great vibe from front to back. Not normally a jazz listener but very happy I listened to this.
A instrumental album.
Great album
Cool album jazz Afro-fusion, parfait en background, mais surpend tout de même par moment Upbeat et assez frais, surtout dans le genre
Solid as hell, i already started relistening. Gives “madlib invades blue note” vibes. Probs the best jazz ive heard from this project. FOUR! Also FREE EARL MOB
Jedno od onih iznenađenja zbog kojih sam ušla u ovaj projekt! 4/5, 8.5/10
Good jazz album
Great listening, tad too long
Another of those "this is why I'm doing this project" albums. I know of Hugh Masekela and had seen videos and heard him play on some songs back in the 80's. But this is the first time I've listened to an album of his in full. I've written previously that I prefer jazz live to recordings, as it generally doesn't keep my interest and just plays in the background. This aibum proves that to be a falsehood. I loved this. The songs totally kept me interested, and I was grooving to each of them, enjoying where they were going and loving the interplay of the various instruments. It was also a fun listen, with surprises at times that made me smile and move along with the beat and the baselines. While it was a long album, it never really felt overly so.
This was actually really great. Good background music, with great vibes and rhythms. Felt really active. I wouldn't say that I'd actively listen to this in like... the car? Or at a party. But it is good background music. Lots of energy in so many of these songs.
I had a great time with this. Great background working music. Would go back to.
FUNKY
Assez surprenant de prime abord car je ne connaissais pas du tout le travail de cet artiste, mais très agréable à écouter!
I'm realizing I like lounge jazz a lot, and "fall down the stairs" jazz very little. I found this album to be lovely. A nice mix of tempos and melodies, and I'm glad to have discovered it.
I quite like jazz but couldn’t name more than a couple of albums that I’d say were favourites. This though is definitely now on my list. Funk, blues, even a jazz drum solo track that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Love it
Wonderful, chill, jazz album.
Maybe cause it's a rainy day but this really grooved for me.
I thought this was guna a long, tough listen but I absolutely loved it. Incredible find, cracking jazz
I took the time to listen to this album twice, and that really paid off. Although I'm a huge fan of jazz, I had not heard Hugh Masekela's music before - so this album suggestion revealed a big gap in my knowledge and experience and introduced me to some amazing music. The music is just masterful. My first listen I liked it, but was unsure - and it is clear that was just me digesting something new. The second listen really captured me fully. There is something simultaneously calming and invigorating about this album, an aspect that became clearer to me when I listened on headphones and was able to pick up the extraordinary texture and detail in the music. This is music that is great for contemplation, great on a long walk or something where you can just be inside your own head. The final track, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song) is also worth mentioning. It is completely different from the rest of the album, more explicitly connecting traditional South African music with jazz. I loved this track on many levels, including the ways it uses jazz in a non-western musical form. Go ahead and try and figure out the time signature ;)
Great easy listening
Really lovely melodies and grooves
This album from the South African trumpet master reminds me of smokey basement club rooms in the major cities of 50s-60s America. I can see me sitting there with a double scotch whiskey chilling out to that smooth trumpet playing with those African rhythms holding the music all together. Loved listening to this LP.
This one was so good! I think I might reach for it pretty often when I am looking for something instrumental or just to hit that certain vibe. Couldn’t believe how accessible and entertaining it was!
Some of the best jazz I’ve heard yet. Cohesive but insanely intricate. Amazing skills on all instruments. Emotionally expressive performances.
Home is where hippin' and their hoppin' and their bippin' and their boppin'...They forget what the JAZZ....IS ALL ABOUT!
This album came at the perfect time- the temperature dipped momentarily from 90-something to a crisp 78, and the residents of Sacramento collectively exclaimed “It’s Fall!” These are the songs that make me feel like I’m in a Norah Ephron romcom as I’m doing the most mundane tasks like doing the dishes. Describing these songs as “home” like the artist sought out to do, feels appropriate. These songs invoke the feeling of your favorite worn leather arm chair. Familiar, but never unwelcome.
Very relaxing jazz with prominent horns and a bit of African flair.
Мне нравится как они балансируют между классическим джазом и фьюжном создавая тёплую, но довольно динамичную и интересную обстановку.
I do like jazz Barry. Also enjoyed Ingo Pow-Pow quite a lot. Ties the album up uniquely.
Some of the best dynamics I’ve heard in jazz
this is cool
I’ve been going back and forth on this one and landed on 4. I sounds so damn good. I’ve had his song “Riot” on a rotation but had never done a deep dive. Little slow at times but that’s fine. Traditionally releasing covers so song writing is maybe a little weak, or maybe it’s fine to take a couple tracks off. Whatever man. Home is where the fuckin music is.
Never heard of this guy. Have been listening to this one a bunch, trying to make up my mind. There are some lulls for sure, but then Hugh will just rip a flugelhorn solo, and set the thing on fire. I like the early part of the album more than the back half - Maseru maybe the highlight. Overall, like that it's not just heads and solos, has some fun structural changes, like that little swing section in Maseru. The little conversations between the keys and horns too are excellent. Fun fact from wiki: Earl Sweatshirt is his nephew.
The album title is correct and the music is in this album! Great music only feels a little long and overstays near the end.
Surprisingly accessible jazz turning slowly into some truer more experimental stuff
i liked it thiiis much
Good album to place into the background and think will reward deeper listens. Walking in the park when "Minawa" was playing and it was pretty surreal. Musical styles vary quite immensely so don't think there really is a dull moment here. Will need to listen on its own soon though to get accurate listen. 6/09/25
I enjoy listening to jazz from time to time, but I find it most exciting when it is combined with funk grooves or world music elements. On “Home is Where the Music is,” Hugh Masekela integrates both in a wonderful way. This album is great to listen to in the background, but you can also listen more closely at any time and discover interesting details. Easy listening but never boring—that's how jazz should sound!
Fantastic record. Jazz at it's finest. It's thrilling, it's funky. Just maybe a bit too long
Great record! Not usually big into instrumental/jazz music, but this is full of great melodies, awesome solos, and thoughtful harmonies.
Nice Jazz
THE ALBUM 4/5 (7.8/10 calc'd) The thing about Jazz is that it's not only highly experimental and spontaneous, but also very subjective. People say that it's about the notes you don't play to leave it open for imagination. This album really makes me feel something. It really brings home the idea of giving every instrument room to breathe, I love it. Also didn't think that a Jazz album would actually spark my creativity and make me imagine every song's meaning or story. A good example of why the product is worth more than the sum of its' parts. This is art - especially Nomali & Maesha. No max rating because I wanna keep that standard for the very best. THE SONGS - Part Of A Whole: Honestly: not bad at all. Reminds me of a busy train station. I can vibe to this. Intro equates outro, sounds a bit like an anime opening. The piano solo is gold, the song itself is pretty round. 8/10 - Minawa: This is very mellow and smooth, restaurant & foreplay music. I can drown in this. 9/10 - The Big Apple: Definitely sounds a bit more chaotic, not so much my taste, but I appreciate it. Good bg music. 6/10 - Unhome: The title is probably an old saying for getting evicted. The groove here is very interesting and creative. The type of music that forces you to listen. 7/10 - Maseru: This reads similar to "misery", and the intro sounds like a depressed alcoholic that stumbles on his way to his fav. bar. He enters it at 0:40 into the song and endulges in all sorts of beverage tasting. 8/10 - Inner Crisis: The song picks up at 1:20 with some nice energy, not too hasty, more like it's trying to bring light to something. 7/10 - Blues For Huey: Veeery percussion-heavy, reminds me of John Bonham's live drum solos. Suddenly a trumpet starts playing, then more and more instruments come in as they find their groove. I respect the effort. 8/10 - Nomali: Hard turn in style and tempo compared to the previous song. Slows down everything, including my OCD for well-crafted music. This is what Jazz is about for me. I'd listen to this at night drives. 10/10 - Maesha: Slows down the pace even more, very chill first 2 minutes, then it explodes into what I'd describe as an anthem, to then go back to being chill. This song drags me down into the groove as it makes me close my eyes and just enjoy the music. 10/10 - Ingoo Pow-Pow: The single non-instrumental song here, doesn't really help that I sadly don't understand the language. Definitely African Jazz, although I can't pinpoint if this was recorded simultaneously or mixed together after 2 separate takes. Very creative, but not my vibe. 5/10
Just so good Groove on point, not tiring, well structured.
Solid jazz, lots of great little riffs
very good sounds
Wasn’t sure I was ready for a Jazz album this morning, but this was perfect to wake up with! I’d never heard of Hugh Masekela until today, and I’m glad his music is now on my radar. “The Big Apple” and “Inner Crisis” stick out to me as a couple of my favorite tracks on the first listen through, but I’m probably gonna have to give it another go on tonight’s dog walk because the entire album RIPS! Oh, at the end of “Blues for Huey” when someone in the studio says “…call an ambulance!”-And they all laugh- is pure fucking gold. I’ve listened to this album 3 times since yesterday and I’m excited to dive into more of Hugh’s material. GREAT RECORD!👏
Love me some jazz. Especially jazz with vocals, Ingoo Pow-Pow is great ending to a great journey of an album
Great drums, starts slow then ramps up. Saved it.
Great jazz album, should listen again for sure.
It was okey
7/10 - Good jazz, some notes african music in there too, all in all, very pleasant music
Very much quite nice. love this
96/1001. Yes, I know. I've been ranting about more jazz and more Africa. Well here they fucking are. By the first two or three songs I was cursing myself. Where is Mulatu? But then slowly the album opens / opened. Some banger grooves march in. Some jamming, some exquisite orchestrations. Some non-western melodies, syncopation, rhythms. Luckily they fill the rest of the album. Not an instant classic for me, but I don't see reasons not to spin this time and again in the future decades to come.
Man what an album. Sometimes when you listen to someone at the top of their game, it really pulls you in. 4.5/5 Best Song: Maseru
Jam forward. Good for a moody drive or a morose dinner party. Long songs, aside from everyone's favorite with Cisco Kid. Probably going to take a few more listens to really hear the lyrics.
i don't know this genre well but i was grooving through this
Loved the jazz!
(75/100)
First impressions are very good. I think I need some more time with it.
Bluesy, funky, silksy smooth, warmly easy going jazz that brings together fusion sounds, cuban rhythms, big band song structures and brass harmonies in the heads, and soulful playing in the solos. The electric piano and rhodes tones and playing is especially great both in the lead or comping under the sax/horn parts. They settle into some great deep grooves on several tracks with spacious bass parts that leave tons of room for the soloists to go off. It's a fairly accessible jazz record that easily fades to background, but is worth paying close attention to for all the interplay and improvisational expressivity. Favorites: Maesha, Maseru, Inner Crisis
Idk shit about terminology for jazz but this isn't like a super out there free jazz type record but it's also not mellow hotel lobby music either, it's somewhere in the middle, pulls a lot from soul music and alternates between mellow soft jazz to like sexy James Bond trumpet music and it's just cool as fuck, this is cool
My first jazz album on the list and it’s one I haven’t listened to before. I tend to like more experimental and avant garde jazz, but this was still very solid and enjoyable
Overall: 8/10 The kind of "background music" that infects your soul and dictates your entire emotional state. I certainly felt different while listening to this then I did before I started. The compositions are incredible and every musician brings their all. There were so many little moments that made me stop what I was doing to really pay extra attention and that's just impressive and awe-inspiring to me. Jazz is still a bit tough for me to enjoy all the time but this was a good day for me to have something like this pop up on the list. Not sure if I would rate it so highly on a different day, but I think it's great. Fav Song: Minawa Least Fav Song: Blues for Huey
Brilliant, I enjoyed this discovery. Somewhere between Mingus and Miles with South African vibe. The Big Apple was the standout track for me, but they were all great. Will come back
YAYYY jazzzzz!! I’ve been dying to get into jazz but hadn’t known where to start so this was a nice listen.
certified head banger
Pretty good jazz album. Laid back for the most part with some lively solos.
Really good album! Love the tone he gets out of the trumpet. I have dipped my toe into the jazz/jazz fusion waters a bit before, but never heard of this artist.
This was enjoyable zippy, what I would term mainstream jazz. High quality but mostly accessible stuff that I reckon even the less initiated could listen to and at least respect if not enjoy. I think jazz is only ever going to be background music for me but this is a high quality version.
I did enjoy this album. It has an energy and vibrancy about it. the techniques and style resonnnate with me. Thats the key positive as lots of skill and dynamic about it. Some exceptional intersections with the sax and drums in particular. There was lots of pace changes across the songs. My only complaint would be once it hits its high notes it does seems similar to me across the songs so can become background if your not paying attention to the detail. I think get in the mood and settle down and this will swallow you into a very reasonable music fusion fest embrace.
8/10
This really grew on me the more I listened to it. Some of the tracks that lean more toward free jazz really miss me on this album, but the tracks that keep it on the rails are damn good. Certainly good enough to get a solid rating out of me. 4/5 Highlights: Minawa Maseru Inner Crisis Nomali
bloody lovely
Some people love jazz, some people hate jazz. I love jazz, and I loved this album. It was a pleasant surprise to get.
I like it. My wife likes it. My thirteen year old said it could have a guitar in it. 2/3 ain't bad. I enjoyed this album, it was loose enough but not where everyone is doing their own thing. Parts of it made me think of Coltrane. It did make me wish it was raining and I had nothing else to do honestly.
3.5
I liked this more than I thought I would, parts sound like proto soft jazz, but when the solos liked in the player really cook. "Inner Crisis" however was my favorite track which has a nice dirty funk jazz feel to it. It does go on a bit long for me and especially "Blues For Heuy" i started feeling some disconnection to the album . But for the most part I really enjoyed it and probably some room to grow . (8.1) ★★★★
Not the most groundbreaking jazz album, but a really nice, mellow tone. 4 stars
Had fun with it
muy guay para dibujar y pasear por el jardín con Cuchito
Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: Part Of A Whole, Minawa, Inner Crisis, Nomali Felt really nostalgic <3
Great and enjoyable jazz.
Very nice
Really great jazz album. Great to listen to while working. I would say Unhome was my favorite.
Unfortunately I can't give all jazz albums on here a 5
Clean jazz album. Good groove. Not a lot of improvisational excitement but it feels good.
Bueno
Oikein hauskaa
6.5 / 10 - Nothing to write home about however, I also cant really critique this album, was a nice listen
fun vibe
Strong start, love the jazzy vibes. the 1st song began to outstay its welcome after the 6 minute mark. its a good track just goes on abit.
Wow. Not a big jazz fan but this hit differently. African vibes with an almost improvisational feel. Trumpeting is pretty low on my list of favorite instruments but he allows the other instruments to thrive and drive. Killer drumming on Blues for Huey.
Some jazz really leans into the messier, more chaotic side, fortunately this is not one of those records. Great interplay of trumpet, piano and bass with some really impressive solos. Stays very listenable throughout.
Nothing wrong with this. Getting older one's mood-palette changes, and whilst this would have made me actively vomit as a 20 year old, these days I'm quite open to it. I'm also open to a hot cup of roasted coffee and a plate of eggs 'n' avocados - and this is the music to listen to while having it. From the jazz voyage we've been on, I've found Jimmy Smith bland, Bitches Brew overbearing, 'Water from an Ancient Well' lightweight, John Zorn aggressively contrary, Duke Ellington pleasant, Kind of Blue sublime. This is up there, putting beyond any doubt that Hugh Masekela is my favourite flugelhorn player of all time.
Enjoyed this! Am I a jazz fan?!
Great smoothie jazz. Enjoyed a nice bike ride with listening to this.
While I dont mind Jazz, I typically dont listen to it. Nice album, nice change of pace.
Nice jazz
Pretty good and very relaxing.
Great jazz album.
Mere funky end jeg typisk forventer af et jazzalbum. Det næstsidste nummer var virkelig godt
Hugh Masekela is an international treasure. If this whet your appetite, there is a trove of other albums of his to delve into. Masekela's style has always honored American jazz and soul musicians, while remaining strongly individual. His final album was "Rejoice!" with Tony Allen (Fela Kuti's drummer and musical director). It's different from this, but also very very good. This album got a little long for me, but that says more about me than the music here.
I've heard Hugh's tunes before and I think they're great. Shocked there were not more plays of this album on Spotify! Most tracks around 50,000 plays. Maseru was my favorite track.
daphne's digestion dreaming music
5/5 Love this album. Def in my fav jazz albums now.
Immediately A+ vibes as soon as this thing starts, absolutely impeccable vibes. Technically proficient example of music I really dig. I’ll keep this downloaded and listen to it later. The type of music that calms me down and helps me relax
lively recording, great playing. has a jazz almost jazz funk feeling to it. very free flowing with a driving rhythm.
I don't know a ton about Jazz but this seemed like a solid album and all the tracks went really well together. It was obviously well thought out and constructed.
i like Jazz
Pas mal du tout
My last couple of Jazz albums have ranged from middling to boring so I’m glad to get a really enjoyable one here. Only negative is that I didn’t really like the final track Ingoo Pow Pow and that’s all that’s stopping me giving this full marks. Top Track - The Big Apple
When the electric piano kicked in on Inner Crisis, I found myself involuntarily exclaiming "oh yeah!". I also love the little bends the bass is doing in Maesha. I kind of wish more of the tracks had a South African feel like the last track does. A strong four.
I have this constant feeling of being one or two music theory classes away from really understanding jazz. That said, as someone who doesn't Get It but is trying to, this is a vibrant and affirming set. The opener "Part of a Whole" and "Inner Crisis" are standouts but there aren't really any low points.
It’s pretty good for what it is. I’d rather lyrics.
A very enjoyable listen. I will definitely put this into my jazz rotation
South African jazz with a bit of afrobeat. Reminded me of Dollar Brand and Abdullah Ibrahim. I liked this. Quite a long album
8/10
87% Best: Part Of A Whole; The Big Apple; Maseru; Inner Crisis; Nomali Must-Hear? Sure
Ruled. Real variety of jazz soundscapes. 7 liked songs
Like this a lot
Exakt en sekund in kände jag, "najs"! Första låten är grym! Andra låten, lite sämre. Tredje låten rätt ok (det är långa låtar hittills) Unhome sisådär. Maseru är rätt najs. Inner ciclea är bra! Blues for huey är riktigt ball. Nomali sisådär. Maesha är riktigt bra också. Ingoo pow pow är sådär Har lyssnat några gånger nu. Tror fan jag skulle kunna lyssna mer på detta, en del låtar. Denna typ av jazz kan jag lätt ställa mig bakom!
Det här var verkligen lättillgänglig jazz och en riktigt bra skiva från start till mål! Kommer definitivt lyssna mer.
I was worried when I saw that this was "Afro Jazz" but holy smokes it just works. This is awesome.
Enjoyed.
listen, I'm not the biggest jazz girl unless I'm in the specific mood for jazz - however, it's undeniable that Masekela's sound is different than everything else. His music is very clearly rooted in his South African heritage, making it sound so much more nuanced than what I'm used to when listening to Jazz. Very nice!
güzeldi ya hoş jazz severim zaten
a great album ft some stellar jazz <3
Really enjoy jazz album. I am in my early 40s and never really appreciated jazz, but in the last 3-4 years have started to get into it. I don’t much about the genre as a whole and love discovering new artists and hearing the different sounds and styles. Jazz is so unique and complex that I don’t think I could give a fair review outside the fact this album put me in a good mood and I thought the overall quality of the music and composition was great. 8.5/10 71/1001
Not my usual genre, but surprisingly enjoyable despite that.
This is excellent. Great playing. Unique approach. Like it. Have for years.
Really surprised by this album. Enjoyed it quite a bit.
Beautiful record. Can get a big repetitive, however
GOOD SHIT. Rett ner mi gata. God sikker jazz
Full of energy and rhythm and I very much enjoyed this listen.
Never heard of him before. I liked it.
an engaging, dynamic jazz album with an impressive dialogue between flugelhorn and piano.
Jazz falls into two categories for terrible or brilliant, this is definitely brilliant.
Dope!
Nice background noise, and it led me to some other great music!
finally some good fucking food
che excelente, 4,5
Norm
This is dope, really cool music
Melodic and subtle, this isn't genre breaking but it does carry a nice sense of mellow and relaxing.
Aww yeah this is beautiful. Is this project slowly making me a jazz guy? This is smooth, funky, groovy, and a true pleasure to listen to.
Personally I would have gone with Hedzolleh Sounds, but you can't really miss with any Hugh album.
This is exactly the type of stuff I was hoping to discover when starting this project. I’m not sure I would have stumbled upon Hugh Masekela myself. Really enjoyable album. My only complaint would be that many of the songs get ragged towards the end as drum solos or crazy horns move away from the beautiful musicality of at the beginning of the track.
Jazzy trompet
So good, had to run it back.
Some solid jazz. Enjoyed some songs more than others, but pretty solid.
h: maseru c: maesha
Awwww yeah smooth as all hell. Maybe my favorite jazz album of the ones I’ve listened to thus far
🎧Smooth, cool jazz, I like it
Nice jazz album. I must admit, that I did not know Hugh Masekela before although I listen quite a lot to jazz. But it is never to late to learn about good musicians.
I have never heard this before, it's really good with a nice variety of sounds. It's pretty chilled out and easy to listen to. I've added this to my favorites and plan to listen to it many more times. It's going to be perfect for get togethers or to listen to at work.
Thought this was a great jazz album though it almost feels like it's for "advanced" jazz listeners in that it's pretty rough around the edges, at least compared to some of the other stuff that I've listened to. 7/10.
From first notes I knew this is going to my personal Spotify list. Highly enjoyable album.
This is really good. Might make this a regular seed for chill jazz jam dinner-making playlists.
my mom mostly has two reactions to jazz: 1. "what is this Charlie Brown bullshit you've got me listening to?" (said in response to a Vince Guaraldi deep cut playing on the radio) 2. "this is torture. i'm gonna find us a seat, please bring my fries to me when they come out." (said in response to a local free jazz band playing really loudly when we were at the Lyric buying tickets for Sinners) however, i do believe that if i played this jazz for her, she would like it a lot. it's both fairly conventional in approach, doesn't really have any rough edges past a few daring solos here and there, and can easily fade into the background if you wanna have a conversation about something. however, when you engage with it, it's really rewarding, and it takes a lot from soul music without fully subjecting itself to the strict form of the pop song. what i'm saying is that i'm a lot more tolerant of duller or crazier jazz than my mom. i like me some Charlie Brown bullshit. i also like me some crazy screechy shit that makes you wanna crawl out of your skin. but if we had common ground on jazz, it'd probably be this. this is pretty damn good. and yeah, my mom lets me swear. she's cool like that, and i'm an adult.
Funkier and jazzier than I expected, this was a pleasant discovery.
Pretty sweet jazz record. The songs meander around and reach some very cool sounds. Hugh adds a good bit of variety as well which keeps it fresh. 8/10
Really nice!
Truly excellent modern jazz. Not annoying or demanding. Intellectual without being up its own ass. Just really well-crafted compositions, played beautifully. Good for background music. 4.5/5
What strikes me most about this album is that for a collection of African jazz styles, it really feels very Western to me. It's an odd one because I really expected to exposed to some interesting world music but got something that mostly sounds like it belongs in a New York jazz club. Hell, there's even s song called "The Big Apple". The African influence is often hidden and you could be forgiven for hearing this one as a standard 70s jazz album. It's only on select tracks that the traditional styles come front and center and clearly mingle with the modern, Western sounds. Most notably "Ingoo Pow-Pow" which closes the album with the perfect balance of the two. Part of me wishes there was more of that but I'm also impressed with how jazz seems to make a perfect vehicle to expose people to African music in a more accessible way (well accessible to some people anyway). I didn't immediately see the significance of this one but it has started to click for me now.
Very listenable.
Good
I really liked this album. It took a couple of playthroughs to grow on me, but overall a really solid album with a nice arc and a lot of really memorable tunes, and great performances from the clientele. I'm not familiar with a ton of jazz records, but this would make my shortlist for ones I'd recommend. Has one of the best drum tracks I've heard in jazz.
Surprised by how much I like this. I’m not usually a huge jazz guy but I can get into this, at least as a background to working. The musicianship is incredible and the songs are improvisational without being too loose. I will probably save this for future listening. Flugelhorn for the win!
A nice discovery, never heard of the guy and will listen to again
Great jams, super talented musicians, loved this, unexpected pleasure
This one kinda slapped.
If you paid me a million dollars, I couldn't tell you what makes this stand out amongst jazz albums. It's not that I think it's bad, I just have no idea what the hell I'm hearing. It sounds nice. Surprised to see it was over an hour, didn't feel like it.
Great jazz album, but a bit too subtle at times.
Such a good time, loved this.
this jazz is so soothing and i love it. i would love to know how he came to name each song what he did.
Really good jazz album. Masekela's trumpet work is fantastic. This is an album I would consider purchasing if I can find it on vinyl. I'm torn between a 4 and a 5 on this one.
Cool/Bebop jazz. Very 70's. Almost hear "Enter the Dragon" vibes B)
Первый трек хороший
There was music in my home.
I don't know much about jazz, but I really enjoyed this album. I could easily be argued into a higher score, but my lack of expertise here, is keeping me grounded. If you're a jazz fan, you already know of the album and probably could school me on the finer points. As a novice, I did enjoy it, though!
Didn’t get far in but really enjoyed what I heard. Great piano player
This was WAY better than I anticipated. Really enjoyed it
Totally dig this vibe.
It's good