Home Is Where The Music Is

Very cool

I’ve grown into jazz over the years and do not dislike it as I used to do. Problem is that I try my best to get into it like this album, in the forlorn hope that the penny will drop and all the opposing improvisation’s going on will come together in my head. Never does so whilst I know that there’s good things in there somewhere, up to now it is proving very evasive. But the search of the lost chord will go. Which reminds me of the Moodies who are so much easy to get along with. 3/5 13/2/26

Not really my jam.

Really like how funky the songs are. Really enjoyed the moments when all the instrumentation comes together ... drums + (electric) piano + horn section is such a powerful combo. Could do without the endless amounts of screeching sax soloing, but somehow that seems to be an Afrobeat staple.

Not a fan of jazz, but given the genre this firmly sits in I actually enjoyed some parts of it. Not enough to revisit, but ok.

Not my genre, but the music was very pleasant in some places. Yet another coffee shop album. The album did drag after a while.

Not my cup of tea and appreciate the talent

Never heard of this artist before today. Pleasant enough, a good listen.

Had it on in the background and it settled into a warm, steady groove, but it never reached the clarity or pull of a gold‑standard record like Kind of Blue, even though “Part of a Whole” and “Minawa” offered the album’s most engaging moments. Pleasant overall, just not as compelling as the jazz classics that usually hold my attention.

Pretty good background music. I'm evidently not able to appreciate jazz enough to go deeper than that.

Really liked it, complex and interesting!

Catchy and fun. Would have loved to hear it live

I loved listening to this while reading about who Hugh Masekela was. Knowing about his history and impact made the music that much more rich to me. He is credited as the flugelhorn player, no trumpet mentioned at all. He didn't play the trumpet even once in this record, only the flugelhorn, which I found extremely interesting bc my mind always assumes trumpet to be the default jazz instrument. But I love the timbre of the flugel. This was an excellent listen.

This was a very fun jazz club album. I enjoyed it. Everything here was impressive to listen to. It sounded impressive, but was also super easy to listen to which I think jazz sometimes can struggle with Liked Songs: "Part Of A Whole" , "Minawa" , "The Big Apple" , "Maseru" , "Inner Crisis" , "Nomali" , "Maesha"

Probably a jazz lovers dream but I’m merely an enjoyer

Sonorous

ich brauche leider lyrics

I don't listen to jazz so often but this was quite nice

Cracking album - just a pure groove. Favourite track: Inner Crisis

Smooth and accessible + a rhythm section that brings it.

Miles a un ami! Ça sonne très bien, il y a du fusion dans l'air. Mon premier jazz Sud Africain

I’m impressed by the musicality but not really my vibe.

Somehow missed listening to this album when it was generated. New jazz artist I've never heard of.

It was fine at first, then got boring. Mainly the percussion, It felt erratic.

Nice jazz, can’t say it wowed but it’ll go in my rotation. I liked the first song.

It's fine. Nothing special. To be fair, I'm not a fan of jazz with too much high pitched horn playing. I'm not sure that's what it's called but I just don't like high note jazz.

I've never really liked Jazz much. This album was as much of a disappointment as I expected.

For the 25th time or something, I'm not a huge fan of jazz. It's fine. Not great, not bad, not entertaining to me really. I don't like when his trumpet or whatever makes that squeaking sound. Other than that, sure it's fine. Probably better than most jazz on this list so far.

Glad to listen to more by Masekela, I loved that Earl sample and I have been searching for more Hugh Masekela since.

2 much jazz

Slick

It’s a well produced album.

That drummer is incredible. Any time he gets any measure to himself, he makes it damn clear that's his time. Everyone else is great as well. I think everyone does really well with the time they have to themselves. It's a very low-key album overall but it has some great energy in some parts. It's good music to go on a nature walk to, which is what I did with the first half of it with my dog. I like psychedelic stuff and some jazz when I'm walking down a canal path. I don't have a whole lot to say about it, it's just some really good jazz. Saxophone bonus points, of course. It's jazz.

A 70s-era jazz-fusion record with some decent songs and arrangements. Features some Rhodes work, some upright bass, sax, and of course trumpet. The first couple songs I didn't care for the solos - they were kind of sloppy and loose, but the rest of the tracks' solos were better.

Very enjoyable album throughout!

Never knew how much I could enjoy a lyricless jazz album until today. Studied to it and the mix of sombre to upbeat jazz was awesome.

Очень длинно, мне не понравилось

Brother was cookn with this one. Bangers.

Incredible background music, but just not my thing tbh. Just too long and repetitive for my taste, but ik it's objectively good. Maseru was my song of the album and fav first listen with Unhome and Minawa being my other highlights

its good, it gives vibe of 1970 in a cafe full of smoke, didnt listen full album but liked it from what i heard

This album made me realize that I think trumpets can be annoying. This was fine for what it was, but a lot of the songs were just longer than was necessary. I can just personally handle jazz in small doses.

I was casually hearing, casually enjoying the jazzy change up, and then High started into trumpet solo on Part of a Whole and I had to stop and listen to it! I have never heard a trumpeter play like that before. Wow! Paired with the slow storytelling in Minawa I was kind of blown away by this album. I also liked the somewhat “sloppy” feel of the Big Apple, which was even more impressive knowing it was intentional to exemplify the stories of NYC. I would have never looked for this album but thoroughly enjoyed the discovery!

Random thoughts: * This was jazzy groovy. Solid listen. * I definitely need to listen to this one again. I didn’t fully soak it all in. This will be one to revisit. * I don’t feel qualified to critique this album but am sure glad 1001 introduced me to this artist and album.

This was totally great music to listen to while I work - interesting jazz throughout but not trying to be crazy for no damn reason. I would add this to my growing list of jazz albums for guys that are into but not that into jazz. And a good deal more upbeat and joyous than a lot of the other jazz currently on that list.

Fantastic music

Never heard this before.

I had never listened to Hugh before.And am now upset that I hadn't started listening to him earlier. This is a great album for any jazz head out there

I really want to be able to enjoy jazz. I just can’t.

I liked this less than I have other jazz albums on the list so far. Can’t put my finger on why though.

Get jazz back on top!

Voting on enjoyment only I was really just yearning for some vocals for a lot of this unfortunately. Shout out to come nice drums end of Blues for Huey though which refocused my attention which had wandered

Another perfect morning album! Home is Where the Music Is is such a well-balanced album; it’s sweet, it’s funky, it switches up at the right moment to hold your attention… what more could you want? There was something so delightful about making my coffee this morning with this album floating through my apartment. I think I’ll be coming back to this one!!

I kinda enjoyed the last song so it was a shame it took 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to it. Took me a few attempts to get through the album. Had to stop after track 3 for an hour’s respite because it felt like I was torturing my family at dinner

Jazz makes me feel dumb I think that sometimes it requires more technical knowhow than I have but it does sound pretty sometimes.

I really liked this Jazz record. Made for some excellent night drive music. Just under a 5 for me.

Not my vibe

This was another great surprise from this list. Not familiar with Hugh Masekela so this was a good chance to learn something new. I'm also not a fan of jazz, but this wasn't your American dive jazz bar sound, this was full of energy and joy. African Jazz, and Masekela was a pioneer of African jazz. So this guy was a bit of a big deal and worked with popular act like the Byrds and helped carry Paul Simon through his cultural appropriation album Graceland along with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Masekela was also famous for his free Nelson Mandela song "Bring Him Back Home" which is incredibly upbeat for a song about poor Nelson Mandela who had been in jail for over 20 years at that point. After checking out some of his earlier work, this album is so solid. It's next level performance compared to his earlier work which is kinda of all over the place and includes some popular covers. This one is all original, with a good band, and is just professionally polished. Mandela was a fan, and somehow had access to Masekela's music while in jail, and I cannot imagine how it must feel to be in a jail cell and being able to hear this, from a local musician. Again, i'm not a jazz fan, but this was a great listen.

Jazzy, love it.

Fricken sick jazz album damn. The drums solo had me like OOOOOOF.

Very rad jazz record. Hella stellar

I enjoyed this! I was just thinking we haven’t had any African music yet. I loved the piano and the vocals that came in at the end were great. When the album was more classically jazzy I enjoyed it less- there is a kind of jazz that kind of aimlessly noodles around that annoys me- but fortunately there was only a bit of that here.

I really enjoyed it, liked the afro sounds mixed into jazz, trumpet playing was great. Don’t really know jazz enough to articulate why I like this more than other jazz albums that have been on this list. Would definitely listen again. Added bonus that the guy was a known anti-apartheid artist. Could use some of those right now.

Incredible African Jazz album, one of the most interesting and pleasant jazz albums I have ever listened to. First half is potentially stronger but never loses interest. Will be returning to it a lot - indeed, I already have, 3 times!

home is where the heart is and my heart is in music so home is where the music is!!!!! FAVS (top 3): part of a whole, minawa, maseru mençoes honrosas: nomali gente um jazz delicioso. eu amo; gostei de ouvir o projeto como um todo, tirando a ultima track q achei meio nada a ve; o album é curtinho de tracks mas é longo de duraçao mas sinceramente nem da pra perceber nota final: 4/5

Some of the jazz from the 70s just has undeniable groove and soul. Each track made me imagine some grainy b-roll footage of a city with boxy cars, flared pants, and swoopy hair. I won't mark this as a 'perfect' record but definitely enjoyed and glad to have learned of it.

I feel like sometimes I listen to jazz too closely and I did just that on my first listen but knew I should’ve been enjoying it more. Second listen I really tried to off my brain and let this become a background track for other things I was focused on and immediately I enjoyed it more. Is that bad? Idk but I think this really scratches an itch especially Blues for Huey. I can see myself returning to this in the future.

3.5+

Don't really know what it is, but I'm not feeling this one a ton. It's got a little too much of that "70's city" feel when I normally look for 60's cocktail club vibe from my jazz. Like the first song could 100% be used in a scene of a character running through the city, doing chores/tasks while montaged to this music. It's very good, don't get me wrong. But it has a clean-ness to it that I'm not really vibing with.

Take out and cantaloup island are five, other good jazz albums are 4 and this one is a solid 2+ and I the trumpets are weirdly unenjoying.

Nice jazz, very little Afrobeat.

A nice surprise

Pretty nice piano jazz.

Note to return here with thoughts on rating jazz albums 5

Great jazz that definitely has a 70s feel to it. I know it's a Hugh Masekela album, but that piano player was unbelievable! Liked Songs Added: Part Of A Whole The Big Apple Unhome Inner Crisis

Not bad but I'm scratching my head as to why this album is included. Hugh Masekela isn't bad but there's at least ten trumpeters not anywhere on this list I would put ahead of him. Even if you want to stick to early 70s jazz fusion trumpet, I will take Red Clay and Straight Life from Freddie Hubbard, Live at the Lighthouse from Lee Morgan and Black Byrd from Donald Byrd just off the top of my head and I bet none of those are on this list anywhere. FML

I'm not well versed in jazz, or Hugh Masekela's music and background as a South African exile, so I feel a little too uninformed to say much about this album except that I enjoyed it, even if it felt a bit long in the tooth at times, and I definitely didn't catch most of the pan-Affrican references and tributes. The most interesting tracks for me were the opening "Part of a whole", "The big apple", "Inner crisis" and "Maesha". Also interesting to find out that Masekela contributed a trumpet solo to another album in this collection: the Byrds' "So you want to be a rock 'n' roll star" (from "Younger than Yesterday").

Loved this though I would have cut the last two songs. Great jazz expertly swinging along.

Nice...

Rolig jazz, litt bakgrunnsmusikk

Super varied. Was perfect for a chill Wednesday afternoon.

Drums on "Blues for Huey" are unmatched "Maesha" is really good

Hugh Masekela's "Home Is Where The Music Is," is a Jazz, Soul, & Folk music studio album released in 1972. Masekela is praised as "the father of South African Jazz," and I find pretty interesting that I had never heard of the guy until now. Perhaps for his history of being a pretty outspoken political activist and several anti-apartheid songs. Right off the bat with "Part of a whole," I knew I was in for a treat as someone who really enjoys Jazz. So much so that I'm not so sure how well this one would resonate with people who haven't heard a variety of Jazz stylings and sub-genres. The different influences of many different Jazz styles in evident in this album so far. It's clear Masekela was a great lover of the genre but he makes it own as he blends them into the soul & folk music I've heard modern African Jazz players emulate. I'm not being so snobby as to say "you wouldn't get it unless you're a true Jazz listener," or whatever else the elitist modern Jazz enthusiasts have a habbit of saying. I'm trying to emphasise that this was made by a Jazz lover who loved many different styles. And with this album being overwhelmingly instrumental, it feels impossible to describe in what way you can hear that love. I wish I could share that somehow. Now this one is a difficult one what with Hugh Masekela's legacy seems to mainly be as the father of South African Jazz and also being a big influence in Africa's Jazz scene. It's nigh impossible to find critics of the time in Africa I could read over. I thought I found one through online-translators but nope. I did find a journalist who talks about what reactions in Africa of the time were to Hugh Masekela but it never cites anything, references any particular outlets, or brings up a person's name. All very vague and hard to go off. American critics of the time and retrospectives seem to be in abundance however that all equally gush and glow over Masekela's fusion and style. There's a bredth of emotion throughout this album. Upbeat and dancy numbers, somber and soulful contemplations, triumphant and heart-rendering outpours, haunting melodies, and parts that build to more drawn out emotion. It's a long album with many long songs; 5:29 at the shortest and 10:29 at the longest. I think on contemplation, this would be a good album for people who haven't really heard or may think they do not like Jazz but this is a sit down and give it some time kind of album. Which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Not my thing. I’m not a jazz fan. I can see great skill on display, so 2 stars.

Tremendous musicianship, enjoyed this and will return to this album

Perfect foreground and background music. Genuine discovery for me. RYM: N Saved a song: N

me gusto BASTANTE lo puse mientras estudiaba mi favorita es unhome

Música para unos vinitos y cigarro

I listened to this twice and still can't decide how much I enjoyed this. I ebbed and flowed with it, overall I got the impression that I enjoyed it, I will need to return in the future.

I appreciated this a bit more than most of the pure jazz albums on the list in that it did a decent job of holding my attention. That's the threshold I have for the genre to justify a four-star review.

I don't really know much about jazz, or the artist, but I loved this.

I don't have the jazz vocabulary to describe why this is a lot more appealing to me than the John Coltrane albums that I listened to a couple of weeks ago, but I think part of it is that there is a level of chaos and dissonance that can push a lot of jazz into the ‘not for me’ zone.

Really pushing it with the run time

Enjoyed this one. :)

Not bad just a bit lost on me. And a bit long.

Nice enough but found the tracks a bit on the long and repetitive side

I wanted to have more to say here, but it was alright, good background music. Trumpet go brr 51/1089

Pretty chill and bette than I expected, would work great as some background music while doing something, that requires more focus

4.7

Way too long. The second track was nice.

Not an artist I was previously familiar with. Nice jazz groove. I'm a novice jazz listener, but I liked this.

Welcomed me from the jump, and at The Big Apple, the chord progressions made me sit up. Blues for Huey was stuck in my head almost instantly. Love this project because sometimes I discover artists I absolutely love.

If the jazz you like is Miles Davis's Dark Magus or Ornette Coleman or Sun Ra, then this is not going to attract you. But if you like Chuck Mangione or Spyro Gyra then this is the album for you. Smooth with a touch of African rhythm this would grace any department store background music playlist. As an early example of a pervasive sound that eventually devolved into muzak this is, I guess, influential.

Make the jazz noises stop. I was going to give a bonus star for some enjoyable Afro beat influenced passes, then it went on for another hour.

Great jazz album, although not something I'll re-listen.

4.0 - Very Good

jazzy

No, Barry B. Benson, I do not like jazz.

Just not for me. Would Make good background at a cocktail bar/hour, but otherwise a little boring and songs too long

It was kind of a mediocre jazz album. I liked Maseru, Maesha & Blues for Huey. It was fine but I've heard better ones on The List. What the hell is flugelhorn? A different kind of trumpet. 3

Classy jazz

Funky and Jazzy, rambles from time to time but generally great .

I am a sucker for nice instrumental jazz.

Love it

Lot’s of different tones—not one note as I thought it would be.

Wow, beautiful tone. This was a fun listen.

Having this on in the background was really nice, and you can clearly tell this guy has TALENT, it's a shame they melded into one for me.

jazzy piano, drums, horns. If thats your jam then you are right at home. My issue with a lot of jazz is that its usually one long jam session that gradually changes tempo so its hard to place a specific melody or to pick out a single thing I like. Every track here is pretty distinct, sounds crisp and has an identifiable tone.

What a “horn”y album AMIRITE?!?!?

Il y a des jours, dans ce projet titanesque des "1001 albums à écouter avant de clamser", où l'on s'installe confortablement, prêt à prendre une claque monumentale. Et puis, il y a les autres jours... Les jours comme aujourd'hui où l'on se heurte à un mur. Pas un mur de son abrasif, pas un mur d'incompréhension face à une œuvre d'avant-garde trop complexe ou indigeste. Non, le pire des murs : un mur de politesse absolue. Un truc tellement lisse, capitonné et propret qu'on glisse dessus sans jamais pouvoir s'y accrocher. C'est exactement l'expérience que je viens de vivre en m'envoyant Home Is Where The Music Is de Hugh Masekela, sorti en 1972. On ne va pas se mentir d'entrée de jeu, et il faut rendre à César ce qui lui appartient : ce n'est pas une purge innommable. Si je devais juger ce disque uniquement sur des critères purement cliniques, techniques ou académiques, il n'y aurait strictement rien à en redire. C'est propre, c'est même putain de propre. La production est impeccable, taillée sur mesure pour ne froisser personne. Chaque instrument est exactement à sa place, le mixage est d'une clarté absolue, les cuivres brillent sans jamais agresser le moindre tympan, et la section rythmique fait le job avec le sérieux inébranlable d'un horloger suisse. C'est du jazz, indéniablement, exécuté par des mecs qui savent lire une partition et tenir leur instrument. Mais voilà le gros, l'énorme problème en ce qui me concerne : c'est le genre de jazz qui m'emmerde profondément. J'ai juste pas accroché, pas une seule foutue seconde. Pendant toute l'écoute de ce double album, j'ai attendu. J'ai attendu l'étincelle qui allait foutre le feu aux poudres. J'ai guetté le dérapage, le moment où cette mécanique parfaitement huilée allait enfin dérailler, ne serait-ce qu'un peu, pour laisser transparaître un sentiment brut, une émotion non filtrée. Mais rien n'est venu, que dalle, le calme plat du début à la fin. Hugh Masekela est une légende, on est tous d'accord là-dessus. Le type est un monument incontestable de la musique sud-africaine. En 1972, quand cet album voit le jour, le gars est en exil. L'Apartheid fait rage dans son pays natal, il est installé à l'étranger, loin de ses racines, et il enregistre ce disque entouré de pointures absolues. Le titre lui-même, Home Is Where The Music Is, porte en lui une charge politique, une mélancolie évidente et un poids humain lourd de sens. Le concept sur le papier est fort, la démarche artistique est belle, poignante même. Mais bordel de merde, une fois que la musique démarre, où est passée l'urgence ? Où est la rage, la tristesse, la déchirure de l'exil que le titre promet ? Au lieu de la tension dramatique qu'on est en droit d'espérer d'un tel déracinement, on se retrouve englouti sous une espèce de jazz-funk-soul fusionné, tellement poli, inoffensif et arrondi aux angles qu'il en devient anesthésiant. C'est de la musique de salon haut de gamme, le genre de bande-son qu'on imaginerait très bien tourner en boucle dans le lobby d'un hôtel quatre étoiles pour hommes d'affaires fatigués en transit, ou dans une boutique de fringues hors de prix. C'est chaleureux, oui, on ne peut pas lui enlever ça. Mais c'est d'une chaleur de radiateur électrique soufflant, pas celle, brûlante et imprévisible, d'un feu de camp en pleine nuit. Je sais pertinemment que pour beaucoup de critiques de l'époque, cet album est un classique intouchable, ce qui explique sa présence dans cette foutue liste. Les pontes ont salué le groove, le savant mélange des influences africaines avec le jazz américain contemporain. Et oui, il y a du beau monde au générique : Dudu Pukwana est là au saxo, Larry Willis au piano électrique balance des accords qui fleurent bon les seventies à plein nez. Les solos de Masekela à la trompette sont, d'un point de vue purement technique, irréprochables. Il souffle avec une fluidité insolente qui force le respect. Mais le respect, les gars, ça ne suffit pas à faire un grand moment de musique. La technique sans la sueur, sans le risque, ça m'endort. Je cherche le frisson, je cherche le putain de danger. Et ici, le danger est resté sagement au vestiaire, avec son ticket bien plié dans la poche du manteau. On a constamment l'impression d'écouter une jam session entre musiciens virtuoses qui jouent en chaussons de velours, avec un verre de cognac hors d'âge à la main, sans jamais transpirer une seule goutte. Les morceaux s'étirent en longueur – certains dépassent allègrement les huit minutes – mais ils ne vont absolument nulle part. Ils tournent en rond sur un groove mid-tempo confortable, se contentant de tapisser élégamment le fond de la pièce. À aucun moment la musique ne te prend au collet, ne te bouscule pour te dire "Écoute-moi !". Et c'est exactement ça, cette absence totale de prise de risque émotionnelle, qui justifie mon misérable 2 sur 5. Attention, comprenez-moi bien : ce n'est pas la note d'un album raté, ce serait intellectuellement malhonnête de dire ça. C'est la note punitive d'un album qui m'a laissé totalement de marbre, froid comme une pierre. C'est la note de l'ennui courtois. Je préfère mille fois, un disque bancal, mal enregistré au fond d'une cave humide, mais qui crache ses poumons et qui essaie désespérément de dire quelque chose avec ses tripes, plutôt qu'une énième démonstration de savoir-faire chirurgicale, tiède et complaisante. Je respecte le parcours du bonhomme, l'histoire et le poids politique derrière l'homme. Je respecte la maîtrise absolue des musiciens présents sur ces pistes. Mais l'art, le vrai, ce qui fait que la musique nous transcende, ce n'est pas juste un concours de virtuosité ou un étalage de bon goût. C'est une connexion et là, le courant n'est jamais passé. Le câble était purement et simplement débranché. Au bout de la troisième piste, je me surprenais déjà à regarder l'heure et à penser à ma liste de courses. À la fin de l'album, j'avais instantanément oublié la première note. Aussitôt écouté, aussitôt rangé sur l'étagère, et je mets ma main à couper qu'il n'en sortira plus jamais de mon vivant. Bilan des courses : un album qui coche absolument toutes les cases du "bon goût" officiel des années 70, mais qui manque cruellement de sel, de crasse et de vie. Un coup dans l'eau magistral. On passe à la suite.

Overwhelming but good at times.

4.5 stars. Really pleasant bebop/ soothing jazz outta South Africa.

Basically all I want in a jazz album. Recurring drum beat in the background and sick trumpeting

The style is enjoying a revival but this still sounds do fresh, so juicy, so energetic. Both inspires and calms my inner human

jazz

Yeah yeah you know what this fucking slapped

not my type but it was decent

Great soundtrack to the day. Perfect energy!

??? Jazzy Jazzy . c

this was excruciating to get through. i hate jazz, i hated these songs, i hated how long they went for and that this album went for over an hour

no me gusta el jazz pero al menos este pibe se lo pasa bien

Dale suavecito, Jiu

Cheguei dende o completo descoñecemento e marcho marabillado cun disco de jazz que, pillándome moi lonxe do que adoito escoitar, me tivo atento e fascinado durante a máis de hora e cuarto que dura (malia facérseme un chisco longo, porque me custa manter a concentración nalgo durante tanto tempo). Hai detalliños, coma o ostinato de contrabaixo en 'Unhome', que son sublimes. Pode ser que me pillase de boas ou que só fose a música que hoxe precisaba para evadirme dunha gris xornada laboral, pero foi un gratísimo descubrimento (#16 dos 1.001 discos que escoitar antes de morrer: 4/5)

està bé que el jazz et dibuixe un somriure de volta en quant

No conocía este disco y me ha sorprendido muy gratamente. Un jazz divertido y elegante, pero nada complaciente. Más no puedo decir de momento porque tendría que escucharlo doce veces más para escribir bien sobre él.

Ok

I liked it, but too damn long! Also Maesha feels like Animal Crossing music...

Loved this. Nice to hear some jazz that isn't experimental and wilfully difficult.

Some nice jazz here.

Love the modal jazz influences here, reinterpreted in an African context. This was a great album to learn about.

This iis an instant classic for me. I don't understand jazz enough to be able to analyze it fully, but that second track, 'Minawa' really clocks it for me.

70s brassy jazz

Trives med det her, ass! Høres kanskje ikke revolusjonerende ut, men synes det veksler elegant mellom mellow og rytmisk intensitet. Tror jeg har en greie for jazz-piano. Masekela spiller second fiddle til Larry Willis. Begynner å bli litt seig i andre halvdel. Det er vel praktisk talt en meme nå, men dette skulle vært en enkel-LP.

Likte det overraskende godt, men som andre påpeker her så burde det vært en enkel-LP. Starter med friskt mot, men mister motet litt halvveis når det blir drugt.

Day 180 I just don’t like Jazz very much unfortunately.

This is generally quite good and smooth. There are some horn parts that get a bit loud and wild but it's not too bad.

this album fucking fucks

Very enjoyable, love the long-format jazz jams.

awesome jammy jazz. last song was very silly

I really liked part of a whole. Smooth Jazz, defs need speakers and some chill time instead of headphones.

Great background music that occasionally moved to the forefront. A little long on play time but overall a good listen.

great for a calm and slow night and a productive morning following an amazing afternoon

the music of South African flugelhornist Hugh Masekela, arguably his country's biggest name in the world of jazz, exists within a deeply political context. at the time he recorded Home Is Where the Music Is, his most enduring body of work, he was in exile. he and many of his fellow South African musicians, a couple of whom are featured on this album, had fled the country in the early 60s to escape the apartheid regime's increasing segregation and violence against its Black population. Masekela spent some time in the US making albums after fleeing his homeland, but Home Is Where the Music Is was made after he moved to London; a few months after it was recorded, he would flee to Guinea. some of Masekela's music functions as explicit anti-apartheid activism, but even at its most (apparently) apolitical, it still serves a political function. even the title, Home Is Where the Music Is, reads to me as an expression of deep homesickness; the track title "Inner Crisis" also jumped out at me in this regard. Masekela viewed his work as giving a voice to not just his own struggles as an oppressed artist in exile, but also the struggles of the native South Africans he represented on the global stage. jazz started in the US under similar (though obviously not identical) conditions of oppression and repression of its Black population; American jazz was (and still is) often a form of protest against the long-standing systems of racism that eventually led to its creation. by contrast, Masekela's music was a protest against what was, at the time, a much newer system. even just the act of playing and recording was a form of resistance for him and many other South Africans in exile; on this album, the result is a sprawling double-LP featuring passionate performances of some great compositions by (with one exception) South African jazz writers, primarily album producer Caiphus Semenya. the quintet here is three South Africans—Masekela, drummer Makaya Ntshoko and alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana—joined by American keyboardist Larry Willis and Puerto Rican bassist Eddie Gómez. all ten tracks here feature the band stretching out and taking a lot of bold risks. Ntshoko's drumming in particular gets extremely adventurous, especially on his rubato solo on "Blues for Huey". Pukwana goes for blood on pretty much every solo spot he gets, which I have to appreciate as a fellow sax-ist. the whole band plays as a tremendous unit, and I like that the horn overdubbing is only used in a couple spots to fill out the sound of heads in or out of tunes. there's cuts that lean funky, some that feel like a warm blanket, others that swing for the fences; but they all have a deep rhythmic propulsion! that's present on a lot of American jazz records, sure, but it gets dialed up to 11 here. Home Is Where the Music Is is a great showcase of one of the most captivating aspects of jazz as a genre: it's a mutt! pretty much any style of music you can think of works well as an addition to it, since it's already such a hodge-podge of different musical styles to begin with! the types of jazz certain people play will tell you a lot about them not just as musicians, but as people and, in Masekela's case, as champions of a brighter future. he did eventually get to come home to South Africa, but that was a long 15 years after making this album. decent 9/10.

This is objectively great, but it doesn’t really move me. I think I like Jazz for what it is, but I don’t think it’s a genre that’s gonna grow on me.

Quite enjoying this one. Some psychadelic vibes

Hugh Masekela’s Home Is Where The Music Is pulls off a very neat trick – it’s warm and welcoming, loose, and very groovy, without ever sounding smooth or easy or disposable or, heaven forbid, throwaway. It works anytime of the day you want to play it, and its mischievous melodies and soulful interludes are guaranteed to connect. Home Is Where The Music Is sounds just like the title suggests: hanging out at Hugh’s house, with friends, just playing and enjoying the jams. 8/10

Pretty interesting jazz record, tons of variance and improv and keeps a good beat. Favourite track: Minawa

8/10

1/2

This is nice: horn and piano, drums: jazz but always with a solid beat lurking underneath. As always I like the faster bits the best, but even the slow parts work for me on this one. It feels like a soundtrack for a gritty, wistful movie about an imaginary city. I like it and will revisit this record when I'm in the mood for something calm and yet also lively like this. 4 stars

Actually a somewhat enjoyable jazz album, who would have thought?

this is my kind of jazz music

Cod jazz hokum done properly by FZ check out Hot Rats etc

Verrrrry nice morning jazz to listen to

the truth is I really like jazz but I limit myself a lot to listening to the oldest one. I liked this album.

I started listening fairly late and it's over an hour so I thought I'd have to split my listen between tonight and tomorrow, but it really drew me in, smooth and enriching

Good jazz. Would listen again

3 1/2 Stars: Some nice riffing and although the album stays connected to it's African influence, I prefer my jazz in the BeBop lane. Regardless it's a nice introduction for me to a man I've heard of but who's music I never heard.

Nice dinner party music.

Albums like this is why lists/websites like this are made; would've never known about it if not for it so that's a win in my books. Probably won't save or come back to the album, but i'm happy for the time i spent with it

respect!

Damn this is funky

This is nice enough, but it works as background music for me: I'm not really engaging with this sort of jazz. It's possible this album might repay some further listening, but for the time being, I'm scoring it 3.

I usually like my jazz a bit less smooth than this but you know what the more it went on the more I was wondering over, like it worked its way into my subconscious or something. Very enjoyable!

Im not usually into jazz, but this played smoothly for the entire period.

Loved it! I usually pass on jazz. This album’s rhythm section is excellent. First track is a standout for me.

jazz. groovy. chill.

1: Maesha 2: The Big Apple 3: Blues for Huey

I can’t say I’m a jazz fan, but I did somewhat appreciate the first several songs on this album. After that, it kind of dropped off and became kind of annoying. (3)

Good listen, great background noise for the work commute.

Gorgeous but I'm not a jazz kind of girl...

Not sure what that was all about...

This is only my fourth (or if you want to include A Girl Called Dusty like the Generator does, fifth) jazz album of this journey so far and realizing that made me kind of annoyed. Why do I seemingly get a different new wave or post-punk assignment every single week, while jazz only shows up once in a blue moon? 5:143 seems like a rather minuscule ratio for a genre that has given us some of the most acclaimed albums of all time. Of course, that's on Robert Dimery more than Alexander Nilsson! With that little rant out of the way... I (unsurprisingly) liked Home Is Where the Music Is. I'm a sucker for a good jazz album, what can I say? The opening track ("Part of a Whole") was one of the most memorable I've heard in the genre and there was no shortage of other highlights to be found. I tended to gravitate toward the faster, more upbeat cuts like "Maseru" and "Inner Crisis," though slower, moodier songs like "Minawa" and "Nomali" did the trick just as well. I suppose one of the issues people are going to run into with HIWTMI is that it's a double album and is quite long as a result. The music is also influenced by Afrobeat (a genre that is apparently somewhat repetitive and hypnotic by nature), so many of the tracks end up becoming white noise after a minute or two. In my experience, the ones that didn't put as much effort into commanding my attention were never unpleasant, but also didn't leave much of an impression. Part of me is bummed that there's not another Hugh Masekela Book Album to look forward to, but I suppose I have the freedom to check out whatever else I want from him now! Home Is Where the Music Is was probably also a good primer for the rest of the Afrobeat selections, seeing as its main genre is one I'm already fairly familiar with. Bring on the Kutis, Generator – I'm ready! Highlights: Part of a Whole, Minawa, Maseru, Inner Crisis, Blues for Huey, Nomali, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song)

straight outta africa

Definetly will buy on vynil and will play ocasionaly in the background.

An enjoyable pleasant surprise. Makes me want to put it on some real speakers to fill the room. not quite as dissonant as John Coltrane. I do like my jazz a little more discordant than Hugh, but this was a nice balance on the softer more listenable than some of the wilder jazz musicians. Would listen again, especially to play at a party or while working.

This was on in the background for me, but in the best possible way. A solid listen all around, though I don't have the musical vocabulary to say much about it, other than that I enjoyed it.

The extent of my Huge Masekela knowledge is vaguely recognizing his name. So, basically, nothing. But this is great from start to finish. Between Home Is Where the Music Is and Abdullah Ibrahim's Water From an Ancient Well, I'm now on my way to pretending I know a modicum about 20th century South African jazz. AREN'T I INTERESTING.

Not really my thing

This was a totally unknown album to me, and I mightily enjoyed it. Having been born in Rochester, NY, to parents who loved jazz, including the flugelhorn-playing Chuck Mangione, it was especially interesting to hear someone else play some fantastic jazz flugelhorn. I don't know enough jazz to speak knowledgably on it, but I thought in listening to this that I heard hints of modal, hard bop and soul jazz. In reading reviews, though, it seems the afficionados call this a groove or soul or Afro-jazz album, and I started to wonder if there's any meaningful distinction between any of these things. So, I went back and listened again, just for fun, and it's just a damn fine album. Definitely adding this to my rotation.

This was a very pleasant discovery. I love the way it sounds - it’s really well produced. There are a lot of different styles here and while I might have cut a song or two, I rarely found myself bored, and the last 5 or so songs are great. I really prefer the songs that have florid structures to the few that start/finish with a theme then spend five minutes of passing solos from player to player, but that’s a minor quibble. I will revisit this album.

Perfect study music!

Its ok… :/ Not my favorite jazzy horny-horn album. I appreciate the trumpet talent.

Pretty solid album. Gets a little extra love for sounding like it belongs on a Mario kart game and being the father of x games commentator Sal masekela

Jazz is just not for me...

Amazing mix that works super well. The vocals are purely Afro driven, though the tracks are mixed with very technical jazz runs too, as well as bluesy/slower Melodies.

This was a whole weekend ago! Totally forgot, but giving 4 stars be it was probably good.

Classy dinner party album

Perfect for a relaxed Sunday morning. I'm not normally a jazz fan but this jazz/soul/funk was highly enjoyable.

low 3

Very enjoyable and would certainly listen again.

It was quite sparse in the beginning, so a bit difficult to give an actual thought about. It has this sombre feel to it, which is a nice sound when mixed with jazz. Some of the main horn parts in the first quarter of the album kind of sounds like the main horn part to "Zombie" by Fela Kuti. Highlight Song/s: "Part of a Whole", "Maseru" and "Nomali"

Solid album. Reminds of Freddie Hubbard.

Pleasant for eating.

приятно, вайбово, но маловато, полную версию не нашел..

My only exposure to Afrobeat before this was Fela Kuti's Zombie, so this was a nice 2nd dip into the genre. Amazing rhythm section throughout the album.

I have realised that I am not the biggest Jazz fan, however this album has some sleeper hits that I cannot recommend it enough

Another dapper album

It is good, but not much memorable. There are better jazz out there.

Fantastic!!!

A very warm, calm and smooth jazz album with some fun and moody moments, but that overall feels long and uninteresting. What I liked the most about the album is the piano. It has the most interesting solos and does a few incredibly wonderful intros to some of the songs, like 'Minawa', 'Inner Crisis' or 'Nomali'. The next instrument that I liked the most was the 'Flugelhorn', the instrument played by Hugh Masekela. It accompanies very well the piano with some nice melodies and also has several impressive solos. The main withdraw about the album is how lengthy it is. The average length of the songs is approximately 7 minutes and a half, and most of the times, they don't do anything interesting enough to maintain my attention, so the tracks end up dragging a lot. The best example is the song 'Blues for Huey', which features some very tasteless drums solo. In the end, I think this is great background music, as I appreciated it more when doing something else and I did get quite bored trying to give this an active listen.

Apparently Hugh Masekela is a South African musician known for being a flugelhorn master, which he played on this album. This is both powerful and chill, which I think is a rare feat to achieve.

Good chill jazz!

He's obviously a very skilled musician but god is he boring, music's answer to Frank Pickle.

Eh, he can play but how boring? Afrobeat? I just hear a slow piano. Expected something more engaging. This was just dull. Should have all been like the children's song at the end.

What a pleasure to listen to

Never heard of this artist before getting this album today but damn what an introduction! Funky, groovy, while sounding surprisingly modern. Honestly you could have told me this album came out last year and I would have believed you. Is it a tad long? Maybe, but there is enough variety here and it never felt like it dragged. It made me potentially want to explore more of his catalog. Easy 5 for me.

With all the freedom jazz is supposed to offer its players, why do so many of them play such safe, unruffled, unchallenging music? Of course, the music of authoratarianism is safe in entirely different ways: it follows the rules and expresses nothing other than the rules. And this album, while unadventurous, is certainly chilled out, not anxious. It’s not watching over its shoulder. In fact, it very patently doesn’t care what I or anybody else thinks. Perhaps, for a black South African musician under Apartheid, freedom sounds exactly like a smooth, unhurried jam around familiar changes, with players too happy in the centre of the circle to push at the boundaries. Fair play to them. 1.5 I thought this was really poor. Plenty of dazzle but no distinctiveness from the musicians. Musically, this was a hodgepodge of styles - bit of Sunday brunch here, a cop show theme there, bit of afrobeat - each explored to, at least, much more memorable effect elsewhere on this list. The themes were rotten, the improv was forgettable. A miscellany of mediocrity. And 76 minutes? When an artist has nothing to say, surely it can be said in less than an hour? 1/5

Perfect music for having a drink and lounging with some friends in the park

Not my favorite, fine background music for a cold weekend inside

I really liked it for background. Cool vibes good jazz, better than others for sure.

Amazing

The 1001 Project continues to expand my musical horizons in multiple ways that make me think "Ok, that happened." Sloth-paced Jazz is another one to add to the list of 'not my thing'.

je suis désolé hein, mais le jazz j’y arrive pas, je me fais juste chier. peut être que ça viendra avec le temps mais vraiment c’est dur quoi si je fais pas qqchose à côté je ressent rien. petit big up pour maseru qui est arrivé en sauveur, je m’y attendais pas mais il l’a fait vibrer. chat: Home Is Where the Music Is est important car il capture l’essence du hard bop à la fin des années 60, mêlant groove, soul et sophistication jazz. Il marque l’affirmation d’un jazz ancré dans la culture afro-américaine, accessible sans être simpliste. C’est aussi un manifeste : le jazz n’est pas élitiste, il est vivant, collectif et enraciné.

A free flowing, adventurous album that's a bit too long for the number of things it tries. The first song is great, driven by horns and covering lots of different rhythms and melodies. The second track slows things down and explores empty spaces, and the piano there is lovely. Much of the rest of the album covers the same ground in different ways, and the keys especially have diminishing returns. The big surprise is the final song, with African rhythms and vocals. It's definitely an outlier and it may be the best song; if it's not, it's at least the most hypnotic. Nowhere else are the drums as exciting as on that track, not even on the drum solo about halfway through. There's nothing bad here, but to justify the runtime I would have loved to hear more surprises like that last song.

lovely jazzy record. some really strong tracks, look forward to coming back to it

Never heard before, but wow that was great

not my vibe

Nice tune, but I like music with lyrics

I can tell it’s good jazz but I can only listen to so much jazz.

pretty good, great first couple of tracks although was not completely focused on second half of the album

Not something I can sit down with the intent to listen to, but excellent background music for tasks around the house. Possibly a genre I need to find a more robust appreciation for.

hmmmmm maybe a little jazz is enough

A little noisy and “amelodic”—even for jazz, surprisingly—but still a couple stand-outs buried within.

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

Interesting jazz/world music mix from the 70s. Might rate higher upon a second listen.

2.5 stars I like some jazz music. I like some jazz music a lot. this album didn't do much for me. I didn't find it all that interesting. It was nice to have on in the background, I suppose. Favorite track: Minawa

Really well done

I love the joy and simple purpose of each groove. A deceptively simple album. Enjoyable, joyful, fun. Harder to pull off than it seems. A few songs drag a bit for me, but otherwise dug it.

This was so much fun fun, it’s everything I want out of a jazz album

Maybe my tastes are changing but I have really enjoyed this album. It is atmospheric and welcoming.

Nice!

I had never heard of Masekela before now. Let's see how South African jazz sounds... ... And it sounds very early-'70s-jazzish. Sort of reminiscent of Weather Report. The occasional siren whistle blasts are kind of jarring. I liked "Maseru." A lot of the second half of "Maesha" weirdly kind of evoked Richard Wright's stuff with Pink Floyd from around this time for me. I liked this - it was good music to have on in the background while working (no lyrics to try to pay attention to...)

Interesting and worth the background music. I don't know enough about the genre to judge, but held enough of my interest to get at least a 2.

Fine

A 4, maybe even a 5.

6.5/10 - Jazz is still hard for me to enjoy, but I thought this was on the more enjoyable end of the spectrum.

It's a good jazz record, nothing more, nothing less. It's nice to have a record on here that isn't from the USA, Western Europe, or Australia though. 6/10

Album #1001 Jazz/Afrobeat double album from the mid-1970s, he is a talented musician but often I can't get into jazz and this album is also a bit too long.

Great jazz trumpet

Dnf- not a fan of jazz

Part Of A Whole - 2/10: I don't like instrumental songs. Minawa - 2/10: Same as the last song. The Big Apple - I don't like instrumental songs. Unhomé - Same as the last song. Maseru - 3/10: The end isn't terrible. Inner Crisis - 2/10: I don't like instrumental songs. Blues for Huey - 2/10: Same as the last song. Nomali - 2/10: I don't like instrumental songs. Maesha - 2/10: Same as the last song Ingoo Pow-Pow - 2/10: I don't like instrumental songs. Overall Score: 21/100 Overall Rating: 2/10 - I just don't really enjoy instrumental songs, and I found the album quite boring.

Much better than I was expecting. The description calls it Afro beat jazz but that really only applies to the last song. The rest was very down tempo cool jazz. Worth a listen!

Some good ass jazz

Jazzy lots of horns I remember this getting airplay on FM radio in 70s not really my jam

It’s a good album no doubt, just not my flavour.

it IS a Jazz Album you know

lovely

He is really talented. All these songs got a good melody. The trumpet, drum, and piano solos are all really good I cant fully enjoy this album tho cause I need at least some lyrics to follow along to. If this had some lyrics, I probably wouldve liked it as much as I liked The Meeting Place This is still top tier jazz tho My favorite probably Inner Crisis

I am in awe of how talented he was. This is something I would love to have playing in my apartment at all times. I would have to be in a very specific mood to intentionally listen to this though. Instrumentals aren't really for me. I can still greatly appreciate the artistry.

Vibey, fun jazz. I'm a jazz amateur so I don't have much more to say than that.

i typically am ok with jazz, but i think i prefer more structure to the songs. I liked them in the beginning but they just kept going for like 5 minutes after i felt like they should have ended. this is probably more like 2.5 but ill round up to a 3

The pianist and the drummer are both so crazy. I have no idea how this is so obscure

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

Just can’t with this. It’s probably good for what it is.

Good, solid jazz. Nothing stood out to me individually but I really enjoyed it.

No mi tipo de jazz pero que bueno que exista.

Playing with the genre a little

I'm a huge sucker for good jazz, so this entire album was music to my ears. Knowing some background on Hugh Masekela and all that he did for South Africa makes this album hit even harder. Absolutely beautiful

I can tell this is objectively good, I just am not a jazz lover. Certain screechy horn sounds make me feel violent.

Those cats are swinging! Loved the African infusion.

LOVED THIS

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

Solid instrumental

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.

Great album

A nice jazz album

Was great. Good while concentrating

Ah du jazz, style que j'aime écouter même si je n'y connais rien et c'est bien là mon problème : comment l'apprécier à sa juste valeur sans en avoir les clés. J'ai écouté cet album comme un néophyte apprécie un grand cru : en se disant qu'il est bon mais en ayant l'impression d'être passé à côté.

I really wish we could do half ratings because this isn't a 3 but it's not a 4 for me either. Either way, I tried listening to this last night while cleaning. Wasn't connecting. Listened during work today: definitely a vibe. Didn't favorite anything but there really wasn't a track I disliked, either. 3.5/5

Couldn't find it but I'm sure it's awesome cus jazz

Nice, but nothing too special

Seemed like a good jazz album. Honestly, this is supposed to be a fusion album but I can’t really tell the difference here. I liked the two horns and the mix, but this album was a bit too long and monotonous for me. 3/5

I liked this! Upbeat a good listen

very much background music album, really good

There is only so much saxophone soloing I can take

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

Felt like I was Carrie Bradshaw’s boyfriend that was obsessed with jazz. Not for me. Too chaotic.

Eh

Very good, just not really my genre. Excellent background/ ambience

Another double! Cmon England!

I don’t care for jazz but this was pretty solod