Home Is Where The Music Is

Jazz stresses me out man. Kinda good tho.

I did like a lot of sounds throughout, but something about it all just didn't land well. All of the songs are longer than average, but they really felt like they dragged. I'd give this a 3.5, but I'm not okay with a 4.

Some good melodies on here. This feels more structured than the other jazz albums I've listened to which I appreciate. The weakest sections were the ones with heavy improvisation.

Jazz still feels like a wasted genre on me, with it's intricate arrangements and soulful playing. I really appreciate the music, but the lyrics are a sore absence for me. Ironic, considering I listened to electronica for years (which largely doesn't have lyrics and has synthesized soulless sounds). Masekela's trumpet playing is beautiful and controlled throughout the album and his supporting band on keys (I have to put in a special word for Larry Willis, as his piano on Minawa was simply gorgeous) and bass can be given the same praise. I am grateful for each Jazz album that comes my way, as I'm hoping it will further deepen my appreciation for the genre. Favourite songs were "Part of a Whole", "Minawa" and "Inner Crisis".

Some nice easy listening Afro Jazz. Listened to it mainly while walking at night and it set the mood just right. Always love these little obscure album inclusions.

I wish I could connect with this more but I guess I just don't properly 'get' Jazz. Nice enough background music.

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 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 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.

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

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

Smooth and accessible + a rhythm section that brings it.

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.

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.

2 much jazz

Slick

It’s a well produced album.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

Nice jazz, very little Afrobeat.

Pretty nice piano jazz.

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").

Nice...

Rolig jazz, litt bakgrunnsmusikk

Música para unos vinitos y cigarro

Really pushing it with the run time

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Overwhelming but good at times.

jazz

not my type but it was decent

Great soundtrack to the day. Perfect energy!

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

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

Ok

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

this is my kind of jazz music

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

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 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.

Not sure what that was all about...

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.

Perfect study music!

Classy dinner party album

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"

Pleasant for eating.

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

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

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.

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

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

Nice tune, but I like music with lyrics

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

hmmmmm maybe a little jazz is enough

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

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...)

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

super long songs which i don't usually mind but listening to this straight i kinda zoned out. maesha is my favorite. so beautiful.

Home Is Where The Music Is - Hugh Masekela This one hits different. It’s long, for sure (I’m not complaining, like, I enjoyed music within 6 or more minutes). But it has some tunes to it. Great percussion and horns, the instrumentation is definitely something. You gotta get some time and vibes for the whole thing. For me, it’s good! Period.

It’s a fine jazz album but not essential. It doesn’t sound unique enough to make a list of 1001 albums you must hear in my opinion.

Nice easy grooving sounds. Trumpet and keyboard especially good. Great music for working out on the treadmill. A strong 3 from me…

For how little I normally like the jazz albums on here, this one was pretty nice. It had some good grooves and the musicians sounded really good together. Despite not having vocals until the very end, it still was interesting enough to keep my attention most of the time. It probably helped that I listened to it on a long drive, so I didn't have much else to distract my ears. That said, I think the longer runtime was one of the biggest negatives. If I hadn't been able to spend 76 minutes to listen uninterrupted, I doubt I would've been able to keep it in my attention. Even having that chance, it still felt like it was a bit too long. I think this was pretty good, especially considering my typical dislike of jazzier works. Not sure I'll listen to it again, but I enjoyed hearing it this time. Overall: 3.2/5

Je sais que je dis souvent qu’il manque d’albums jazz dans la liste, mais c’est pas une raison pour mettre des albums doubles! Comme là, un ptit 40 minutes de ça j’aurais été bien, mais 1h30 j’en pouvais plus

Good instrumental album. Interesting and low key at the same time. Great background music.

good during work

My first time listening to an album just full of instruments. A great new experience! The music was so catchy and relaxing at the same time.

3 out of 5 Smooth jazz. Not a genre I normally listen to, but I enjoyed this album. Very chill and relaxing.

African jazz brought to America. If you love jazz, this is a must hear

The albums length worked against it IMO -- Part of A Whole and Minawa were such a strong start but the middle dipped for me.

1001 Albums Generator 180 (12/12/2025) Home Is Where The Music is is the first jazz album I've had on this list that I hadn't ever heard of. The first two songs had me very excited, in spite of the massive size of this album. Part Of A Whole is a fusion jam that features really good solo work and also a really rhythmically interesting head melody. Minawa is very different and is a slow building, piano-led cool jazz piece. By the time you get to the end of it, it's just unbelievable. There are other good moments on Home Is Where The Music Is, but nothing hits the same as the first two tracks. The other more fusion-y stuff like Inner Crisis is pretty good, and I really like songs like Maseru and Ingoo Pow-Pow that have such a strong energy. But there's a lot of fluff here. Unhome and Blues For Huey are really 12 unnecessary minutes on a 76 minute double LP. And I'm no prude when it comes to song lengths, but I really don't think that every single song needed to be over 5 minutes. Like a couple of them could've been 4 minute jams right? With all that said, I would argue that I like more of this album than I dislike, but I walked away a bit frustrated by the perceived lack of pruning that the tracklist received. 3/5. Favs: Part Of A Whole Minawa Inner Crisis Least Fav: Unhome

Great jazz music all around. Hugh Masekela did not disappoint, it got a bit sleepy at times but jazz be like that sometimes. Still, it was a pleasure either way. 3.50/5

Ganz geil, aber kann man nicht immer hören

Beautiful chill jazz. Really well produced. Not really something I'd actively listen to, but great background music. Inner Crisis aside - that's a banger. Faves: Part Of A Whole, Inner Crisis, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song)

Smooth jazz

Really good 3.5

I’m giving into three cause it’s probably decent jazz, but I’m not listening to this whole album. Just not a jazz guy.

Some incredible and fast, intricate trumpet riffs. Like the slower pace later on in the album. Some of the songs get a bit long and quite repetitive though. 6/10

Just not a big fan of jazz. Or not fitting with my current mood.

Solid jazz

I mean I am not a huge jazz fan and I DEFINITELY did not like all of the songs on this album, but I think if you want something that is good for like a Christmas party or get together with friends and you want something in the background for good noise, this would provide it

Fine jazz

buenas canciones, pero exceso de longitud con partes bastante monotonas, aunque un buen jazz siempre entra bien En minawua hay un par de partes de la cancion donde me chirria mucho, like ese efecto que hace que la saxo grazne me han matado. ademas de los sonidos asi mas africanos a ratos, ha sido gracioso He disociado totalmente porque estaba estudiando, pero agradable mientras estudiaba, las primeras canciones guays, el resto ñeg, me ha ido decepcionando la verdad

Not bad.

Great sounding jazz. Not really my thing but I liked it.

Good quality music but not for me

Not my style, very mild instrumental. Good for background music.

This reminded me I want to listen to more jazz. And that I NEED to listen to more jazz.. I think my brain has become too weak and soft to fully appreciate an hour and 16 minutes of it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless

Posh Christmas party music (tis the season)

This album is a huge warm, and spiritual burst of jazz. The wind instruments harmonizing through the whole album immediately caught my attention, and the solo in that opener song is incredible what an intro. The main instrument you hear is a flugelhorn actually, played by Masekela, it has a very bold and expressive tone that it feels like it’s speaking directly to you. The general vibe of the album is very warm, soft jazz. I can actually feel waves of calm washing over me while listening. It’s known for being very influential for its time, it shifted direction and did something new and important by fusing South African rhythms with American spiritual music, soul, and funk, creating a unique jazz-fusion sound. However, overall it’s a bit too long for my liking as a full front to back instrumental jazz listen. If I’m in the right mood, it feels immersive, slow, groove-heavy, emotional, and alive, but because it’s so calm and spacious, it also sometimes drifts into “background music” territor, perfect for relaxing, having dinner, or reading. My favourite songs are Part of a Whole, Minawa, The Big Apple, Maseru, Blues for Huey, and Maesha.

That was a great listen,

V. Smooth

Good jazz

5.6/10

Lots of great stuff here and some great variety. Some of it's a bit sleepy for my taste, but otherwise I really dig it.

peak background music

Jazz. Decent

jazz

к таким джазовым темам у меня всегда одна претензия: почему так долго?

Jazz

Very good jazz album I’m sure but I can’t listen to much jazz for that long!

Really impressive playing, sitting somewhere between easy-listening and jazzy, but far too long to sustain my attention.

Started out good, but was way too long. Really got bored with it.

I don't have a ton to say about this album, but I really enjoyed listening to this album while working throughout the day. The influences of African and Afro-Cuban music added a great rhythmic energy to the album overall. Song picks are Minawa, The Big Apple, and Maseru.

So I’m gathering there is a lot of jazz on this list. No problem, but I guess I’m going to have to learn more about jazz so I can say more than “it was jazz, it was fine”. Cause right now they all sound the same to me! Good thing there’s still more than 900 albums.

Jazz is jazz

Definitely something! It's fine. Not my style, and I don't know enough about the genre to appreciate the influence this has had on music downstream.

I'm not the biggest fan of jazz, but I respect the genre a lot. I feel a lot of the experimentation and musical theory goes way over my head, and honestly, I would very rarely sit down to listen to even some of the more accessible greats, but I still have a high level of respect for these proper musicians. The majority of this album feels quite accessible. But it does border on experimental at times, culminating in a proper nutty piece of afro-jazz experimentation, the strangest children's song you'll ever hear. But overall, it's great. Will I sit down and put it on again? Probably not too often, and that's the only reason it's losing a star from 4 - because of my own personal preferences around jazz. But, I can respect that there's some great music on this album.

Very nice jazz album Very long songs, but I get it because it's jazz. Drums are great on the song Blues For Huey. A great album to listen to while doing homework or studying.

It's sort of funny how often I mention that "I'm music first." "Lyrics aren't not important to me", I always say, "but I come to music for the **music**, y'know?" And that's well and fine and all; who **doesn't** come to music for the music? But it's just the thought that if that were really true that I am "music first" I'd maybe have something more to say about instrumental music like this — and I really don't. It's largely been my problem with talking about jazz, in any form. I **need** some kind of hook to go off and jazz often doesn't provide me with any. Sure, sure, there's discussing it on a compositional level, but I mean I need a hook that **I** can talk about. An album like 'Hot Rats' can provide me one with where it fits in Frank Zappa's discography ... 'In A Silent Way' had one provided for it, where I could defend it against the claim that it's elevator music ... but this? I'm not sure what the hook is supposed to be here. And I **did** look; I read up on Hugh Masekela and he sounds like a pretty upstanding guy. Largely in the same way Miriam Makeba did (and it makes total sense to me that they were married). I mean, this man has been called the father of African jazz; I should be able to pull out **something** to say about his music. And yet... But, yeah, yeah, we all know that talking about music is like dancing about architecture. I'll stop complaining and try to actually write something down. 'Home Is Where The Music Is' is ... good background music. When your ears train on it to listen to it, it's good stuff — good **structured** stuff, at that. But with these songs being as long as they are, and as generally pleasant as they are, I didn't feel the need to try and stay locked onto them for too long. Instead, I used it as an excuse to finish the book I was reading ('The Running Man', ahead of the new movie). In those terms, it's really pretty good. I sort of doubt this music was composed with the idea of it being audio wallpaper (I can't imagine any music being made that way besides ambient), but, 'ey, that's what I got out of it. And I never mean "background music" as an insult anyway. And ... that's it! Really now. And, like, sure, maybe I was distracted by my book and that's why I couldn't come up with too much to say. I can accept that. But I get the impression I'd've come out the other side with just as much to say about this music anyway. Maybe I'd have a comment to make about its length (76 minutes, goodness!), but ... yeah. I'unno. It's good stuff; just not anything that inspires me to wanna write too much. At least I was able to hit my average word count, so that's something...

Bez ostatniego utworu gwiazdka więcej

Building lego around Christmas time to this would go SOOOO hard

Part of A Whole was good, but it was too long to regularly listen to. It was pretty solid from there up to the drum solo in Blues for Huey. I did quite like Nomali, although like with Part of a Whole it was too long.

It would be unjust to rate a jazz album poorly when it's my least favourite music genre. A legend in the South African music industry gets a 3 star although there was very little of it I enjoyed.

Jazz isn’t my bag, but I can appreciate it in the background like this. I’m not likely to have my mind blown or anything, but the afrobeat fusion here is nice.

Un crack el negro como toca. Linda música. Me gustó mucho más la segunda mitad. El hecho que no cante y la cuestión jazzera un poco me la baja. Sigo sin entrar de todo en el género. 5/10

A serviceable, but exceedingly long jazz album with a bit of a world flourish

I couldn’t sing along but not terrible.

An ok Jazz album. Not into it as much as others though. I like the piano parts and solos a lot though.

A pretty good jazz album.

Good

I liked this one a lot with the main drawback for me just being the length. I’d listen to a lot of these songs on their own before I’d listen to the full album again.

It was okay. I prefer vocals

Great album, beautiful playing. A fine discovery for me!

Easy listening jazz

Not a jazz guy, though sometimes I aspire to it. Loved this, but I'm always suspicious that there's something wrong with jazz I find immediately satisfying.

Good jazz but too long

Pleasant jazz album. Nothing too memorable about it, though.

Great album. Really enjoyed the keys throughout it. South African Jazz, alright.

3.5 This is a great album to listen to while reading a good book and drinking a glass of red wine!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Home is where the jazz beats flutter! 🎺🎷👐 I’m a teetotaller when it comes to Jazz offerings, having said that these grooves serve as quite a pleasant backdrop to help liven up the social atmosphere. The album blends jazz, Afrobeat, soul‑jazz and South African musical traditions. Masekela doesn’t stick to one mode but uses this double LP to wander across grooves, moods, rhythmic patterns and textures. 🎧 Classic Track: The Big Apple 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Nomali 🚫 Skip Track: Ingoo Pow- Pow (Children’s Song) There’s both energy and space here with some tracks being quite driving & intense, while others are more balladic or reflective. That contrast allows the listener dynamic variation rather than fatigue. The album is not just music for music’s sake. Masekela (and his collaborators) bring in the influence of exile, African heritage, the apartheid context, and the longing for home—musically expressed in rhythms, in certain song choices, in the emotional tone. This gives it depth beyond aesthetics. 🖼️ Album Artwork: Meh While nothing here is arduous to enjoy, a double LP running over 75 minutes can be a lot to take in one go. Some listeners might find portions drag or feel repetitious. The variety helps, but there are parts where momentum dips.

It’s was okay.

This is what jazz music sounds like.

Really great playing. I probably won't put it on very much unless I want to feel classy.

It’s not my favourite flavour of jazz 3/5

C’est du bon jazz

Liked it a lot.

Unexpected but I liked this! The big apple, inner crisis, and Normali stand out but I liked it all.

I wanted to love it more than I do, but I’m an honest fellow.

Nice

7,7/10

I enjoyed this but it's not something I would choose to listen to in my day to day

Fairly sure I've heard some of these tracks before. It's like jazz meditation — interesting but I couldn't really listen through the album in one sitting. Maybe I needed a few drinks. 3/5

Lowkey mediocre.

This is good but inconsistent for me. I've enjoyed other jazz albums more but some of the songs were great! Fav-Nomali

What I think of as lazy Sunday jazz. Chilled and inoffensive with a couple of more upbeat numbers. Didn't grip me but I didn't hate it

This is music we need to hear right now.

Fan of the smooth jazz - again another change of pace to what I normally listen to. Funky base line in The Big Apple is very enjoyable. As I’m not a connoisseur of jazz many songs blended together but I have a big appreciation for the musical abilities shown.

Unexpected! Great listen

Not usually big on jazz but quite enjoyed that

Delightful South African jazz

Solid jazz album.

It's cool. He plays a flugelhorn, which is objectively funny. Anyway, this is subjectively, a bit too smooth and objectively a bit too long, but there's some nice bits and rhythms.

I've never listened to this album (14). Cool, smooth trumpet jazz.

South African twist on soul/jazz with some very melodic trumpet playing makes for a relaxing album. More arrangements than songs with some clocking in at 10 minutes, nevertheless a pleasant listen and not a record I had heard before.

Bardzo przyjemny

Pretty good listening, but nothing special or attention grabbing. From my Wikipedia reading, I learned that Hugh Masekela is important for bringing a uniquely African flavor to jazz and for writing several protest songs that were important in the South African anti-apartheid movement... pretty cool! This album didn't send me anywhere amazing, but it's fun to hear some early Afrobeat influence on a genre that I enjoy (jazz). I hope we get some proper Ethio-jazz at some point: Mulatu Astatke or Hailu Mergia would be awesome.

Love the jazziness but did start getting fatigued, but I think that's on me.

3,1

Фʼюжн з афроджаз орієнтиром. Загалом приємний альбом. Мені не всі композиції сподобались. Іноді були не дуже цікаві мелодії на трубі, а тут це головний інструмент.

я розслабилась.

Reposant jazz

There’s something quaint about jazz albums with dumb homespun titles like this. It sounds like one of those plaques quietly depressed housewives get at homegoods and put on their kitchen walls. Home is where the music is. Oh god, I’m so lonely.

I really dig Masekela! Having only heard grazing in the grass before this, I knew to some extent that this would be happy jazz 🤣 The album is a tish too long and slow at times, but I still managed to get through it a couple of times this weekend. Maesha is an incredible tune. It has a slow start (2 mins or so of buildup), but the vamp is worth it. It was in my ears all weekend Somewhere around the 3.5 stars mark

7/10. Great background jazz music for the living room

В целом спокойный альбом с довольно хаотичной музыкой. Последней композиции лучше бы не было - испортила только общее впечатление. Можно слушать фоном, когда хочется нестандартного джаза. 6 из 10.

Made for good waiting for the bus in the rain at first. But did feel quite bloated for what it was.

I tried, and I can tell this is high quality music, but it mostly sounds like very well-played muzak to my ears.

Funky enough

This album is pretty neat but it really faded into the background for me.

Coffee shop music. Fades into the background for me. Gets repetitive. Very long album. 2.5 rounded to 3

Album is much Jazz! But like, in a good way. Not that spastic all over the place nonsense. This is the kind of stuff I'd put on in the background while working on my novel. I know it's been over 20 years and I should just release the thing already, but I won't let brevity be the enemy of perfection. The 56th chapter about the musings of the 'sophisticated interlocuter' are some of my finest work. Anyway, the album is alright. 3 stars.

Oh man! This jazzy album has all the jazz! It's got shiny brass, squeaky sax, faint bass, sporadic piano, chaotic drums! 10/10 is jazz!

Sound Jazz album, not my personal favorite

I definitely rate jazz on kind of a weird scale because I'm just not well versed in it. Unless I absolutely loved it (there have been a few) or hated it (also a few) they mostly get a 3 star rating. This is also getting that 3 star rating. It was pleasant, and I liked it well enough (up until the last song). Nothing I'll listen to again, but it was nice.

Jazz

A lovely listen, some high peaks but some middle of the road stuff as well. Really liked Part of a whole and Nomali 3.9/5

Nice background music. Unremarkable

This album isnybad, it's just my uncultured brain doesn't know how to distinguish a good blues/jazz instrumental record from a dull one. Is this album the one that inspired an entire genre? Or just another album in a sea of Jazz? I have no clue. Either way, Masekala is talented. Also Wikipedia says Masekala was basically an anti-apartheid activist and that that comes through in his music. I couldn't tell any of that just from listening

Haven't heard of Hugh before. Pleasantly surprised. Jazz albums are a hit or miss but this one actually did have something that made it stand out and be a bit "catchy" 3/5

I always enjoy some good jazz. This is pretty good.

It's too long for my tastes, but it's not a bad jazz album. Definitely not my favorite though.

Very good jazz record

A little heavy on the horn, but in general some good, bombastic jazz. I don't know that I'll return, but I enjoyed the journey.

jazzy - made me work fast

Cool jazz - pleasant to listen to and musically interesting when you concentrate. Not really a jazz fan but can't help but admire the skills. This was a good hour of music.

19/1089 a very relaxed and warm vibe, can’t say it’s my thing yet but it’s a nice change of pace. i dont really have the knowledge/framework to understand this music fully or pick out what parts i like in detail but it’s a pleasant listen and is something i’d enjoy as part of a soundtrack Maseru is fast becoming a stand out for me as is Inner Crisis, both of those were really great listens and definitely stood out The ending of Maesha is pretty magical i like that Ingoo Pow-Pow feels like an epilogue almost with the vocalising etc it’s a nice unwind/release after the rest of the album faves: Inner Crisis, Maseru no least faves 3 stars or 61/100

snazzy

Jazz is just not my thing but I guess this is a decent album?

Alright

Ondanks dat het jazz is, heb ik mij niet ge-ergerd. Blij vlagen zelfs vermakelijk.

I love jazz and the fact that this album is not on my radar signifies the questionability of it being on this list. However I am not into smooth jazz which this borders on in my opinion which also makes me question its place on this list. There is a lot of great jazz. There is a stunning lack of jazz on this list. This album, sadly should be neither. 3/5

Makes good background music. Very relaxing. Makes me want to drink whiskey neat. I think I would like it more if it was winter time.

Jazz albums have become the Jehovah's Witnesses of this project. I keep gently saying that I'm not interested but they still keep knocking. This album was gentle and easy to listen to. I had it on during a long drive and it was a pleasant companion. I particularly liked the mix of horns and piano taking the lead on melody. As usual though, the album all sort of blurred into one and sounded pretty homogeneous, apart from a bit of "Ingoo Pow-Pow" at the end which was a positive change of pace.

Quite catchy and entertaining for a jazz-album. Looses a bit tension at the end for me and therefor it is maybe too long. Weak three stars. 2,5

This style of jazz is puzzling to me because it doesn’t seem to go anywhere melodically, but it is nice background music.

This was good, I enjoyed it

I liked it. Straight up jazz.

Yep, this is definitely Jazz. What, you wanted me to say more? My favorite song on this album is “Part Of A Whole”, as it’s the only one I really remembered. It’s the only one I kept coming back to since it’s the first song on the album. I don’t know man, it’s really, really hard reviewing Jazz due to its very nature. Further more, the more of them I listen to, the harder it becomes to give a unique review that's not just a copy and paste of the last one. The best compliment I can give this album is that the piano player goes pretty crazy at times. Would I come back to this? Not really. Did I enjoy it more or less compared to some of the other Jazz I’ve heard so far? Couldn’t really say that either. It didn't really annoy me, excite me, bore me or offend me in any meaningful way so it’s getting another 3. One thing is for certain though, I still don't know how I feel about Jazz as a whole.

3.5

3.5

Razzy, snazzy jazzer album with a general rich, earthy, vibrant feel to it. Pretty directionless though and with super interminable track durations. I felt I was trapped and suffocating in snazzy razzmatazzy jazz elevator for most of a lifetime but really I was only halfway through the second track. Wouldn’t want to call this home let alone a possible Air BnB destination.

Was hoping to like this one more

great horn listen, I wouldnt call it an absolute classic but if i ever see the LP I'd pick it up, 3.5

Had never heard of this guy. A pretty good, big jazz album for a Saturday morning. Nothing shocking here but a good album.

calkiem przyjemny, album typu do wlaczenia przy gotowaniu obiadu

This time I did not like the jazz so much

What a great album. It's an amazing blend of jazz with african rhythms and instruments. So glad I found this album and this artist! 3.5⭐️

Good stuff Catchy jazz, did not expect to listen to it as much as I did

My Jazz penny has yet to drop. This was an easier listen than some of the other Jazz so far (looking at you Mungus) and was pleasant at times but at other times it did make my ears bleed and welcome the silence when I paused the jazz. Was disappointed there was not more afrobeat flavourings as was looking forward to that. Only managed one listen through.

#DÍA 6: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) No sé por qué el generador de álbumes categoriza este disco como “Afrobeat” si sólo la última pista se podría considerar como tal pero bueno. Por lo demás, es un LP bastante básico de jazz, nada que no te esperes, por lo que termina siendo una escucha agradable pero quizá demasiado inofensiva para un género de música del que suelo esperar una experiencia algo más salvaje y fuera de la norma. La atmósfera es sólida, es suave y en general para tenerlo de fondo viene al dedo. Sin embargo, se me hace muy aburrido en gran medida, incluso el solo de batería en Blues for Huey es como una delicada brisa que ni hace moverse un poco al árbol. Las dos primeras piezas si cargan con algo más de calidad y movimiento, las melodías y solos de Part of a Whole son muy entretenidas, recuerdan en parte a Herbie Hancock. Luego Minawa progresa de una forma muy consistente y construye una serie de armonías con las que sí llegué a quedar algo hipnotizado. No obstante, la mayoría del álbum pasa bastante desapercibido y deja bastante que desear. Favoritas: Part of a Whole, Minawa, Maseru Menos favoritas: Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children’s Song) #DAY 6: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die I don't know why the album generator categorizes this record as "Afrobeat" when only the last track could be considered as such, but oh well. Other than that, it's a fairly basic jazz LP—nothing you wouldn't expect—so it ends up being a pleasant listen, though perhaps a bit too harmless for a genre of music from which I usually expect a wilder, more unconventional experience. The atmosphere is solid, it's smooth, and overall it works perfectly as background music. However, I find it quite boring for the most part—even the drum solo in Blues for Huey feels like a gentle breeze that doesn't even make the tree sway a little. The first two pieces do carry a bit more quality and movement; the melodies and solos in Part of a Whole are very entertaining, somewhat reminiscent of Herbie Hancock. Then Minawa progresses in a very consistent way and builds a series of harmonies that actually left me a bit hypnotized. Nonetheless, most of the album goes largely unnoticed and leaves quite a bit to be desired. Favorites: Part of a Whole, Minawa, Maseru Least favorite: Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children’s Song)

this is great for any mood, just to have it going in the background

Helt okej jazzalbum

This album is suuuper 70s. I liked it but I feel like it’s so dated it would be a tough sell for anyone these days. It’s jazzy, sure, but in such a specific 70s way. And I’m not sure I could even say why it’s that way. Regardless, I enjoyed listening. Probably wouldn’t listen again. 3/5

Great playing from Mr. Masakela. Unfortunately, the compositions aren't that expectional. The album is too long and repetitive. Still I could see myself listen this album time to time, but nothing to be too excited about.

I seem to like Jazz music but know nothing about it. My rating may not be fair

Not a big jazz fan, but this one had moments, especially with the piano solos, that I could get into.

Good time! Lyder ikke lige så vild som mange af de andre fusion jazz plader jeg har hørt fra start-70erne men det er ikke nødvendigvis en dårlig ting!

Quite pleasant..

From what (admittedly little) research I did, Hugh Masekela seems deeply important to the landscape of jazz, and this is seemingly regarded to be among his best. While I can tell this is a detailed, sophisticated piece of jazz, I'm not sure I can entirely speak this music's language. I enjoy jazz quite a bit, but my comfort zone usually hovers around the hard-bop, swing and (to an extent) free jazz world. Home Is Where The Music Is has some distance from these touchstones, and while I enjoy this while it's on, I often just don't have the ear to tell you exactly what is spectacular about it. Although, this is still a pretty great album to just sort of drift through, even if I can't take it all in. Although there are some moments here that I feel I can fully appreciate. The Drumwork in the second half of Blues For Huey is really incredible. I also love the second half of Minawa. And Ingoo Pow-Pow brings in some really interesting percussive and vocal components that really set it apart. Also, I would like to note that while Hugh Masekela's name is specifically on this, it feels more like an ensemble piece than a solo exhibition at many times (although he certainly has some fantastic flugelhorn solos on here). Overall, this is pretty great and I enjoyed it quite a bit, I don't know if I see myself coming back to it anytime soon though: maybe someday.

Tons of variety, really enjoyed the brass

Excellent musicianship (particularly the piano), arrangements, and overall sound. I appreciated my listen but I don’t plan to revisit in full; it didn’t grip me like other jazz albums have.

Enjoyed. Good chill jazz.

Very consistent sound, would be good as instrumental background music. Best song: Part of a Whole Notable(s): Maseru

Disco de jazz entretenido. Pese a que el jazz no ha sido mi género favorito, cuanto más escucho, más me gusta. Serán prejuicios. Tiene varias canciones de más de 7 minutos, cosa que siempre se disfruta.

Reminds me of SimsCity2000 music

как оказалось, не все эти духовые звуки люблю + африканские чанты не зашли

It's jazz. Not the biggest fan, and the more I hear via this list, the less interested I am. Sounds ok but runs long

Good

yeah it was fine

Decent for background ambience at work while coding. Some parts of the songs can get quite fun, but it's too long for me and there are enough boring sections to detract a couple of points. My favourite song was the first one, "Part Of a Whole"; the sections that I enjoyed the most came from this track.

The musicianship is clear, but at some point one track was just floating into the next with no discernable unique qualities, and I think that's where jazz lives for me: Love and admire it, but there are no songs I jump up for, no songs that get stuck in my head, no songs I can't wait to revisit. The masterpieces transcend that; this wasn't one of them.

Ganz ordentlicher Jazz. 3,3

Good to study to, was sure about the drums but really enjoy it

Kind sweet until the last song, which is so bad and inconsistent with the foregoing that it lost a star

Happy to say I am LOVING this. Embarrassed to say that I've never heard of this artist before

Cool jazz

Okay but some random noodling.

A strong and thoughtful jazz record that might feel more at home in 𝟣𝟢𝟢𝟣 𝘑𝘢𝘻𝘻 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘋𝘪𝘦. While it’s beautifully performed and rich in mood, it doesn’t quite carry the historical weight or influence of other entries on the main list. The 76-minute runtime makes it a slow burn, but there’s real beauty in its patience. 𝘐𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘰 𝘗𝘰𝘸-𝘗𝘰𝘸 (𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨) stands out as a charming, unexpected highlight.

Jazz, good

I'll never hate jazz. I'll never love it, either.