Saturday, April 07, 2007

252. Hugh Masekela - Home Is Where The Music Is (1972)

















Track Listing

1. Part Of A Whole
2. Minawa
3. The Big Apple
4. Unhome
5. Maseru
6. Inner Crisis
7. Blues For Huey
8. Nomali
9. Maesha
10. Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song)

Review

I have finally been able to listen to this album. This was the last one of my back catalogue of albums to listen to after the end of the 1001 list. So now it is finally over!

Jazz is usually seen as a typically American music form, and so is Funk for example. But Africa was dealing cards in both these genres by the early 70s, developing Afro-beat from a fusion of the two adding to them local flavour. Masekela's album is much more Jazz than Afro-Beat, but the influences are clearly patent throughout.

Masekela is part of South African music royalty, being the ex-husband of Miriam Makeba, and here he adds to South African Jazz afro beat elements which help his Jazz be more funky than usual. It does feel, however, like a bit of a throwback at times, after Davis' and Coltrane's innovations in the genre, which are kind of forgotten here. This does help the album be more listenable, but it is hardly ever challenging, music does not however need to be challenging to be great. The very successful mix of Afro-Beat and Jazz helps it edge into my ipod.

Track Highlights

1. Part of The Whole
2. Ingoo Pow-Pow
3. The Big Apple
4. Unhome

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

He has played primarily in jazz ensembles, with guest appearances on albums by The Byrds ("So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star") and Paul Simon. In 1987, he had a hit single with "Bring Him Back Home" which became an anthem for the movement to free Nelson Mandela. A renewed interest in his African roots led him to collaborate with West and Central African musicians, and finally to reconnect with South African players when he set up a mobile studio in Botswana, just over the South African border, in the 1980s. Here he re-absorbed and re-used mbaqanga strains, a style he has continued to use since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s. In the 1980s, he toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon's album Graceland, which featured other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Ray Phiri, and other elements of the band Kalahari, which Masekela recorded with in the 1980s. He also collaborated in the musical development for the Broadway play, Sarafina! He previously recorded with the band Kalahari.

A pre-concert talk by Masekela:

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOME IS WHERE THE MUSIC IS
(aka THE AFRICAN CONNECTION)
Hugh Masekela
Island Studios; London, England: January 1972
Hugh Masekela (flhrn); Dudu Pukwana (as); Larry Willis (p, el-p); Eddie Gomez (b); Nakhaya Ntshoko (d).

a. Part Of A Whole (Caiphus Semenya) - 9:37
b. Minawa (S. Toure) - 9:38
c. The Big Apple (Caiphus Semenya) - 7:52
d. Umhome (Miriam Makeba) - 5:20
e. Maseru (Hugh Masekela) - 7:12
f. Inner Crisis (Larry Willis) - 5:52
g. Blues For Huey (K. Moeketsi) - 6:26
h. Nomali (Caiphus Semenya) - 7:20
i. Maesha (Caiphus Semenya) - 11:49
j. Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song) (Caiphus Semenya) - 6:47

Issues: a-j on Blue Thumb Chisa BTS 6003, Blue Thumb (Fr) BT. 10.006 titled HOME IS WHERE THE MUSIC IS and ABC Impulse IA-9343/2 titled THE DEDICATION SERIES/VOL. V: THE AFRICAN CONNECTION (issued 1978).
Samplers: a also on Hip-O B0007383-02 [CD] titled THE BEST OF HUGH MASEKELA - 20th CENTURY MASTERS - THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION.
Producer: Stewart Levine and Caiphus Semenya
Engineer: Rik Pekkonen
Notes: Michael Cuscuna (ABC Impulse IA-9343/2).
http://www.radio3net.ro/db_artisti/1972.jpg

Unknown said...

Have you tracked this down yet? I'm also on a mission to listen to them all, although I'm doing it randomly and this is the only album that I have not been able to track down

Francisco Silva said...

Yes I have actually tracked this down on Soulseek. I wil come back to this eventually for a full review.

jon talbot said...

l heard this album as an 18 year old growing up in a small, english provincial town. my jamaican friend had a copy and l had to go to rays in london to get mine. l was just checking to see if this is available on cd as my beautiful (really- you should see the sleeve)lp is a bit battered after all these years and over 30 addresses later. l can't understand why this is not available because it really is a fantastic piece of music- one of the best albums of any description lve ever owned. it really has everything...

Francisco Silva said...

Unfortunately Quality is not always a guarantee that it will still be marketable... I have actually fond that problem even more often with the film list. The amount of amazing films that don't exist on DVD or even VHS is astounding, I have to make do with crappy TV captures.

Anonymous said...

I am going through this list and have been slowly but surely making my way through this, but i have been completely unable to find this or the jack elliott album.... i don't have soulseek. Do you know where I could find this? Do you think you might be able to send the copy you found via www.senduit.com ?

Francisco Silva said...

Raindogs: I am trying to upload them, but I don't seem to be having much luck, if I am able to I'll post the links here.

Francisco Silva said...

jack elliot: http://senduit.com/d5c094 (only up for 1 week)

Masekela's zip is a bit bigger than 100 Megs so no using senduit... if oyu find me an alternative I might do it.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I always knew you were awesome.

I have a DivSHare account. It will let you upload files up to 200 mb at a time. If you could send me the masekela file it'd be amazing.

I guess the easiest way would be for you to just login for me and upload the file.

The FIle:
http://upload2.divshare.com/upload

My Login:
Pandora6155@gmail.com

My Password:
Password12

this too will pass said...

It's being released on CD this month; do a search on Amazon.co.uk or .com

this too will pass said...

It's being released on CD this month; do a search on Amazon.co.uk or .com, you can order an advance copy

this too will pass said...

Original Album cover here:

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/hugh_masekela/home_is_where_the_music_is/

Disco voador said...

Francisco, valeu amigo.
Ainda lembra desta língua ?
Estava procurando o disco do Hugh Masekela e só encontrei aqui.
Um abraço.

Anonymous said...

Thanks A Lot!!! Finally a find it, i've been searching this for a few weeks! Congratulations you have the best blog of "1001 records.." in the net. Best whishes for this year!

Anonymous said...

Encontré estos links por allí..
Disfrútenlo!
Compren el original.

http://rapidshare.com/files/209892199/Hugh_Masekela-Home_Is_Where_The_Music_Is-Remastered_CD-2008-OBC.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/209891134/Hugh_Masekela-Home_Is_Where_The_Music_Is-Remastered_CD-2008-OBC.part2.rar