Hugh Masekela R.I.P.

[ghost of miles]

Undoubtedly no longer news to most if not all posters here, but thought I’d start a thread anyway:

NY Times Hugh Masekela obituary

From Post-Bop To House: Mapping The Influence And Legacy Of Hugh Masekela

[Hardbopjazz]

R.I.P.  Hugh.  

[Cyril]

R.I.P.

[mikeweil]

R.I.P.

The double LP with Dudu Pukwana, Larry Willis, Eddie Gomez,and Makaya Ntshoko is one of my desert island albums!

[Patrick]

RIP. Was looking forward to seeing him perform with Abdullah Ibrahim in April.

[sidewinder]

Sorry to say I never saw him but he did play locally a few years ago. An important figure - RIP.

[medjuck]

2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Sorry to say I never saw him but he did play locally a few years ago. An important figure - RIP.

I did see him a couple of years ago.  Not sure I'd call it  jazz but it was very enjoyable.    He was supposed to be with the Jazz Epistles when I saw them in New York but he was ill and couldn't play.  Still a good concert and not just because of Abdullah Ibrahim. 

Edited January 25, 2018 by medjuck

[kh1958]

I did see him live--at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, circa late 1980s--it was literally one of the best concerts I've ever seen in a lifetime of concert-going. His band, virtually all African musicians, was absolutely great. It was so good I went two nights for four sets. Never heard any recording of his as good (Home is Where the Music Is and Introducing Hedzollah Sounds are mighty fine of course). He played Dallas about ten years later, and it was good, but not even remotely comparable.  

[JSngry]

Chisa!

http://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/chisa/chisa.html

[duaneiac]

I was lucky enough to see Hugh Masekela perform 3 times -- first at Yoshi's with his own band of the time, once in the more refined setting of Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley with a group of South African musicians who had been on his own Chisa Records label, and once at a free outdoor summer concert presented at Stern Grove in SF.  Each was a really good show.  The man was a gifted performer, able to play good music and also engage with his audience in a warm and personable manner.

I think I told this story before, but perhaps it was on the AAJ board.  After that Stern Grove concert, it was announced that Mr. Masekela would be available for autographs after the show.  I made my way over to the little wooded area where he was to be and found the line to be not too long, maybe 40-50 people.  I could hear a little applause when Mr. Masekela made his way over there, but after that it seemed the line was moving very slowly.  Once I made my way up closer to the front of the line, I saw the reason why.  Mr. Masekela greeted each and every person with a hug, signed whatever they asked him to (guys had gone along the length of the line to announce he would only be signing albums and CDs), made some conversation with each person (I remember he asked me where I was from and when I told him, he sang a bit of "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?") and then said good-bye to each and every person with another hug.  I remember thinking, here's a guy who grew up and lived under the violence and oppression of apartheid, who was forced to become an exile from his own country, separated from family and friends for a couple of decades, who had his own personal struggles with substance abuse, had a couple of failed marriages, who had every reason to be a bitter misanthrope if any one ever had.  Yet he was still a very warm, caring and seemingly genuinely humble individual.

I still have the CDs he signed for me that day and looking at them brings a smile to my face.  But when I heard of Hugh Masekela's passing, it was the memory of the two hugs he gave me that day which brought a little tear to my eye.

Thank you for having lived among us, Mr. Masekela.  Thank you for all the music you gave us.  May you Rest In Peace.

Edit -- From the NY Times obit linked to up above:  At St. Peter’s, he was encouraged to pursue music by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, an influential anti-apartheid advocate and organizer. He took lessons from Uncle Sauda, an esteemed local trumpeter, and quickly mastered the basics. Archbishop Huddleston established the Huddleston Jazz Band, a youth orchestra, partly to give Mr. Masekela an opportunity to play, and later, during a trip to the United States, he met Louis Armstrong, who had a trumpet sent to the band. The instrument made its way into Mr. Masekela’s hands.

A photo of the moment when "the instrument made its way into Mr. Masekela’s hands" for the first time appears on the cover of Hugh Masekela's autobiography (a recommended read) and associated CD --

Edited January 25, 2018 by duaneiac

[mjzee]

Ever since I read the obit, I can't get "Grazing In The Grass" out of my mind.  But not the Masakela version; rather, the Friends Of Distinction version.  What a great arrangement/performance/single!  Truly a golden era of popular music.  I also loved Masakela's original version when it came out - hard to believe there was a time when instrumentals could become pop hits.  That was a time.