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| Hugh Masakela at Berklee Performance Center – October 15! World Music/CRASHarts presents South Africa's legendary trumpeter, Hugh Masekela on Friday, October 15, 8pm at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. With a career that has spanned over four decades, legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela is no less than a worldwide superstar, and his trumpet has long been a call to freedom and a celebration of the resilience of his people. Touring in support of his best album in years, Phola, Masekela and his hot new South African band create supple grooves that blend Afro-beat, funk and jazz. Born near Johannesburg in 1939, Hugh Masekela was introduced to the trumpet in 1954 by anti-apartheid activist Father Trevor Huddleston, his school chaplain. As a teenager, he performed with Abdullah Ibrahim, Jonas Gwanga and Kippie Moeketsi in the Father Huddleston Band. As the brutality of the apartheid state increased, Masekela finally left the country to study at London's Guildhall School of Music. Miriam Makeba, who was already enjoying major success in the USA, along with Harry Belafonte, Dizzy Gillespie and John Mehagan, later helped Masekela get admitted into the Manhattan School of Music in New York. It was in New York seven years later in 1968 that he struck gold with his instrumental pop hit "Grazing in the Grass." By the beginning of the 1970's, Hugh Masekela had attained international fame and his career began to explode. His groundbreaking albums and legendary collaborations with Miriam Makeba, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and Paul Simon, to name just a few, went on to introduce the joys of African music to the world. A true pioneer in contemporary African music and one of the leading crusaders against apartheid, Masekela helped lay the groundwork for the world beat explosion that paved the way for today's African superstars. With more than 40 albums to his credit, Masekela has recorded for Chissa, MGM, Mercury, Universal, Motown, A&M, Warner Brothers, Jive Records and Sony Music, among others. He has performed with artists as diverse as Dizzy Gillespie, The Crusaders, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Simon, Santana, Stan Getz and Herb Alpert. He also conceptualized and composed the music for the Broadway smash musical Sarafina with actor-director-songwriter-playwright Mbongeni Ngema. His 1987 hit, "Bring Him Back Home, " became the anthem for Nelson Mandela's world tour following his release from prison in 1992. In 2005, Masekela was awarded a Kora Award (Africa's equivalent to a Grammy) for Best Male Performer. The same year he released Revival on Heads Up Africa and two years later came out with Live at the Market Theatre on Four Quarters Entertainment. In 2010, Hugh Masekela was featured with his son Sal in a series of videos on ESPN. The series, called Umlando – Through my Father's Eyes, was aired in ten parts during ESPN's coverage of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The series focused on the Masekela's travels through South Africa as Hugh brought his son to the places where he grew up. It was Sal's first trip to his father's homeland. Hugh Masekela's newest record, Phola, was released on Four Quarters Entertainment in 2009. It celebrates Hugh Masekela's 70th year and marks the South African trumpeter's half century of bringing the music of his homeland to many ears throughout the world. The album is a quiet reflection on life, love, politics and social consciousness, with Masekela's flugelhorn soaring splendidly throughout. Phola, as Masekela's liner notes indicate, means to "get well, to heal, to relax, to chill, " a message which can be heard in his breezy instrumentals, township vocals (from Masekela himself) and gentle ballads that vary from upbeat to tropical and genial. The album also includes songs that he wrote in the 1980's and never finished along with a reinterpretation of "The Joke of Life (Brinca De Vivre)." A free lecture by Hugh Masekela entitled: "The Artist's Role as Activist" will be presented on Thursday, October 14, 7pm at Lesley University's Prospect Church, 1803 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. World Music, a non-profit organization established in 1990, is New England's premier presenter of global culture, featuring music and dance from the far and near corners of the globe. In 2001, World Music launched CRASHarts as a division of World Music dedicated to presenting a contemporary performing arts series in greater Boston. World Music/CRASHarts strives to offer audiences an opportunity to share in many different cultural and artistic expressions and seeks to foster an atmosphere of discovery and exploration. The organization presents approximately 70 concerts and 15 educational programs per year. For more information, call (617) 876-4275 or visit www.WorldMusic.org. World Music/CRASHarts is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |