Hugh Masekela

Anna_Kissed

The South African trumpeter and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela has passed away.

Like many, I admired his music and his opposition to the status quo of his homeland.

Have any Lifers attended a concert at which Hugh was performing? Is so, would you care to share your memories of this?

CafcWest

@Anna_Kissed - Can you please add RIP to the thread title - I thought he was another potential signing! Thanks. RIP by the way.

paulbaconsarnie

cafc-west said:

@Anna_Kissed - Can you please add RIP to the thread title - I thought he was another potential signing! Thanks. RIP by the way.

We are signing people that need to prove themselves after injury but I fear this may be a step too far.

Seriously RIP.
Never saw him live but liked the Paul Simon Graceland stuff which he had input on.

Brendan_O_Connell

RIP

The_President

paulbaconsarnie said:

cafc-west said:

@Anna_Kissed - Can you please add RIP to the thread title - I thought he was another potential signing! Thanks. RIP by the way.

We are signing people that need to prove themselves after injury but I fear this may be a step too far.

Seriously RIP.
Never saw him live but liked the Paul Simon Graceland stuff which he had input on.

Brilliant.

The_President

RIP Hugh - One of my favourite musicians - had a chance to see him when I lived in Cape Town, but he pulled out through injury ill health.

DaveMehmet

I saw him at an anti apartheid concert at Clapham Common in ‘86, he was very good.

Dazzler21

Can we get a 'R.I.P' In the title please Admin

PaddyP17

Ohhhh no. Saw him in 2015 at Love Supreme, though admittedly not for his entire set as I wanted to catch a bit of Van Morrison's.

A great trumpeter, activist, and person. This is really sad. Rest in peace.

LenGlover

I saw Hugh Masekela (along with Miriam Makeba (RIP) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) perform during Paul Simon's Graceland tour in the eighties.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/16/paul-simon-graceland-london

I'll be honest and say that, prior to attending, in my ignorance I thought that Hugh and the others would be little more than warm up / and or backing but in my view they lacked nothing alongside Paul Simon and he is one of if not my favourite singer songwriters.

EDIT: Found this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0XN6zL08k

RIP

rananegra

I've seen him a couple of times at Womad. He always seemed supremely relaxed and in control of the stage. I'm not a big jazz fan but his stuff always seemed to transcend genres.
RIP

Nadou

He was a close friend of a friend of mine, Pat Williams. She wrote the lyrics for the songs in the musical, King Kong (NOT the gorilla story but a story about a South African boxer who earned that nickname). The musical which was written and rehearsed often in secret during that time of repression in South Africa was the first production to showcase black South African performers, including Hugh and Miriam Makeba. It caused a sensation back in 1959 in South Africa and gave inspiration to activists like Nelson Mandela. The musical transferred to London in 1961 where I saw it and was knocked out by its energy and vibrance. It proved the breakthrough show for Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela who both went on to international fame. Hugh was 19 at the time of the show in South Africa and was playing on a trumpet which had been given to him by Louis Armstrong. Pat Williams' book, King Kong - Our Knot of Time and Music, has recently been published and gives a terrific account of how the musical was put together in those difficult times of apartheid. The musical was revived in Cape Town last year and there is talk of another showing in London.

Bangkokaddick

LenGlover said:

I saw Hugh Masekela (along with Miriam Makeba (RIP) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) perform during Paul Simon's Graceland tour in the eighties.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/16/paul-simon-graceland-london

I'll be honest and say that, prior to attending, in my ignorance I thought that Hugh and the others would be little more than warm up / and or backing but in my view they lacked nothing alongside Paul Simon and he is one of if not my favourite singer songwriters.

EDIT: Found this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0XN6zL08k

RIP

I was there at the Albert Hall as well.

RIP

kimbo

Husband saw him a few times at anti-apartheid rallys in the 80/90s. We saw him in Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town in 2012, a special night

LennyLowrent

Oh.... Grazing in the grass...
RIP great man

uie2

RIP

SeattleAddickt

Another shout for the Albert Hall concert. We could have had our own box!

He was scheduled to play one of my favorite local clubs this year. Sadly not to be.

Wheresmeticket?

I saw him in Leicester for the Free Nelson Mandela concert in around 84 or 85...may have been a year or two earlier. TBH I was a big Fall and Noise core fan at the time so to my shame I didn't get it...