The South African jazz legend passed away on Tuesday.
Legendary jazz trumpeteer and activist Hugh Masekela succumbed to prostate cancer on Tuesday after a lengthy battle with the disease. He passed away in Johannesburg, aged 78.
Masekela was born in Witbank, South Africa on April 4th 1939. He began playing trumpet at the age of 14 after receiving the horn as a gift from South African bishop and activist Father Trevor Huddleston. From there onward he began playing in various local groups, most notably the Jazz Epistles before eventually being driven out of South Africa amidst the Apartheid regime in favour of London and New York. During his time in New York, Masekela studied classical trumpet and immersed himself in the jazz scene of Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and more.
Despite Masekela’s move overseas, the adversity through which his homeland suffered was a topic that he protested and one that remained deeply rooted within his music throughout his entire discography. In 1987, his single ‘Bring Him Back Home’ became an anthem for both the anti-apartheid movement and the movement to free Nelson Mandella who had been imprisoned by white South African government since 1962.
Over the course of his extraordinary career, Masekela released over forty albums that saw him collaborate with The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon and countless others whilst exploring a plethora of genres and constantly expanding upon his sound.
The legacy that the seminal musician has left behind is an intricate tapestry with many different threads. Rest in peace Hugh, the fruits of your labour are indelible.
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
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Fruit and Grooves Collective 