Hugh Masekela was a rarity — A global jazz star who didn’t hail from the US.
Born in South Africa, the trumpeter and flugelhorn player studied in the UK & US, where he befriended Coltrane, Miles and Mingus, and gained international acclaim via 1968 hit song “Grazing in the Grass” and other recordings.
Later, Masekela came to attention among even more listeners thanks to his work with Paul Simon on the 1986 “Graceland” recording and tours, and on Simon’s “The Rhythm of the Saints” album, released in 1982.
Masekela, also an anti-apartheid activist, died Tuesday at age 78.
Check out these print, video, and audio pieces:
New York Times — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/hugh-masekela-dies.html
Billboard — https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/obituary/8095489/hugh-masekela-south-african-jazz-legend-dies-78
JazzTimes — https://jazztimes.com/news/trumpeter-hugh-masekela-78-dies/
DownBeat — http://downbeat.com/news/detail/masekela-succumbs-to-cancer-at-78
The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/23/hugh-masekela-south-african-jazz-trumpeter-dies-aged-78
CNN — https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/africa/hugh-masekela-dies-intl/index.html
NPR — https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/23/579885226/hugh-masekela-father-of-south-african-jazz-dies-at-78
