Can you hear Hugh? We all know his hits and standards, but a great deal of his work wasn’t as obvious. The influence of the late-great South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela is incredibly far-reaching, as performer, arranger, composer, and even on occasion backing vocalist! Often unnoticed, he has played on some iconic records. His music has been sampled by big name acts and he’s been a go-to sessioneer since the 60s in addition to being a globally-recognised solo artist. In this episode, Leon and Brett pay tribute to the great man by playing just some of the tunes by major artists – from jazz to pop to hip-hop – whose work has been adorned and graced by the input of one of South Africa’s greatest musicians, Hugh Masekela, whose death last year was a bitter loss.
Departing from our usual format, this week we feature international artists:
- The Byrds
- Blancmange
- Dave Grusin
- Chuck Mangione
- Paul Simon
- Cyndi Lauper
- Simply Red
- Jamie XX
- PM Dawn
- Somi
- Randy Crawford
The amazing picture of Hugh Masekela we used above was taken by our friend Harold Gess, a professional photographer based in the Eastern Cape of South Africa who has an impressive portfolio of arts, music and culture photos spanning over 30 years.
And here is that clip we promised in the show:
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