 The history of Hugh Masekela is online and in books, but the magic of his music is impossible to glorify with words. You must experience it to understand the power of this 68-year-old South African Jazz icon.
On Jan. 23, Masekela and The Chissa All-Star Touring Party graced the Amaturo Theater stage at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Three-quarters of the way through the performance, Hugh asked the audience, “Do you have enough?”
”Nooooooooo,” we responded!
“Broward County people are very, very greedy,” he said in his thick Zulu accent, and then he continued to play until the band was spent.
We were not. We could have listened to more of this soulful, conscious-stirring music that made Masekela the most notable African jazz icon on the planet.
His book, Grazing In The Grass, tells of how he began playing trumpet in Johannesburg, South Africa, at age 14. He says the book is being developed into “a few films and a musical entitled Grazing is in pre-production in South Africa.”
The song, “Grazing in the Grass,’’ was a hit in 1968. When his producer, Stewart Levine, delivered Masekela's album to Uni Records, it was three minutes short of the contractual length of 30 minutes.
They filled the gap by covering a 7-inch single that Hugh bought in Zambia, a novelty tune called “Mr. Bull #5” that started with a cowbell.
Masekela and Levine saw little potential in the track, but Uni Records executive Russ Regan thought it would be a hit and persuaded him to issue it as a single.
It was among the Top Ten pop and R&B hits and remains an all-time summer anthem. The song has been recorded by other musical icons including Boney James, The Dave Matthews Band and Raven-Symoné.
Masekela’s fans always anticipate another song from his repertoire, indicative of the “township jazz” at the backbone of his sound. “Stimela” translates as Coal Train, a pun on the name of one of the most famous American Jazz artists, John Coltrane.
The song is a sonic photograph of the lives of the young and old men who “travel from the netherlands of South Africa. They are conscripted to work 16 hours a day for almost no pay, deep down in the belly of the Earth,” Masekela reports, “and they have only mish mash food, and iron shovel and live in filthy, flea-ridden barracks, thinking of their loved ones and the land taken away from them with guns, canons and poison gas. They curse the coal train that brought them to Johannesburg.”
He screams the whistle, beats the cowbell that bangs out the iron rails the coal train rides. The music stops to pick us up and take us to Johannesburg. Each time I hear this song, I’m paralyzed with the truth it tells. My friend, Naomi McCreary said, “I got chills.”
Guitarist John Blackie Selolwane played dynamically. His scat singing was reminiscent of George Benson, one of the first African-American jazz musicians to perform in Sun City, South Africa, in the sixties, when he and Stevie Wonder had to become “honorary white people” to perform there.
Veteran percussionist Francis M. E. Fuster and younger drummer Ian Herman provided the constant rhythm under Hugh’s flugelhorn that made me close my eyes and journey through South Africa as he clicked his songs in his mother tongue, while the other musicians harmonized with him.
The Chissa All-Stars is a band dedicated to delivering the message of freedom that is only possible through musical performance. Keyboardist Arthur Tshabalala reminded me of early jazz pianist Art Tatum.
He and bassist Abednigo Zulu created an atmosphere of exceptional support for the music Masekela brought to us.
Riffs exchanged with reed man Ngenekhaya R. Mahlangu piqued my interest throughout the concert. Second guitarist Themba Elliott Mokoena appeared to be in his late 70s. Even so, he was a formidable force onstage as he sounded the traditional melodies of South African music.
The meticulous stick violinist Tshepo Mngoma, who’s playing and dancing thrilled Naomi and me, surprised us at every turn. Also, he sang harmony with Gcabashe and Masekela to our delight.
But it was Mngoma’s mother, noted singer Sibongile Khumalo, who brought the entire audience to our feet.
Operatic in nature, but jazzy and definitely mindful of her language (Zulu or Xhosa?), Sibongile wiped us out with her vocal range, extending from bass to soprano, in a single melodic run. She sang “When Love Calls You,’’ exhibiting an incomparable romantic appeal and amazing skill with vocalese.
The crime about this concert was that we had to be seated. This is music to dance to and Masekela and
The Chissa All-Stars kept us wanting to jump up and swing our hips along with them.
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To hear two different versions of “Grazing in the Grass,’’ log onto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVpcDyjn3a0
Photo by Sayre Berman. Hugh Masekela
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