Saurav SinghJanuary 8, 2024Last Updated: January 29, 2024
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Hugh Masekela(4 April 1939 โ 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as โthe father of South African jazzโ. Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was born in the township of KwaGuqa in Witbank on 4 April 1939. His father was a pianist and his grandfather was a traditional healer who played the horn. Masekela began playing the trumpet at an early age and showed exceptional talent, earning a scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. While in the United States, he became involved in the civil rights movement and was a close friend and collaborator of many prominent African-American musicians, including Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba, and Miles Davis.