One of the most resonant names in music worldwide, Hugh Masakela is a complex artist with an impressive career. Born in 1939 in Witbank, South Africa, he grew up to be a flugelhornist, trumpeter, singer, composer and bandleader. His name knew no boundaries. He left South Africa when he was 21 and made a name for himself in New York. It wasn’t long after that he was in the company of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who, and his instrumental singles became internationally recognized. His sounds spread peace and harmony.
While Abdullah Ibrahim is known as a jazz pianist, his talent and artistic complexity go beyond. His stage appearances are like a story that is gradually unfolded in 90 minutes of dense, expressive, uninterrupted sounds. His listeners are always mesmerized as they step into the mystical world that Abdullah’s sounds create. He found inspiration in the avant-garde music of the 60s, but his unique style earned him a place among South Africa’s greatest jazz artists.
Like Hugh Masekela, Caiphus Semenya first knew success in U.S. He recorded the music for the movie “The Color Purple,” but he always stood faithful to his South African roots, and he later returned to the country. A director and composer, his name was associated with artists including Nina Simone and Lou Rawls.
Miriam Makeba is one of jazz’s best-known South African voices. Her dynamic and resonant vocal tone gave Miriam incredible success, despite the struggles she went through during her life. Her signature single, “Pata Pata” dates back to the 1950s but is still known all over the world.
Beatrice Bertha Benjamin, or Sathima Bea as she is known in the jazz world, went from talent contests to performing at social events and night clubs. A vocalist and composer, she was based for nearly 45 years in New York City but ended up back in South Africa as a star in Cape Town’s jazz scene. Artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole played important roles in what was to become her clean, light phrasing voice. Sathima Bea died Aug. 20, 2013, leaving a musical legacy. She was 76.
South African jazz flautist and trumpetist, Mongezi Feza was born in 1945, in Queenstown, South Africa. His musical style was influenced by Clifford Brown and Don Cherry. His life was cut short in 1975 by untreated pneumonia. He left behind an explosive but very lyrical musical treasure.
Basil Coetzee was one of the many artists born in Cape Town who left their mark in music, but also in South Africa’s history. Coetzee was a liberation activist and volunteer. From childhood, he felt an attraction towards music, first learning to play the drums and later the flute. He settled for saxophone and associated his music with its expressive sounds. His music has been described as a mixture of jazz and hard bop style with contemporary American jazz influences.
Mtutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (1938 to 1990) was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist who was born in Port Elizabeth and grew up surrounded by music. Musical instruments played a big role in his musical evolution. After learning to play the piano, he switched to alto sax, an instrument that defined his music career. His fiery voice expressed his passion for music. One of the highlights of his career was playing at the Nelson Mandela Tribute in 1989 in Wembley Stadium.
Johnny Dyani made his musical debut at an early age, performing in a traditional choir, but soon he turned to the bass. He found his fulfillment later on when he started using both the piano and his voice to communicate the joy for life that his music expressed. Like many other jazz artists, he was a rebel against the apartheid regime and defended his belief that blacks and whites should be allowed to play together.
Dorothy Masuka was not only one of South Africa’s most talented jazz artists, but also one of its bravest. Born in 1935 in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) to a Zulu mother and a Zambian father, she moved to South Africa when she was 12. By 19, she was touring South Africa with singers she had admired since childhood. Her voice sounded fierce and intense, and her music was upbeat. She quickly became popular in South Africa, singing about racial inequality. The apartheid government banned many of her songs. In 1961 she sang a song for Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected prime minister of the Republic of the Congo, that resulted in a 31-year exile.
