Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela
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March, 2007 | Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela | “Still Grazing” is not just an autobiography. It’s also a mesmerizing account of apartheid South Africa and her townships filled with violence, hardship and resistance to the oppressive apartheid system.
Masekela’s musical journey begins in the 60s, when at 17 he received a trumpet sent by Louis Armstrong.
With the assistance of Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte, Masekela was spirited out of South Africa to New York City where he was enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music.
His natural gift for music led him to opportunities to make friends with some of the most notable names of the times such as John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. “Still Grazing,” is a music lover’s treat. Every chapter is filled with insider information that makes this book hard to put down.
Masekela is brutally honest with himself and his readers. His lessons learned, he looks forward to new beginnings in South Africa with a new recording label, studio and new talents to nurture and develop.
Review written by Dorothy Ferebee for PowerhouseRadio.com, March, 2007. Dorothy is the author of the book How To Create Your Own African American Library.