Hugh Masekela

Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz".
Though South African trumpeter and bandleader Hugh Masekela possessed an extensive jazz background and credentials, he enjoyed major popular success as one of the earliest innovators in the world fusion genre. Masekela's vibrant trumpet and flügelhorn mixed jazz with South African styles and music from across the African continent and diaspora. His horn was also featured on dozens of recordings in pop, R&B, disco, Afro-pop, and jazz contexts. He had both American and international hits; his 1968 chart-topping cover of "Grazin' in the Grass" also hit the charts in five consecutive decades. He worked with bands around the world and collaborated with a startling array of musicians during a seven-decade career. Exiled from his country for 30 years, he was also a powerful singer/songwriter and activist against apartheid. 1966's The Americanization of Ooga Booga showcased his "township bop" original style. In 1972, Masekela issued the acclaimed double-length Home Is Where the Music Is, uniting funk and fusion with African jazz. Though he often simplified his playing to fit into restrictive pop formulas, Masekela was capable of outstanding ballad and bebop work