Hugh Masekela News

Need a little musical snuggle time? The irrepressible drummer/composer Matt Wilson brings us a virtual Hug with the release of his album of the same name on August 28, 2020 via Palmetto Records.   

“Slow Bones,” the latest track from Rejoice, the upcoming collaborative album from legendary African artists Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela, is premiering now at okayafrica.

Festival of Voice a?" Wales Millennium Centre's flagship international arts festival a?" is returning to Cardiff Bay across the last weekend of October 2020 with a new format.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced the line-up for the 2020 KCRW's World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. The successful collaboration between KCRW and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, now in its 21st year, launches Sunday, June 28, at 7PM.

On the heels of winning her fourth Grammy Award, Angélique Kidjo concludes her Perspectives series with Daughter of Independence on Saturday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/ Perelman Stage.

The African & African American Performing Arts Coalition and K*Star*Productions are proud to announce the 16th annual Black Choreographers Festival: Here and Now (BCF), which will take place over three consecutive weekends, February 22 a?" March 8, in San Francisco and Oakland. Following the opening at SAFEhouse Arts in San Francisco, the Festival will move to Dance Mission Theater, with the final program at Laney College Theater in Oakland, March 7 a?" 8. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $30 and may be purchased online via direct links at bcfhereandnow.com.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Shellen Lubin and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been championing women in the professional theatre for over three decades, is producing an Oral History Project event with renowned Broadway publicist Irene Gandy on Monday, February 10 beginning at 6pm in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street). Admission to the event is FREE and seats are available on a first-come-first-seated basis. Doors will open at 5:30pm.

Craft Recordings is proud to announce the launch of its very first podcast, Prestige 70—a limited series that salutes the legacy and spirit of the venerable jazz label Prestige Records. Produced as part of the label's 70th-anniversary celebrations, Prestige 70 features intimate conversations between acclaimed musicians, composers and producers, and host Scott Goldman—who, as the longtime moderator of the GRAMMY® Museum Public Programs Series, has interviewed hundreds of iconic figures in music. Through the lens of contemporary artists, Prestige 70 not only looks back at the musicians and recordings that made the label so important but also looks to the future, as a new generation continues the tradition of redefining and pushing the boundaries of jazz.

City Parks Foundation's SummerStage is proud to announce the 27th Anniversary celebration of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. In the world of modern music, few figures loom as large or cast as long a shadow as saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker, celebrated as a bebop pioneer and for bringing jazz into the modern era.

Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap - the entire Serengeti comes to life on stage each night in The Lion King. The Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of Disney's much-loved film transports audiences to a dazzling world of glorious colors, stunning effects and enchanting music to tell the story of Simba and his epic journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.

651 ARTS, Brooklyn's premier organization for the African Diasporic arts, today announced the appointment of seasoned nonprofit arts leader David J. Roberts as the renowned institution's new Executive Director. The selection of Roberts follows an extensive nationwide search led by cultural consulting firm CJAM Consulting, LLC and 651's Board of Directors. Roberts, who succeeds former Executive Director Shay Wafer, will report to the Board of Directors and will officially assume the role in August, 2019. 

Once a year, in mid-August,TRANSART & Cultural Services fills Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie with art, food, and the music of living legends of the jazz art-form. This year, TRANSART continues this time-tested tradition with the 19th annual Jazz in the Valley. The non-profit organization - dedicated to promoting awareness of the art, history, and popular culture of people of African ancestry - presents two stages of world-class jazz on Sunday, August 18, from Noon-6pm. Gates open at 11 AM, and the event is rain or shine.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrates 20 years of its popular KCRW's World Festival series during the Hollywood Bowl 2019 season. A partnership between LA Phil and KCRW that began in 2000, KCRW's World Festival series continues to feature a diverse array of cutting-edge artists making music on a global scale.

Ellerman House is excited to announce that Ellerman Sessions are back this year by popular demand. The 2019 Ellerman Sessions line-up is filled with South Africa's finest music talent, who will rock guests with their music and humor them with their storytelling.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 Broadway's newest intimate concert venue will present Alyson Cambridge, featuring the Alex Minasian Trio, on Friday, March 29 at 9:30 PM.

 The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has announced today the line-up for the 2019 KCRW's World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. The successful collaboration between KCRW and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association celebrates its 20th anniversary, and launches Sunday, June 16, at 7PM.

The McCallum Theatre and Jim "FITZ" Fitzgerald co-present Keiko Matsui on Saturday, February 23, at 8:00pm as part of the Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum series. A producer, contemporary jazz pianist and composer, Keiko Matsui's career spans three decades, over twenty CDs, and numerous continents receiving international acclaim. Her music transcends geographic, generational, and musical boundaries and her unique melting pot of musical influences have garnered her a devout international following. 'Music has no borders and it creates a oneness among people,' confides Matsui. 'There have been many occasions when I have felt like music saved me. There is a connection between my fans and I, and together in my music we are sharing harmony.'

Dimensions Dance Theater has announced its spring program, April 6 - 7, at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, featuring world premieres by two of its longtime company members: Erik Lee and Latanya Tigner.

Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning composer/pianist/educator Arturo O'Farrill and the non-profit The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) are thrilled to announce NYC's premier Afrobeat concert of 2019, ALJO + AFROBEAT = FELA!, featuring O'Farrill and his 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) alongside Tony Award-Nominated Sahr Ngaujah (lead actor in the Tony-winning Broadway musical, Fela!). Today's singular forbearers of the Afrobeat genre take to the stage with O'Farrill to debut big band jazz arrangements of Fela Anikulapo Kuti's classic works as well as innovative collaborations with special guest artists Wunmi (vocals), Tosin Aribisala (drums/vocals), Bryan Vargas (guitar), and DJ Ausar. Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Fela!'s Broadway premiere in 2009, ALJO + AFROBEAT = FELA! will be presented in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre @ Symphony Space on January 25 & 26, 2019. Artist interviews are available upon request.

Cultural World Ambassadors, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, makes its return to the New York City Center for a milestone celebration of the company's Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary. As part of their annual five-week holiday engagement, the company honors the artistry and legacy of Mr. Ailey through special performances featuring an exhilarating mix of new premieres, audience favorites, and rarely seen works by Alvin Ailey himself! This celebration coincides with the City Center's landmark 75th anniversary.