Hugh Masekela News

The Grand Union Orchestra has announced its latest performance, Uncharted Crossings, which concludes its Autumn/Winter programme supporting Black British Music in Hackney. The programme aligns with Hackney Museum's current exhibition on the same topic.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage from November 28 - December 30, 2018 for a milestone season. During the Company's Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary celebration, Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey's 32 extraordinary dancers during this five-week holiday engagement that will elevate a legacy of excellence in artistry with premieres by some of today's most revered and prolific choreographers, including world premieres by Rennie Harris and Ronald K. Brown; a company premiere by Wayne McGregor; a new production of by Robert Battle; the return of a recent premiere by Jessica Lang, and special performances of rarely seen works by Alvin Ailey himself.

Jazz at Princeton University presents guest artist and Blue Note Records trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire in the world premiere of Slightly Left of Sorrow's Song, commissioned by Jazz at Princeton University to commemorate the 150th anniversary of W.E.B. DuBois' birth. Akinmusire will perform the 8-movement suite with the school's Small Group I under the leadership of saxophonist and program director Rudresh Mahanthappa.

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter JD Souther brings an intimate concert experience to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Sunday, October 14 at 7 p.m.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces a special holiday show with “American Idol” winner Kris Allen and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, September 20 at noon. All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

King Center in Melbourne, FL has announced five new shows. Check out the listings below!

The line-up for the 5th annual Tucson Jazz Festival, scheduled for Jan. 11-21, 2019, continues to take shape with the announcement of Poncho Sanchez headlining the free Downtown Jazz Fiesta on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019 (MLK Day). Last year the Jazz Fiesta drew more than 12,000 people downtown. Funding for the concert is provided, in part, by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Rio Nuevo.

The Jazz Epistles were South Africa's first black jazz band, pioneering a new musical form influenced by bebop and traditional South African music. Inspired by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, The Jazz Epistles formed when the Dollar Brand Trio from Capetown-which included pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, bassist Johnny Gertze, and drummer Makaya Ntshoko-combined talents with alto saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi, the late great trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa. Their first and only album, Jazz Epistle, Verse 1, released in 1959, brought them international acclaim. Following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the increasing oppression of the apartheid government-including the prohibition of jazz music-band members emigrated to Europe and North America. Two of them, Ibrahim and Masekela, would go on to become jazz stars in their own right. 

A major initiative by The Royal Conservatory of Music was the formation a new ensemble of musicians created to celebrate the cultural diversity and pluralism of Canada during the country's sesquicentennial. It was conceived by Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts at The Conservatory. The ensemble, then known as theNew Canadian Global Music Orchestra, launched in Koerner Hall on June 2, 2017 and toured Canada with stops in Ottawa, Calgary, London, Guelph, and Montreal. It has now been renamed KUNE - Canada's Global Orchestra.

Damian Woetzel continues his innovative interdisciplinary series uniting artists from across fields in a special one-night only performance, March 7 in the Terrace Theater. Part of the inaugural DIRECT CURRENT, the Kennedy Center's two-week celebration of contemporary culture, this installment of the multi-genre series will present recently commissioned works, including a world premiere, and Washington, D.C. premieres by some of today's most creative and groundbreaking voices in dance and music.

The work and life of legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte will be celebrated during a concert at Aaron Davis Hall on Thursday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. "Turn the World Around: The Music and Legacy of Harry Belafonte" will present audiences with a special evening of songs and stories in honor of and on the icon's 91st birthday.

TV star and sensational songstress Sihle Ndaba has joined the cast of the KING KONG - THE MUSICAL at the Fugard Theatre.  

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents The Jazz Epistles: Abdullah Ibrahim with guest Terence Blanchard in a rare tribute concert, February 18 at 7pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Half a century after the release of their landmark album, Jazz Epistle Verse 1, iconic keyboardist and Jazz Epistle alumnus Abdullah Ibrahim revisits the legendary repertoire of his historic South African ensemble. Four-time GRAMMY-winning New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard joins Ibrahim and band Ekaya as guest performer of these jazz masterworks produced during the apartheid struggle.

Continuing its ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating timeless recordings, the Recording Academy has announced the newest inductions to its distinctive GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

Hugh Masekela, originally part of the Jazz Epistles concert with Abdullah Ibrahim, has unfortunately withdrawn from the tour due to illness. Trumpeter Keyon Harrold will perform as special guest for this concert, which celebrates the music and legacy of the Jazz Epistles, South Africa's earliest and most influential jazz bebop band.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage tonight, November 29th, through December 31st, 2017.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage from November 29th - December 31st, 2017. Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey's 32 extraordinary dancers during this annual five-week engagement, which has become a joyous holiday tradition.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage from November 29th - December 31st, 2017.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage from November 29th December 31st, 2017.