Hugh Masekela Listeners Out There ?

I was just turned on to old Hugh...... Very cool stuff!

Chris

Did you hear his whole album "Hope", where the Stimela is the last track. Of course Stimela sticks out, that's why it is one of the favorites on the Hi-Fi shows but the whole album is nice.

I bought his LP on Bernie Grundman's Straight Ahead Records label at the RMAF this year and it blew me away. Music is great, recording quality is second to none. There are many versions of "Coal Train". I beleive the best is the live version on the cd "Hope", or it is also on the Burmeister sampler cd. Very dynamic stuff.

You might also want to check out, Almost Like In Being Jazz, on Staight Ahead Records.
Personels consist of, Hugh Masekela-Flugelhorn, Larry Willis-Piano, John Heard-Bass, and Lorca Heart-Drums.
This a live Studio recording, no over-dubbed. It's a must have if you're a Masekela fan!

Hugh is the Man.
You probably can't go wrong with any of his records, he is particularly keen on Afro Funk as you say.
Try
"Beatin' Aroun De Bush"
"Revival"
also "Grazing in the Grass: The Best of Hugh Masekla"
A great artist and jazz musician

All the above are great LPs/CDs. When I was a young dude, my older brother brought home an LP called "... of Oooga Booga". It might have been The Education of Ooga Booga, I don't remember. It had Grazin' in The Grass on it and some other tunes which slowly infiltrated into my consciousness. To this day I love African music- it's rhythms, textures, syncopation in layers of colorful sound.
All of this actually started in Africa using the drum, brought to the Americas, then some of it lost in Africa, only to be "rediscovered" by some of the Zimbabwan and Mali musicians when they went to Cuba.
It is also interesting how the guitar is used to shape their music. Many of the African rifts and tunes are "folk" tunes and rifts adapted from the ubiquitos Mbira, or finger piano- an extremely compact and rhythmic instrument used for generations of sheperds and travelers and bush people. The guitar is a true "revolutionary" instrument.
If you can get a hold of The Indestructible Beat of Soweto, Shanachie Records (CD). This is one of those compilations which grow on you.
Another is Oliver Mtukudzi, get Tukudzi Music, Putamayo lable.
These 2 are a start. Of course, if you can catch some of the Africans groups in concert, they are usually fantastic and hypnotic.
Ooga-Booga!

Great suggestions, I thought my listening preferences were too obscure, I was wrong !

The Hugh Masekela album I like is called "Grrr" Verve records put out a 96 kHz, 24-bit remaster CD from original tapes a few years back. I play it at my house when we party(along with The Meters)and everybody starts groovin'!!

Stimela is a favourite test track for me and the music is way cool! I have an old LP of his that I bought thirty odd years ago and one cd. Maybe I should get more since Masekela is quite good indeed.