HUGH MASEKELA TRUMPETS IN THE NEW YEAR AT KIRSTENBOSCH

When maestro Hugh Masekela takes the stage for the 2012 New Year’s Eve concert at Kirstenbosch you know this will be a memorable evening. As the clock ticks down to 2013 the haunting strains of Masekela’s trumpet will remind you of all that is simply great in South African music and why this trumpeter is hailed throughout the world.

Hosted by popular wine brand, Drostdy-Hof this is the night of the year when you want to be with friends and family at a venue that is simply the best under South African skies. And with one of South Africa’s greatest musicians leading the crowd into a New Year filled with promise, this is too good a concert to miss out on. Wines from the well-known range will be available to concert-goers throughout the event.

Hugh Masekela’s international jazz career spans over more than five decades and shows no sign of slowing down. Still travelling the world and making albums, 2012 saw him celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of his first collaboration with Paul Simon on the Graceland album and subsequent tour.  The two icons reunited on a Hyde Park Stage on 15 July 2012. The anniversary celebration included the original Graceland band, led by guitarist Ray Phiri as well as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and reggae star, Jimmy Cliff. This celebratory concert marked the beginning of an anniversary tour that coincided with the release of a new edition of Graceland.  This long standing friendship is typical of the man who has played with just about every top star you can think of and is as beloved in his native South Africa as he is across the world.

When Hugh Masekela became the only artist to take centre-stage before an audience of billions at both the 2010 FIFA Kick-Off and the event’s Opening Ceremony in the centre of Soweto’s Soccer City, it was a very public confirmation of the musician and songwriter’s unparalleled standing within the South African music scene as well as a reminder of his global reach.

Bra Hugh, as he is affectionately known, puts power and passion into his music and has put African music firmly on the map – to hear this man perform is a privilege and to have him perform at Kirstenbosch signals a New Year’s Eve that will
resonate for many years to come.

Add to that the popular local group, Hot Water, who will open the evening with their special brand of entertainment. This diverse group has celebrated their unique music style during 2012 with a 40 day tour to Europe and a special “South Africa in Concert” performance at the renowned Royal Carre Theatre in Amsterdam. Having appeared at the Old Mutual Summer Sunset concerts in 2012 the audience responds to the vibe and the beat they put out with their uplifting and authentic South African music. You’ll be up and dancing long before the midnight hour! Elements of traditional African music mingle with folk, blues and indie-pop rock – the perfect lead in to Bra Hugh!

Plan to book your tickets now as celebrating the New Year South African style embraces the most beautiful gardens in the world. Plan to pack your Drostdy- Hof,  gather your most favourite people, bring your picnic basket and be at the New Year’s Eve concert that will set the year off to a magnificent start.

Date: Monday December 31
Time: Gates open at 19h00 and the concert starts at 20h30.
Tickets: are R270 each. 

Seating is unreserved so make sure you get there early to get a spot near the front, but first you have to book tickets.
Book at www.webtickets.co.za or at the Kirstenbosch
ticket office on 021 761 2866.