Hugh Masekela — known respectfully by most as Bra Hugh — was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 and responded like the lifelong activist he was. He educated others about prostate cancer and for years, fought the good fight. He died on Tuesday at the age of 78. He made his debut as a trumpet player in the golden age of South African jazz. As a youngster, one of his best friends was Sophiatown trumpet player Stompie Manana, who took him to see the film Young Man with a Horn. It is the story of trumpet player Bix Beiderbecke and starred Kirk Douglas and Doris Day, with the trumpet parts played by Harry James. It inspired Masekela to play. As a teenager, he had a major breakthrough when the godfather of trumpet entertainers, Louis Armstrong, responded to an advert in Drum magazine calling for a new trumpet for the young Masekela. Armstrong donated a trumpet and Anglican cleric Trevor Huddleston arranged to collect it from him in Ghana. This golden era of South African jazz was typified by th...
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