Deltones mourn Masekela

Members of the Siparia Deltones are mourning the loss of legendary South African jazz musician Hugh Ramopolo Masekela, who passed away yesterday aged 78.

The band and the iconic South African trumpeter produced a transatlantic collaboration, From Siparia to Soweto, in 2014.

While in Trinidad in 2013, he told Newsday: “Nine years ago, I saw the band perform and they just blew me away. And finally here I am to work with the steelband. It is really a great privilege for me to be here.”

He also spoke of his fascination with the music of Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) and Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) while in London in the 1960s, and even recorded Kitch’s Sugar Bum in 1983 while moving back and forth between Botswana and London.

Masekela ensured that song was one of the 12 tracks on the album. Others were Love in the Cemetery, Dingolay, I’m Not Drunk, Lady, Radica, Bongo Day, Es Tu Fais Pasos, Meme, This Soca is For You, Under the Mango Tree and Roll It Gal.

Deltones bandleader Akinola Sennon told Newsday yesterday: “I think the institution that is Siparia Deltones is in mourning. Our music was in transition. Our musical director Carlton Alexander wanted our orchestra to evolve further into an institution of learning, and it was Masekela that prompted that idea.”

On the collaboration of 2014, Sennon said: “The project, to him, was as though he was doing studies, studying the music of TT, as the CD was a collection of songs that represented the various sounds of T&T like parang, kaiso, soca, folk and Indian, all bits and pieces of TT. He always said it was like he was doing a PhD in the music of TT.”

Sennon added: “Masekela was way greater than someone that we just did a project with. He helped us in other stages of development. He preached heritage restoration because throughout the world we have lost our culture. He always said if we don’t store our heritage we will be lost in this paradigm. And steelband in itself is a mechanism to foster that identity.”

Sennon described Masekela as an embodiment of professionalism and a hard worker.

The band had plans to bring him for its annual Cousemeh Festival in May this year.