Still Grazing

The story of master South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masakela is inseparable from that of the fascist apartheid regime in which he was raised. STILL GRAZING, Masakela`s candid autobiography, is an enlightening history lesson on that evil system`s myriad cruelties as well as a reflection on a life spent in its shadow. A talented teenage member of the legendary British anti-apartheid campaigner Father Trevor Huddleston`s school jazz band, Masakela recounts his later exile to Europe and the U.S., and his subsequent lionization by the American artistic community. The trumpeter enjoys considerable artistic success with hits such as 1968`s Grazing in the Grass, but his high-living lifestyle also takes its toll in fractured relationships and emotional instability. Controversy also surrounds his late-`80s decision to tour his homeland with American musician Paul Simon, but, on apartheid`s collapse in 1990, he`s welcomed back with open arms. Entertaining and chilling, STILL GRAZING is a frankly told story of triumph against seemingly insurmountable state-sponsored and personal obstacles. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.