South African Maestro Hugh Masekela to Perform at SummerStage 2011 in New York City

Hugh Masekela, Freshlyground and Somi are set to perform at SummerStage 2011 in New York City on Sunday, June 26, at Mainstage at Central Park, Manhattan.

Legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela is an innovator in the world music and jazz scene and is active as a performer, composer, producer and activist. Renowned for his talent and ability to bring to life the energy of South African music, he has collaborated with numerous artists internationally and also co-created the Broadway smash musical, Sarafina. Masekela’s Grammy winning single, “Grazing in the Grass” sold over 4 million copies and propelled him to international stardom.

Freshlyground is the musical voice of a nation’s adolescent democracy. The diverse backgrounds of seven members from the different ethnicities of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe means they weave musical magic that is highly infectious and undeniably groovy. With four celebrated albums, an MTV Award and a collaboration with Shakira in the 2010 World Cup song, “Waka Waka- This Time For Africa,” Freshlyground has established their place on the international music map.

Often compared to famed singers Sarah Vaughan and Miriam Makeba, Ugandan vocalist Somi blends African & jazz inspired rhythms into a unique global sound. A rising star in the jazz world, The Boston Globe has exclaimed of her latest album, If The Rains Come First, “[it] glistens with the sheen of an almost impossibly perfect cosmopolitanism.” Singing in English and three east African languages, Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle, yet the power she exerts is enormous.

Doors at 2:00 pm, Show at 3:00 pm