HUGH MASEKELA & LARRY WILLIS
Pollak TheatreHugh Masekela, a world-renowned flugelhornist, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, singer, and defiant political voice, combines his talents with powerhouse pianist Larry Willis for a show of epic proportions. These two giants of the jazz world put on a one-of-a-kind show together, after decades of cultivating careers apart. Willis and Masekela met while they were both students at the Manhattan School of Music some 50 years ago. After coming under the tutelage of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, Masekela went on to carve out a five-decade-long (and counting) career, releasing over 40 solo albums. His 1986 anti-apartheid anthem “Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)” became a rallying call around the world for Mandela’s release from prison. At the same time, Willis has performed or recorded with almost every great jazz musician of the modern era, including Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, Cannonball and Nat Adderley, and Stan Getz. Don’t miss this rare chance to watch these two jazz legends (and dear friends) perform together.