Jabulani (album)
album by Hugh Masekela
Jabulani is a studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. The record was released on 31 January 2012 (2012-01-31) via Listen 2 label in the USA and via Gallo Record Company label in South Africa. The Zulu word jabulani translates as: to be happy, or to bring joy and happiness. Recorded in Pretoria, South Africa, the album is a collection of re-interpreted traditional South African wedding songs.
Critical reception
Matt Collar of AllMusic stated: "Inspired by South African wedding traditions remembered from his youth, trumpeter Hugh Masekela's 2012 album Jabulani is a celebratory mix of jazz, pop, and African sounds. Backed by a bevy of talented musicians even including a small choir, Masekela is in top form throughout this celebratory album."
Thomas Carroll of All About Jazz noted: "At the age of 72, South African vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Hugh Masekela is still making music with as much energy and passion as he did in the days of 'Grazin' in the Grass' at the height of his international fame in the 1960s and 1970s. Historically, Masekela has used his music as a form of social and political activism to combat issues like Apartheid. Jabulani strays from this trend of defiance and instead focuses on the joys and drawbacks of marriage, a highly ritualized and ceremonial institution in the South African village where Masekela was born... As a whole, Jabulani provides more of a snapshot of South African culture than a body of instrumental ingenuity. While the musical performance is never less than refined and professional, the message and mood of the album are clearly more important than the instrumental performance."
Recognition
On 10 February 2013, Jabulani was nominated for Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q48792225. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2012 and 2013.
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