Bheki mseleku biography of martin

He was a pianist, saxophonist, guitarist, composer and arranger who was entirely self-taught. Mseleku's father was a musician and teacher, and a Cambridge University music graduate, who had religious beliefs that prevented his children from ready access to the family's upright piano in case any of them should pursue something as "devilish" as music.

Bheki mseleku biography of martin: Born in South Africa,

During his childhood, Mseleku suffered the loss of the upper joints of two fingers in his right hand from a go-karting accident. His album Celebration , which featured Courtney Pine among a number of British players as guests, was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. After this, he was taken up by Verve for several albums. With Home at Last , the last record released during his lifetime, Mseleku, "a self-confessed 'Citizen of the World ' ", explored "home" as being "a spiritual construct made up of special people and relationships, those that came along on the long hard road, those that were left behind to be re-visited later.

In a solo piano recording, Beyond the Stars , was released posthumously. This album was recorded on 28 November , but none of the six songs were released during Mseleku's lifetime. Beyond The Stars provides what Blue Note recording artist Nduduzo Makhathini describes in his liner notes as "a divine summary" of Mseleku's life story: "a sonic pilgrimage from the beautiful and organic landscapes of Durban, to the vibrant energy of London and ultimately toward the inner dimensions of one's being.

Mseleku was diabetic and at one time had been diagnosed as bipolar. He died in his London flat, having spent most of his last years back in South Africa, but without finding an outlet for his skills there; [ 8 ] his home was burgled in , which affected him deeply, due to the loss of the mouthpiece that John Coltrane had used for the recording of A Love Supreme , given to him by Alice Coltrane at Newport.

Over the two years prior to his death, Mseleku had established a new band in London, and had made several well received appearances around the country.