Sarfraz Manzoor

I arrived into Hay on Wye yesterday afternoon only days after leaving Cannes, from a film to a book festival where I am spending the next few days interviewing various authors, musicians and film makers. First up was Hugh Masekela whom I interviewed in front a packed house yesterday afternoon. I had spent the previous few days buried in his autobiography ‘Still Grazing’ which told his scarcely believable life story. I didn’t frankly too much about Masekela but what a life the man has had! Born in South Africa 70 years he started playing music as a young boy, decided to play the trumpet as a 14 year old and moved to the US in 1960 where he met a Who’s Who of jazz greats. He was friends with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and he saw John Coltrane. He hung out with Jimi Hendrix and Marlon Brando and played on the first album by Bob Marley. Meanwhile he developed an addiction to girls and drugs; during one LSD trip he was tripping out so much that the pasta he was meant to be eating started talking back at him! Amazing stuff and in person on stage he was a really engaging speaker who told his stories with wit and warmth. It was a real privilege to have met him and then that evening we went to see him in concert at the Wealth Pavilion which was great fun. Next up is tomororw’s session with John Micklethwait who is the editor of The Economist and his new book written with Adrian Wooldridge is ‘God is Back- how the global rise of faith is changing the world.’ In the meantime I am staying out the rain and reading Monica Ali’s new novel as I am interviewing her later this week.