Hotep Idris Galeta

Hotep Idris Galeta (7 June 1941 – 3 November 2010) was a South African jazz pianist and educator. His legal name at birth was Cecil Galeta, but according to local custom he was more commonly known as a child and young man as Cecil Barnard, his father's first name being used instead of a last name.

Biography Early years In his teens he played with some of the best jazz musicians in South Africa; Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) and Lami Zokufa introduced him to bebop and hard bop. In 1961 he left South Africa clandestinely, following many other South African performers to the United Kingdom (severe restrictions on public gatherings following the Sharpeville massacre had made entertainment careers impossible for any but white artists, and the already poor quality of life for non-whites was deteriorating rapidly as apartheid became ever stricter). After a year in the United Kingdom, he moved to the United States.

In the US In the United States, he played and recorded with Herb Alpert, John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones, Hugh Masekela,

Death Galeta died in Johannesburg on the 3 November 2010, following an asthma attack.

Discography As leader Heading Home (The Sun, 1990) Malay Tone Poem (Sheer Sound, 2002)

As sideman With John Handy Hard Work (ABC/Impulse, 1976)

With Bobby Hutcherson Bobby Hutcherson Live at Montreux (Blue Note, 1974)

With Jackie McLean Dynasty (Triloka, 1988) Rites of Passage (Triloka, 1991) The Jackie Mac Attack Live (Birdology, 1991)