Happy Birthday Marcus Belgrave!

[Lazaro Vega]

Called Detroit today to wish trumpeter Marcus Belgrave a happy birthday. He's in great spirits and good health. Said in April he and his wife went down to New Orleans with his friend Charles Gabriel (a New Orleans native who studied with Lorenzo Tio Jr.). He played with Bob French, Herlin Riley, and was invited by the Louis Armstrong Society to some events. Marcus said, "I visited the 9th Ward and of course it devastated me."

His last appearance in Grand Rapids was with a nonet playing a repertoire of Louis Armstrong's music (there's a CD of the band recorded at the Capitol Theater in Windsor, Ontario in 2001 on WJS Jazz Discs). Right before that he was here with Detroit guitarist A. Spencer Barefield playing Spence's involved post-bop compositions.

Tonight, as we feature Marcus on Jazz From Blue Lake, there are little known recordings we'll play with pianist Steve Sandner, the Scott Gwinell Big Band, Earl Van Riper, Walter Booker, Jeff Haas and, of course, the more well known appearances with McCoy Tyner, Ray Charles, Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford and Marcus's cousin, baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne.

"Well, that's my legacy; that's what I'll be remembered for: I play with EVERYBODY," he laughs.

Marcus said his first recorded solo, from "Alexander's Ragtime Band" on the great Ray Charles Atlantic date, "The Genius of Ray Charles," he didn't want to do. They passed out the music at rehearsal. He saw his name on that, thought it was corny as hell (he's playing in clubs and freelance record dates with Mingus, Dolphy and Max Roach at this time) so he gave the part to Clark Terry. Rehearsal starts, they come to the trumpet solo, and Terry starts to play. Charles whistles the band to a halt, yells, "TRUMPET!!!!" Belgrave argued sheepishly, relented, and was heard around the world playing that solo.

Had the good fortune of touring Europe with him in 1985 with the Blue Lake Monster Big Band featuring a teen age James Carter and another great Detroiter, pianist Harold McKinney, plus all of the Blue Lake faculty players. Blue Lake's George West wrote a tune for him, "Marcus Meets the Monster." Those tapes need to be baked before we can transfer them to digital. In any case, Marcus Belgrave is a wonderful musician -- a former protégé of Clifford Brown -- and teacher (during last week's live broadcast with bassist Rodney Whitaker I mentioned something to the effect that Rodney was taught by Marcus and Whitaker laughed and said, "Marcus says that about all of us! He claims us all!"). Marcus Belgrave tonight on Jazz From Blue Lake, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. via www.bluelake.org.

Lazaro Vega

Blue Lake Public Radio

Edited June 12, 2007 by Lazaro Vega

[Hot Ptah]

I saw Marcus Belgrave at the 1978 Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, fronting a wonderful big band, the II-V-I Orchestra, which featured a very young Kenny Garrett. Marcus' solos were memorable on that occasion.

The six groups which played full sets at the festival on that closing Sunday: Marcus Belgrave and the II-V-I Orchestra, Chico Freeman, Hubert Laws, the Ellington Orchestra (playing a new piece written for them by Charles Mingus), Mose Allison, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

[ValerieB]

marcus is, indeed one of the very best!!

just in case he reads this thread, i want him to know that ralph "buzzy" jones's friend, valerie bishop, is wishing him a very happy and healthy birthday, with many more to come!

[ep1str0phy]

Happy birthday! I'm a big fan of the Detroit scene, Belgrave and Buzzy Jones included. Speaking of Jones, I was perusing my collection yesterday when I came across some John Sinclair and the Blues Scholars sides--some fine writing on those dates, a lot of motile and articulate freer improvisation, and a hell of a lot of motor city muscle. Nice to have these guys out there...

[sheldonm]

Marcus will be playing in Indy for a couple nights in September...looking forward to that!

m~

[JPF]

I remember meeting Marcus in 1961 at Shelly's Manne Hole in LA. He was playing in a group with Victor Feldman, Emil Richards, Milt Turner on drums, and some others I can't remember. I introduced myself to him when he was taking a break outside between sets and we had a nice discussion about my memories of hearing him at the American Woodmen's Hall in Dallas in 1960 when he used to play in the house band, which was essentially Ray Charles' small band without Ray.

He's a nice guy, and an excellent trumpet player. Happy Birthday!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Marcus was the first trumpet player I really NOTICED - in the Ray Charles days.

I really like the album he made with Earl Van Riper. Must dig it out.

MG

[Lazaro Vega]

Yeah man, played some of that date with Earl Van Riper on the birthday broadcast. Marcus and Van Riper played that music live in Grand Rapids about the time of that release -- a real treat. Van Riper is the guy few people know about, but Tommy Flanagan sure did.

[Chuck Nessa]

Had Marcus a couple of times at the Chicago Jazz Festival including a dandy Ray Charles reunion with Fathead, Hank Crawford, etc.

Wonderful musician and fellow, but he still owes me for some long distance calls from our house a few years back.

[kh1958]

I heard him at the Jazz Gallery a year or two ago, paired with Roy Hargrove--it was a fine night of trumpet.

It made me wonder why he has been so sparsely recorded.

[Lazaro Vega]

There are more records than are generally known about by the wider, non-Michigan/Detroit audience. Check out this label: http://www.semja.org/jan2001/parkwood.html