Marcus Batista Belgrave (June 12, 1936 – May 24, 2015) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
player from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, born in
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...
. He recorded with numerous musicians from the 1950s onwards. Belgrave was inducted into the class of 2017 of the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
Belgrave was tutored by
Clifford Brown
Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...
before joining the
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
touring band. Belgrave later worked with
Motown Records
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...
, and recorded with
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also ...
,
The Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
,
The Four Tops
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician.
Biography and works
Early years
Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...
,
Carl Craig
Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980s ...
,
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz Jazz drumming, drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in h ...
,
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
,
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
,
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...
Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director.
At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...
,
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
,
Odessa Harris
Dessie Mae Williams, known professionally as Odessa Harris (June 8, 1936 – August 18, 2007) was an American blues and jazz singer.
In a lengthy career, Harris toured for two years with B.B. King, who which gave her the stage name Odessa Harr ...
and John Sinclair, plus more recently with his wife Joan Belgrave, among others.
Belgrave was an occasional faculty member at
Stanford Jazz Workshop
Stanford Jazz Workshop (SJW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz education and the annual concert series known as the Stanford Jazz Festival.
SJW was founded in 1972 by saxophonist and educator Jim Nadel. Though many of its activities a ...
and a visiting professor of jazz trumpet at the
Oberlin Conservatory
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of t ...
.
Belgrave died on May 23, 2015, in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
, of heart failure, after being hospitalized since April with complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
Discography
As leader
* ''Gemini II'' (
Tribe Records
Tribe Records was an American jazz independent record label which was active during the 1970s and whose artists included Doug Hammond, Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison.
History
Based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, Trib ...
, 1974; reissued Universal Sound, 2004).
* ''Working together'' (Detroit Jazz), 1992 (featuring Lawrence Williams)
* ''Live at Kerrytown Concert House'' (Detroit Jazz), 1995
* ''In the tradition'' (GHB) (featuring
Doc Cheatham
Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham (June 13, 1905 – June 2, 1997), was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the Grandfather of musician Theo Croker.
Early life
Doc Cheatham was born in Nashvi ...
and
Art Hodes
Arthur W. Hodes (November 14, 1904 – March 4, 1993), was a Russian Empire-born American jazz and blues pianist. He is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist.
Biography
Hodes was born in Mykolaiv, in present-day Ukrain ...
)
* ''You don't know me – Tribute to New Orleans, Ray Charles and the Great Ladies of Song'' (DJMC), 2006 (featuring Joan Belgrave & Charlie Gabriel)
* ''Marcus, Charlie and Joan...Once again'' (DJMC), 2008
As sideman
With
Roland Alexander
Roland Alexander (September 25, 1935 – June 14, 2006) was an American post-bop jazz musician.
Early life
Born in Boston, Alexander grew up with his parents and sister, Gloria, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree in mus ...
Geri Allen
Geri Antoinette Allen (June 12, 1957 – June 27, 2017) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. In addition to her career as a performer and bandleader, Allen was also an associate professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh ...
*''
Open on All Sides in the Middle
''Open on All Sides in the Middle'' is an album by pianist Geri Allen recorded in late 1986 and released on the German Minor Music label.The Nurturer'' (Blue Note, 1991)
*''
Maroons
Maroons are descendants of African diaspora in the Americas, Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples, eventually ethnogenesi ...
Grand River Crossings
''Grand River Crossings'' (subtitled ''Motown & Motor City Inspirations'') is an album of songs associated with or inspired by Detroit and Motown by pianist Geri Allen recorded in 2012 and released on the Motéma Music, Motéma label in 2013.
'' (Motéma, 2013)
With
Curtis Amy
Curtis Amy (October 11, 1929 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Amy was born in Houston, Texas, United States. He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the ten ...
*''
Way Down
"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last Single (music), single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and was later recorded by Presley at his ho ...
'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
With Joan Belgrave
*'' Excitable'' (Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op, 2009)
*''
Merry Christmas Baby
"Merry Christmas Baby" is an R&B Christmas standard credited to Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore. In 1947, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers recorded the tune, featuring vocals and piano by Charles Brown. Subsequently, many performers have recorded rend ...
'' (Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op, 2014)
With
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from Rhythm and blues, R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was ...
George Gruntz
George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, ...
*''
Theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
'' (ECM, 1983)
With
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...
*''
Big Band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...
'' (Verve, 1997)
With
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
Kirk Lightsey
Kirkland "Kirk" Lightsey (born February 15, 1937, Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz pianist.
Biography
Lightsey had piano instruction from the age of five and studied piano and clarinet through high school. After service in the Army, Lights ...
David "Fathead" Newman
David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s and ...
*''
Fathead (album)
''Fathead'' (subtitled ''Ray Charles Presents David 'Fathead' Newman'' and also referred to as ''Ray Charles Sextet'') is the debut release of American jazz saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman recorded in 1958 but not released until 1960 on the ...
'' (Atlantic, 1960)
*''
Fathead Comes On
''Fathead Comes On'' is an album by saxophonist Dave Newman featuring performances recorded in 1961 for the Atlantic label.
'' (Atlantic, 1962)
*''
Resurgence!
''Resurgence!'' is an album by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman recorded in 1981 and released on the Muse label.
'' (Muse, 1981)
With
Cecil Payne
Cecil Payne (December 14, 1922 – November 27, 2007) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist born in Brooklyn, New York. Payne also played the alto saxophone and flute. He played with other prominent jazz musicians, in particular Dizzy Gilles ...
*''
Scotch and Milk
''Scotch and Milk'' is an album by the American jazz saxophonist/flautist Cecil Payne, recorded in 1996 and released by the Delmark label the following year.
'' (Delmark, 1997)
With
Houston Person
Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. He received the ...
*''
The Real Thing The Real Thing or Real Thing may refer to:
Film and television
* The Real Thing (film), ''The Real Thing'' (film) or ''Livers Ain't Cheap'', a 1996 American film
* ''The Real Thing'', a 1980 television documentary by James Burke (science historian) ...
'' (Eastbound, 1973)
With
Horace Tapscott
Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934 – February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (also known as P.A.P.A., or The Ark) in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s.
Early lif ...
*''
Aiee! The Phantom
''Aiee! The Phantom'' is an album by American jazz pianist/composer Horace Tapscott recorded in 1995 and released on the Arabesque label.McCoy Tyner
Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA ...
*''
La Leyenda de La Hora
''La Leyenda de La Hora (The Legend of the Hour)'' is a 1981 album by jazz piano, pianist McCoy Tyner released on the Columbia Records, Columbia label. It features performances by Tyner with alto saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, tenor saxophonist Ch ...
'' (Columbia, 1985)
With
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...
and
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is an American big band and jazz orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. The Orchestra is part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a performing arts organization in New York City.
History
In 1988 the Orchestra was formed a ...