Roy Sinclair Campbell Jr. (September 29, 1952 – January 9, 2014) was an American
trumpeter
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 B ...
frequently linked to
free jazz
Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...
, although he also performed
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
and
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
during his career.
Biography
Born in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, in 1952, Campbell was raised in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. At the age of fifteen, he began learning to play trumpet and soon studied at the Jazz Mobile program along with
Kenny Dorham
McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...
,
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.
One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...
and Joe Newman. Throughout the 1960s, still unacquainted with the avant-garde movement, Campbell performed in the
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 ...
s of the
Manhattan Community College
The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is a public community college in New York City. Founded in 1963 as part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, BMCC grants associate degrees in a wide variety of vocational, business, ...
. From the 1970s onwards, he performed primarily within the context of free jazz, spending some of this period studying with
Yusef Lateef
Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America.
Although Lateef's main instruments ...
. Campbell composed the film music for the documentary ''Survival in New York'' (1989) by
Rosa von Praunheim
Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, painter and one of the most famous gay rights activists in the German-speaking world. In ov ...
.
In the early 1990s, Campbell moved to the
Netherlands
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and performed regularly with Klaas Hekman and
Don Cherry
Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...
. In addition to leading his own groups, he performed with
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...
Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist.
Biography Early life
Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...
,
Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer, and bandleader.
Early life and education
Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford B ...
, and other improvisors. Upon returning to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
he began leading his group
Other Dimensions In Music
Other Dimensions In Music is a free jazz group founded in the 1980s.Allmusic/ref>
The group is a collective quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Campb ...
and also formed the Pyramid Trio, a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
less trio formed with William Parker.
He died in January 2014 of hypertensive atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...
at the age of 61.
Discography
As leader
* ''
New Kingdom
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
La Tierra del Fuego
''La Tierra del Fuego'' is the second album by American jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell, recorded in 1993 and released on the Delmark label.
Music
The album reflects Roy's interest in World music. "I wanted more of a Latin and Third World sound t ...
Ancestral Homeland
An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
Thirsty Ear
Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 1970s as a marketing company for the then-unnamed alternative music field, and expanded to issue its own records in 1990.
Thirsty Ear came to prominence ...
Other Dimensions in Music
Other Dimensions In Music is a free jazz group founded in the 1980s.Allmusic/ref>
The group is a collective quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Campb ...
* ''
Other Dimensions In Music
Other Dimensions In Music is a free jazz group founded in the 1980s.Allmusic/ref>
The group is a collective quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Campb ...
Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time
''Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time'' is the third album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music, composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. For ...
'' (Aum Fidelity, 2000)
* ''
Live at the Sunset
''Live at the Sunset'' is the fourth album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music, composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and Hamid Drake replacing regular drummer Ras ...
'' (
Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
, 2007)
* ''
Kaiso Stories
''Kaiso Stories'' is an album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music featuring vocalist Fay Victor, which was recorded in 2010 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label. The album is a collection of improvised pieces with cla ...
'' (Silkheart, 2011)
with The Nu Band (Roy Campbell Jr., Mark Whitecage, Joe Fonda, Lou Grassi)
* ''Live at the Bop Shop'' (
Clean Feed
Clean may refer to:
* Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment
* Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt
Arts and media Music A ...
, 2001)
* ''Live'' (Konnex, 2005)
* ''The Dope and the Ghost'' (Not Two, 2007)
* ''Lower East Side Blues'' (Porter, 2009)
* ''Live in Paris'' (No Business, 2010)
* ''Relentlessness Live at the Sunset'' (Marge, 2011)
with
Joe McPhee
Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone. McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is ...
Billy Bang
Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer.
Biography
Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...
Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist.
Biography Early life
Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...
Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist.
Biography Early life
Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...
Tentet + 2
* ''Short Visit to Nowhere'' (Okkadisk, 2002)
* ''Broken English'' (Okkadisk, 2002)
; with Rob Brown
* '' Jumping Off the Page'' (No More, 2000)
* '' The Big Picture'' (Marge, 2004)
; with
Whit Dickey
Whit Dickey (born May 28, 1954) is an American drummer. He has recorded albums with David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp.
Biography
His first album as a leader was ''Transonic
Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at ...
* ''
Coalescence
Coalescence may refer to:
* Coalescence (chemistry), the process by which two or more separate masses of miscible substances seem to "pull" each other together should they make the slightest contact
* Coalescence (computer science), the merging of ...
'' (Clean Feed, 2004)
* '' In a Heartbeat'' (Clean Feed, 2005)
* '' Sacred Ground'' (Clean Feed, 2006)
;with
El-P
Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...
*''
High Water
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another.
Tide tables can ...
'' (Thirsty Ear, 2004)
; with Ehran Elisha
* ''Sweet Empathy'' (Cadence, 1995)
* ''The Kicker'' (CIMP, 1998)
* ''Lowe Down Suite'' (CIMP, 1999)
; with Exuberance
* ''The Other Shore'' (Boxholder, 2003)
* ''Live at Vision Festival'' (Ayler, 2004)
;with Garrison Fewell
* ''Variable Density Sound Orchestra'' (Creative Nation Music, 2009)
; with Yuko Fujiyama
* ''Re-entry'' (CIMP, 2001)
;with
Dennis Gonzalez
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...
* ''Nile River Suite'' (Daagnim, 2004)
;with
Burton Greene
Burton Greene (June 14, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.
Biogra ...
* ''Isms Out'' (CIMP, 2004)
;with William Hooker Trio with
Dave Soldier
David Sulzer (born November 6, 1956) is an American neuroscientist and musician. He is a professor at Columbia University Medical Center in the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology. Sulzer's laboratory investigates the interact ...
*''Heart of the Sun'' (Engine Records, 2013)
; with
Khan Jamal
Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when p ...
* ''Balafon Dance'' (CIMP, 2002)
; with Adam Lane
* ''Blue Spirit Band'' (CIMP, 2013)
* ''Oh Freedom'' (CIMP, 2013)
; with Steve Lehman
* ''Structural Fire'' (CIMP, 2001)
* ''Camouflage'' (CIMP, 2002)
; with Maneri Ensemble
* ''Going to Church'' (Aum Fidelity, 2002)
;with
Jemeel Moondoc
Jemeel Moondoc (August 5, 1946 – August 29, 2021) was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and studied clarinet and piano before s ...
* ''
The Evening of the Blue Men
''The Evening of the Blue Men'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc with Muntu, which was recorded live in 1979 at NYC's St. Mark's Church and released on his own Muntu label. The album was reissued in 2009 as part of the three ...
Spirit House
A spirit house is a shrine to the protective spirit of a place that is found in the Southeast Asian countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The spirit house is normally in the form of smal ...
'' (Eremite, 2001)
* '' Live in Paris'' (Cadence, 2003)
* ''
Live at the Vision Festival
''Live at the Vision Festival'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded live at the 2001 Vision Festival and released on Ayler Records, a Swedish label founded by Jan Ström and Åke Bjurhamn.The Zookeeper's House'' (
Relative Pitch
Relative pitch is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note by comparing it to a reference note and identifying the interval between those two notes. For example, if the note ''Do'' and ''Fa'' is played on a piano, a per ...
, 2014)
;with New Atlantis Octet
* ''Unto the Sun'' (Not Two. 2013)
; with
Kevin Norton
Kevin Norton (born January 21, 1956) is an American percussionist and composer active in the New York City jazz and contemporary music scenes. He has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians, including Anthony Braxton, Paul Dunmal ...
Raincoat in the River
''Raincoat in the River'' is a live album by bassist and composer William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, which was recorded in Boston in 2001 and released on the Eremite label.
For Percy Heath
''For Percy Heath'' is an album by bassist and composer William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, which was recorded in 2005 and released on the Canadian Victo label.Lopez, R.William Parker sessionography accessed June 4, 2014 The alb ...
'' (Victo, 2006)
* ''
Essence of Ellington
''Essence of Ellington'' (subtitled ''Live in Milano'') is a double live album by bassist and composer William Parker's Orchestra, which was recorded in Italy in 2012 and released on the Centering label. The album features new arrangements of son ...
'' (Centering, 2012)
;with
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot (;
born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.
His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wait ...
*''
Spiritual Unity
''Spiritual Unity'' is a studio album by American free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler. It was recorded on July 10, 1964 in New York City, and features bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray. It was the first album recorded for Bernard Stollm ...
'' (Pi recordings, 2005)
;with Saheb Sarbib
* ''Live at the Public Theatre'' (Cadence, 1981)
* ''Aisha'' (Cadence, 1981)
; with
Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer, and bandleader.
Early life and education
Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford B ...
* ''
Strata
In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...
Thirsty Ear
Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 1970s as a marketing company for the then-unnamed alternative music field, and expanded to issue its own records in 1990.
Thirsty Ear came to prominence ...
, 2000)
; with
Alan Silva
Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player.
Biography
Silva was born a British subject to an Azorean/Portuguese mother, Irene da Silva, and a black Bermudian fat ...
* ''
Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra
''Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra'' is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Alan Silva. It was recorded in May 1999 at St. Nicholas of Myra Church in New York City during the annual Vision Festival, and was released in 2001 by Eremite Re ...
Steve Swell
Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator.
Music career
Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...
* ''Suite for Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers'' (CIMP, 2003)
* '' News from the Mystic Auricle'' (Not Two, 2008)
;with
Charles Tyler
Admiral Sir Charles Tyler, GCB (1760 – 28 September 1835) was a naval officer in the British Royal Navy who gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars as a naval captain that fought at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801) and Battle of Trafalgar, beco ...
* ''Live at Sweet Basil vol. 1 & 2 (1984)'' (Bleu Regard, 2006)
; with
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...