Trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, admired within jazz circles but little known outside them, has received tangible recognition for his work as a player and a teacher. Belgrave left Ray Charles in the early 1960s ago to settle in Detroit. In today's Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker reports on the award and on Belgrave's contribution to the city's cultural life. Stryker writes:
For 46 years, Belgrave's world-class musicianship, charisma, swing and commitment to mentoring young musicians -- many of whom have become stars -- have made Detroit a hipper city than it would have been without him.
To read the whole thing and hear a Belgrave performance with Tommy Flanagan's trio, go here.
This video profile by Bret Primack supplements Stryker's column.
