The Music of Marcus Belgrave

Reviewed by Piotr Michalowski

The Music of Marcus Belgrave: From Detroit to the World (Jazz Development Workshop, Inc., 2024)

Although he is no longer with us, Marcus Belgrave’s spirit has been kept alive in the Detroit jazz community by the myriad people he mentored and tutored over the years and in the memories of those who vividly recall his warm, outgoing nature and the marvels of his trumpet playing. Born in 1936 in Chester, Pennsylvania, he settled in Detroit while not yet thirty, after establishing himself as a stellar musician and composer, having worked with Ray Charles, Hank Crawford, Charles Mingus, and many others. As is so often the case, the Motor City jazz community quickly adopted him as one of their own. Not only did he invigorate the jazz scene, but he also participated in the Motown pop movement, taking part in the recordings of many of its best-known hits, while engaged with a broad array of jazz activists in the city, including Tribe and Strata. Belgrave also dedicated himself to mentoring aspiring musicians teaching in various places, most importantly in the Jazz Development Workshop that he founded in 1975. His dedication to teaching touched many, including Geri Allen, who dedicated a recording to him, as well as Rodney Whittaker, who continues the tradition, working with aspiring musicians as Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University. Almost a decade after his passing, many of us who took care to listen to him play whenever possible still hear echoes of his expressive personal trumpet sound and of his full-toned gruff laughter. Outside of Detroit, he was admired by many. The prolific trumpeter Dave Douglas once wrote: “Marcus Belgrave is a trip to watch: his sound comes from many directions at once. Just when you think he might be tiring in a phrase or solo, he suddenly pulls a high note out of left field, strong and clear. He’ll pop an entire phrase up an octave when you least expect it. But he also plays the smoothest, most soulful lines that only come from hard-earned experience.” The truth!

The remembrance of the marvelous musical talents of Marcus Belgrave is now further supported by the publication of this book featuring lead sheets of thirteen compositions associated with his career, including two by his close friend and collaborator Lawrence Williams, and one co-written with his wife Joan (who also obviously selected and provided the numerous photographs of Marcus and his family and friends). Although no author is indicated, it is clear that she was responsible for much of the work involved, as noted in the warm introduction by trumpeter and proprietor of the Blue LLama jazz club in Ann Arbor, Don Hicks, who obviously assisted the project, as did Michael Malis who transcribed the compositions.

The compositions span the length of Belgrave’s career, in a sense providing a commentary on his biography, starting with “Batista’s Groove,” recorded in 1960 on a quartet date by his friend from the Ray Charles Band, David “Fathead” Newman. Four tunes are from his first album as a leader, Gemini II, a classic full of spiritual vibes, funk, as well as straight ahead jazz, incorporating electronic instruments as was the manner at the time. “Barbados Rain,” obviously stems from the times that Marcus and Joan spent living on the Caribbean Island. “No. 3” and “It’s Good to be Home Again” come from the pen of Lawrence Williams. The former was a staple in Belgrave’s repertoire and, as his students recount, they all had to learn it early on in their studies. Lawrence was an immensely talented drummer and composer and one can only hope that a book of his works will be produced one day.

When Belgrave was just a teenager, he joined a circus band in Wilmington, Delaware that also included the amazing trumpeter Clifford Brown, only a few years older, but already a highly accomplished musician. They both studied with the same teacher, the locally renowned Robert Lowery, and Brown tutored his younger bandmate and even wrote out a jazz solo for him to work on based on “How High the Moon.” Brown would quickly rise to fame and influence many but would die in a car accident less than a decade later. But some of his rich instrumental sound and harmonic dexterity would live on, transformed and made uniquely personal by his younger friend. Years later, Belgrave composed “Brownie’s Town,” the final tune in the book, a loping tune that is full of bebop phrases, to commemorate the cherished memory of a man who not only taught him jazz, but also instilled a need to repay the favor by mentoring generations of youngsters.

The charts are nicely laid out, first in C and then transposed for E-flat, B-flat, and bass clef instruments, with lyrics provided for those that have them. In jazz, bare-bones lead charts are but a skeleton to be fleshed out in performance. To appreciate the way that Belgrave phrased, inflected, embellished, and played around with his own compositions it is helpful to hear recordings.

Here is some discographical information on the pieces in this book (the capital letters refer to the albums below):

Akua Ewie (C), (F)
Batista’s Groove (A), (G)
Gemini II, (B)
Space Odyssey (B), (L)
Glue Fingers (B), (K)
Odom’s Cave (B)
Barbados Rain (I have not been able to locate one)
Excitable, (M)
No. 3 (F), (G)
It’s Good to be Home again (G), (I)
All My Love (D), (E), (I)
Brownie’s Town (K)

(A) David “Fathead” Newman, Straight Ahead. Atlantic. 1960
(B) Marcus Belgrave, Gemini II. Tribe. 1974
(C) David “Fathead” Newman, Resurgence. Muse. 1980.
(D) Earl Van Riper Featuring Marcus Belgrave, Special Guest Dave Young, Detroit’s Grand Piano Man. Parkwood Records. 1987.
(E) Kirk Lightsey Quintet Featuring Marcus Belgrave, Kirk ‘N Marcus. Criss Cross 1030. 1987.
(F) Vincent York, Blending Forces. 1989.
(G) Geri Allen, The Nurturer. Blue Note. 1991.
(H) Marcus Belgrave and Lawrence Williams, Working Together. Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op. 1992.
(I) Marcus Belgrave with Detroit’s Jazz Piano Legacy, Vol. 1, Live at Kerrytown Concert House. Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op – DJM-102. 1995.
(J) Marcus Belgrave, Joan Belgrave, and Charlie Gabriel, Once Again. Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op. 2009.
(K) Tribe, Rebirth. Tribe. 2009.
(L) Geri Allen, Grand River Crossings. Blue Note. 2012.
(M) Joan Belgrave, Excitable. Detroit Jazz Musicians Co-Op. 2020.

Belgrave Songbook Celebrated at Blue LLama

On June 8 the LLama featured a unique event around the publication of the Marcus Belgrave songbook. Marcus’ widow Joan was the organizing force and songs by or associated with Marcus were played, by an all-star ensemble including trumpeters Doug Adams and LLama owner Don Hicks. The group included pianist Mike Malis, drummer Gayelynn McKinney and need we say it, bassist Marion Hayden who was one of the organizers of the event.