Rest in peace: trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Detroit's jazz patriarch

By Mike McGonigal

May 24, 2015 at 2:54 pm

Audio By Carbonatix

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Word spread today that Marcus Belgrave has passed away. The Free Press published a lengthy obit at 2 p.m., which is worth checking out. Belgrave, unofficially known as "Detroit's Mr. Jazz" and "the Jazz Mayor of Detroit," was largely considered to be the most respected person on the Detroit jazz scene.

The great trumpeter was tutored by Clifford Brown before joining the Ray Charles touring band, and later worked with Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Gunther Schuller, Max Roach, Sammy Davis Jr., and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.

In recent years, he spent much of his time working with young musicians, passing on the tradition of jazz to a new generation.

Perhaps now might be a good time to revisit our ambitious cover story on Belgrave by W. Kim Heron, from 2003.

This man will be dearly missed. We send our kindest thoughts to his family and friends.

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About The Author

Mike McGonigal

Metro Times music editor Mike McGonigal has written about music since 1984, when he started the fanzine Chemical Imbalance at age sixteen with money saved from mowing lawns in Florida. He's since written for Spin, Pitchfork, the Village VOICE and Artforum. He's been a museum guard, a financial reporter, a bicycle...