Jazz Profile: "The Nurturer"

Marcus Belgrave 

Hot House has just published my profile of Marcus Belgrave, the trumpet great who has called Detroit home for more than 50 years, and mentored an amazing array of jazz talents who have come out of the Motor City. 

In the July issue of the magazine, he also talks about the nurturing he received from Clifford Brown, when they were adolescents in a community band in Delaware, and his first road boss – Ray Charles, as well as his take on the fine art of jazz soloing. You can read it here. Belgrave and his band appear July 22-24 at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola.


Belgrave was in the news in Detroit three months ago when a young thief stole his distinctive copper-belled trumpet out of his car. It was found a few days later in a local pawn shop. “Once the thief realized what he had, from all of the publicity, I guess he decided to get it out of his hands and take it to the pawn shop,” the trumpeter said. On June 18, Belgrave and his band performed a midday concert on the lawn of Detroit’s new police headquarters “to thank them for their efforts in helping us get it back.”

        (Marcus Belgrave photo by Wayne Norman)