Because he spent most of his career in Detroit and didn't record enough, Marcus Belgrave was often overlooked. A flexible and talented trumpeter able to play both hard bop and free, Belgrave was tutored by Clifford Brown a bit when he was 17. He toured with Ray Charles during 1954-1959 and had opportunities to play with the groups of Charles Mingus and Max Roach. In 1963, Belgrave moved to Detroit, where he became continually active as an educator and a studio player. He recorded with (among others) McCoy Tyner, David Newman, Art Hodes (duets), David Murray, Geri Allen (one of his former students), swing tenor Franz Jackson, and Sammy Price, mostly beginning in the 1980s. Belgrave was also featured with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Among his other former students are Bob Hurst, Kenny Garrett, and James Carter, so at least indirectly Marcus Belgrave made a strong impact on jazz. He died of heart failure in May 2015 at the age of 78. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi