Detroit jazz legend Marcus Belgrave remembered

Friends and colleagues remembered trumpeter and educator Marcus Belgrave at a memorial in his beloved Detroit on Saturday May 30th.

Belgrave died on May 24th aged 78. He was a highly regarded jazz mentor and teacher and considered a Detroit jazz legend. He settled in Detroit in 1963, after gaining a reputation for his work with bassist Charles Mingus, drummer Max Roach and r&b star Ray Charles.

The memorial saw poetry readings, civic tributes and live music including the Motown Gospel Choir singing ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. Musicians from five decades of his mentoring played at the service held in Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is also dedicating its three-day jazz festival to Marcus Belgrave saying his, "generosity of spirit and loyalty to community," embody the festival.