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Roy Campbell

ROY CAMPBELL, JR. (trumpeter, flugelhorn player, pocket trumpeter, flutist; composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, writer, and actor) was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and grew up in New York. His musical journey began as a child with piano lessons, initially inspired by his father, whose trumpet was the first one he used. By the time he entered high school, young Roy was playing flute, recorder, and violin, and he began studying trumpet as a high~school senior.

As a young fan, Roy met Lee Morgan at the Bronxwood Inn in the late '6O's, and in 1971 Roy began participating in Jazzmobile workshops, working with jazz masters Kenny Dorham, Howard McGhee, and Lee Morgan, as well as with Howard McGhee and Joe Newman in Jazz Interactions workshops. Later, as a trumpet major at Manhattan Community College, his professors were Leonard Goines and Dick Vance, and Roy studied music theory, arranging, and composition with Yusef Lateef, graduating in 1975 with an Associate's Degree in music.

By 1972, Roy was leading his own band, Spectrum; he had just turned 2O. He was also in great demand as a side man and studio musician. During the time from 1974 to 1976, Roy co-led with Radha Reyes Botofasina a band called the Spirits of Rhythm, which included, at various times: Omar Hakim, Rodney Jones, Kenny Kirkland, J.T. Lewis, Zane Massey, Cecil McBee, Jr., Andy McCloud, Marcus Miller, Charles Neville (of the Neville Brothers), Ricardo Strobert, Rudy Walker, Kenny Washington, and Bobby Watson.

In 1978, Roy met master bassist William Parker, who recommended him to Jemeel Moondoc, who in turnl invited Roy to join Ensemble Muntu, an association that led to many dates and tours abroad. Roy's travels and worldwide exposure allowed him to develop an international following in Europe, Japan, the Caribbean Islands, and the USA. He lived in the Netherlands from 199O to 1992, working as a freelance musician and lecturer and holding conservatory workshops. He was the leader of the Thelonius New World Orchestra in Rotterdam for two years; he played with the bands of Ruud Bergamin, Klaas Hekman, and Dennis Winter; he led a Thursday-night jam session in Rotterdam; and he also played as a side man in numerous ensembles. In this period, the Eindhoven and Groningen Festivals commissioned Roy to compose music for brass ensembles.

Yet there was a part of his creative spirit that polished musicianship alone could not satisfy. Back in the States, Roy expanded into writing and arranging music for himself and others, scoring documentaries, and composing and arranging for off~Broadway productions. He scored the documentaries "The Selling of Harlem" and "Survival in New York," his compositions and arrangements were featured in the off- Broadway productions "Ludwig" and "Parole by Death," and "Hughes' Dream Harlem," a Black Star Entertainment special about Langston Hughes directed by Jamal Joseph, features Roy Campbell, Jr.'s recorded music. Roy's television credits include appearances on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, UPN, and cable networks, participating in interviews, new programs, and profiles. He appears in Zakariah Sherzad's Vision Festival documentary "What's All That About?" as well as several other concert films; his composition "Malcolm, Martin, and Mandela" was played during a WBAI "Democracy Now" broadcast on Malcolm X's birthday, 'O3; and Amadou Diallo's mother played Roy's "Amadou" from "Ethnic Stew and Brew" on the air during an interview in California.

In addition, Roy is an actor who has appeared in independent films and plays. He has performed with dancers including Leena Conquest, Aleta Hayes, K.J. Holmes, Maria Mitchell, Patricia Nicholson Parker, Nayo Takasaki, and others, as well as musical accompaniment for poets Umar bin Hassan (of the Last Poets), Steve Dalachinsky, Shirley LeFlore, Felipe Luciano (of the original Last Poets), David Nelson, Jilal Nazzarudin, and Eve Packer.

As a bandleader, Roy Campbell, Jr. has long maintained several stellar working units. TAZZ (with Andrew Bemkey, Chris Sullivan, and Michael Thompson) is a reflection of various musical styles, languages, backgrounds, and sources, with a mission to break down cultural barriers through a sound that is at once eclectic, progressive, polished, and funky; in a word, TAZZ is hot! Roy Campbell also leads THE PYRAMID TRIO (with William Parker and Hamid Drake), which he began in 1983 and which includes music of many world cultures with a jazz overtone. In addition, he founded the collective group OTHER DIMENSIONS IN MUSIC (with Daniel Carter, William Parker, and Rashied Bakr), which plays improvised music of all styles. In 1995 he formed SHADES AND COLORS OF TRANE (with Walden Wimberley, Hilliard Greene, and Warren Smith), a tribute band for master saxophonist John Coltrane. And in 1999 Roy added the group DOWNTOWN HORNS (with Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen).

Roy Campbell, Jr.'s composing, arranging, and playing embrace a wide range of roots and styles, including jazz, funk, rock, rhythm & blues, hip-hop, rap, classical, reggae, and more. Whether performing, writing, arranging, or producing, Roy Campbell's abilities burst forth in an electrifying stream of talent and originality. His virtuoso instrumental performances have been praised by fans, critics, and fellow musicians alike. All of the bands he leads have inspired and uplifted audiences to spiritual heights, and each band is unique and highly acclaimed by all. Robert Innapollo, in a review from "Cadence" Magazine (January, '9O), stated, "Campbell is a monster trumpeter. He's the latest in a long line that has extended from Navarro through Brownie through Booker Little and beyond." Program notes from the 1998 Fire in the Valley Festival praise his "approach and technique, taking the influences of both Lee Morgan and Booker Little and hauling them into the future."

A few of the leading innovators among contemporary musicians Roy has worked with include: Rashied Ali, Billy Bang, Evelyn Blakey, Dave Douglas, Carlos Garnett, Henry Grimes, Eddie Harris, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jemeel Moondoc, David Murray, Sunny Murray, William Parker, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Sun Ra, Woody Shaw, Cecil Taylor, Charles Tyler, Wilbur Ware, Frank Wright, John Zorn, and a countless host of other bands and ensembles. Roy and his contemporary bands play virtually constantly in concerts, on tour, and in festivals all over the world.

In the year 2OO1, "JazzTimes" designated Roy Campbell's CD "Ethnic Stew and Brew" (Delmark 528) number three of the top 5O jazz CD's of the year. Roy was also nominated trumpeter of the year by the Jazz Journalists' Association in 2OO2, and he will receive an award as a Harlem Unsung Hero of Afrikan~Amerikan Classical Music at the Lenox Lounge in November, 2OO3.

Roy Campbell's life experience reflects his belief that music is the voice of universal truth. His music has continued to grow throughout the '9O's and into the new millennium. His sound combines ancestral voices, modern artistry, and futuristic vision. He is a master trumpeter, musician, and being, and a universal force to be reckoned with.
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Roy Campbell: Visitation Of Spirits

Read "Visitation Of Spirits" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
February 14, 2024

A former stalwart of the New York avant jazz scene, which finds expression at the annual Vision Festival, trumpeter Roy Campbell died in January 2014, aged 61. While not quite forgotten, his name does not spring readily to the lips a decade on. Perhaps Visitation Of Spirits, an archival live recording from 1985, will help redress that situation. It features the Pyramid Trio, one of Campbell's more enduring groups, which issued three albums over a lifespan of more than 25 ...

Album Review

Roy Campbell / John Dikeman / Raoul van der Weide / Peter Jacquemyn / Klaus Kugel: When The Time Is Right

Read "When The Time Is Right" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
January 8, 2022

This date from 2013 presents New York City based guests trumpeter Roy Campbell and German drummer Klaus Kugel with three Amsterdam-located improvisers as part of the DoEK organization's annual Festival. Campbell, a stalwart of the NYC avant scene who died in 2014, gained early exposure with Jemeel Moondoc's Ensemble Muntu and went on to helm his own Pyramid Trio and co-lead the revered cooperative Other Dimensions In Music, among a host of other projects. He brings his fiery updating of ...

Album Review

TEST and Roy Campbell: TEST and Roy Campbell

Read "TEST and Roy Campbell" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
September 23, 2020

This archival recording does what it says on the tin, capturing trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. (who died in 2014) with free jazz quartet TEST in a high octane live date from April 1999. These five are masters of the genre. TEST were the archetypal New York City underground band, who could be found in their heyday busking on the subway, as well as igniting the downtown clubs. Multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter and reedman Sabir Mateen provide the firepower, while bassist Matthew ...

Album Review

TEST with Roy Campbell: Live at The Hinton House

Read "Live at The Hinton House" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
September 1, 2020

More exquisite madness from Brooklyn's barn burning free jazz label 577 Records, home to the free and the brave. This time it's a hard core NY borough blowout recorded live in April 1999 that cantankerously and vividly chronicles the only known performance of the late, free/avant, Harlem/NoBro legend, trumpeterRoy Campbell. Unrestrained, Campbell raises the roof with a loosely defined autonomous collective of downtown alchemists, namely drummer Tom Bruno, bassist Matt Heyner and the rioting reeds of Sabir Mateen ...

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Multiple Reviews

Roy Campbell: Songs & Themes & Akhenaten Suite

by Marc Medwin
June 8, 2008

Spring Heel Jack Songs & Themes Thirsty Ear 2008 Roy Campbell Akhenaten Suite AUM Fidelity 2008

Trumpeter Roy Campbell is presented here in two starkly different contexts yet his playing greatly enhances both. His work on Spring Heel Jack's Songs & Themes is meditatively translucent, subtle timbral shifts placing each note ...

164

Album Review

Roy Campbell: Akhenaten Suite

Read "Akhenaten Suite" reviewed by Lyn Horton

by Lyn Horton
May 9, 2008

Any relationship to ethnicity or artistry that an individual advocates predisposes how that individual might be viewed from the outside, yet strength of self-perception cancels out the superficiality of any invisibly barbed labeling. Music becomes a means to translate self-perception into a language which not only transcends social divides but also can relate the story of origin.

For the 2007 Vision Festival, trumpeter Roy Campbell was commissioned to write “Akhenaten Suite," in which he paid tribute to his heritage using ...

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Album Review

Roy Campbell: Akhenaten Suite

Read "Akhenaten Suite" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
March 5, 2008

"You might say jazz came from the sun priests of Egypt opined Sun Ra, and while trumpeter Roy Campbell might not be so forthright, he has long been inspired by the nation alongside the Nile. One of Campbell's most enduring ensembles is the Pyramid Trio. In some ways this suite follows the trajectory delineated by that combo, with a swinging world music lilt allied to taut free-bop and incisive outside elements. Not that there is anything daunting about this well ...

Festival

Vision Festival 19: Roy Campbell, Tributes To A Giant

Source: Chris Rich
June 10, 2014

VISION 19 - Studies In Freedom. Wednesday June 11 thru Sunday June 15, 2014 Roy Campbell was deeply grounded in the jazz tradition, and exhibited a working musician’s flexibility, with experiences ranging from R. & B. bands to off-Broadway shows, to reggae to electronics. Like Don Cherry, one of his heroes, Campbell was an omnivorous collaborator, working with hundreds of musicians all around the world. But at his core he was a true New Yorker, representing a particularly rugged and ...
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Performance / Tour

Roy Campbell Day Memorial At Roulette

Source: All About Jazz
February 17, 2014

On Wednesday, February 26, the many dear friends and associates of the late Roy Sinclair Campbell Jr. will gather at Roulette through the efforts of Arts for Art. The performance begins at 6:45. A Slide Show featuring The Music of Roy Campbell 6:45PM - 7:00PM Valerie Morris, Roy Campbell's sister, will recall his remarkable life. 7:00PM - 7:15PM An Opening Song and Prayer will be offered by Fay Victor, Charles Downs, Andy Bemkey and his lifelong friend, William Parker. 7:15PM ...
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Obituary

Trumpeter Roy Campbell Passed Away On January 9th 2014. RIP Roy.

Source: Chris Rich
January 15, 2014

Roy Campbell left us last week. Funeral services will be today between 5 and 8pm at Granby's Funeral Home in the Bronx. He was 61 at the time. He had a bright striking life as an earnest, honest and kind contributor to his musical community. He will be deeply missed by many. “There is no one like Roy Campbell on the music scene now. I guess it’s hard to situate someone by comparing them to others, but for lack of ...
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Recording

Connie Crothers, Band of Fire: Live at the Stone with Roy Campbell

Source: Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards
October 20, 2011

This is the third of a trilogy of recordings Connie Crothers made during her tenure at the famed NYC club The Stone in 2010. We've discussed the other two in earlier posts (see below). For this set Connie engages her long-lived regular group of Richard Tabnick on alto, Roger Mancuso on drums, and Ken Filiano on the bass, plus the addition of trumpet firebrand Roy Campbell. The Band of Fire (New Artists 1050) title well describes what was happening that ...
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Recording

Roy Campbell's Akhenaten Suite (Aum Fidelity/Arts for Art, Inc.) Available Today

Source: Improvised Communications
March 11, 2008

"If there's such a thing as an unassuming tour de force, Akhenaten Suite is one." --Bill Shoemaker, PointofDeparture.org

“Roy Campbell has composed a fully formed suite, one which is worth repeated listening sessions." --Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com

On Tuesday, March 11th, Arts for Art, Inc., in cooperation with AUM Fidelity, will release the Roy Campbell Ensemble's Akhenaten Suite (AUM045), the first in a series of three CDs documenting world premiere performances from the 12th annual Vision Festival ...
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Performance / Tour

Film Screening and Performance by Reggie Workman, James Spaulding, Roy Campbell, Michael Wimberly +special Guests at the Schomburg Center

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
June 11, 2007

A Special Evening at the Schomburg Center in Harlem: “REVOLUTION: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's All About" A Film of a Talk by Bob Avakian Film Screening and Performances by Reggie Workman, James Spaulding, Roy Campbell, Michael Wimberly + Def poet Staceyann Chin and comic Aladdin. June 12, Tuesday, 7-9:30pm Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard & 135th St., Harlem Tickets $15 at www.revolutionbooksnyc.org or call 212-691-3345 Chuck D, Herb Boyd (Amsterdam ...
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Festival

Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson Present The 4th Annual Festival of New Trumpet Music

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
August 17, 2006

Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson Present The 4th Annual Festival Of New Trumpet Music - September 15-October 15 “The Festival of New Trumpet Music has become a contender among New York's jazz-concert series." --Ben Ratliff, The New York Times “The Festival of New Trumpet Music, a/k/a FONT Music, has evolved into a summer institution." --Nate Chinen, The Village Voice “...feeling inspired by the flat-out excellent lineup at this year's Festival of New Trumpet Music." --Time Out New York ...
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Festival

Dave Douglas,Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson announce the 2005 Festivalof New Trumpet Music

Source: All About Jazz
July 7, 2005

RED CAT PUBLICITY J A S O N B Y R N E 415 85th Street, #3R, Brooklyn, New York, 11209, Tel 718 921 1330, Email [email protected] ************************************************************************** Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson Present The 3rd Annual Festival Of New Trumpet Music – August 2-27 FONT Music 2005: *FONT Music: For Lester Bowie, August 2-7, The Jazz Standard* *3rd Festival of New Trumpet Music presents: Other Music, August 12-15, Tonic* *3rd Festival of New Trumpet Music presents: New ...
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Performance / Tour

Roy Campbell, Jr.'s upcoming concerts - September 2004

Source: All About Jazz
September 18, 2004

SUNDAY, 9/26/O4 ROY CAMPBELL, JR. w/ ANDREW BEMKEY/ CHRIS SULLIVAN/ MICHAEL THOMPSON (group called TAZZ), the Bungalow, 523 South Fulton at Sanford Blvd., Mt. Vernon, NY, 8:3O p.m. (other groups from 6), (914) 663~1912.

TUESDAY, 9/28 ROY CAMPBELL, JR. w/ DANIEL CARTER & SABIR MATEEN (Downtown Horns) & others, the Tank, 432 West 42nd St. betw. 9th & 1Oth Ave's, New York City, check time, (212) 563~6269, , .

WEDNESDAY, 9/29
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Music Industry

Hank Johnson Trio Meets Roy Campbell

Source: All About Jazz
January 4, 2004

The Hank Johnson Trio just finished a weekend engagement at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, New York and was surprised when Roy Campbell, (great jazz trumpet icon) dropped by. Roy Campbell hosts a jam session at the Lenox Lounge on Monday evenings from 10:00 P.M. until 2:00A.M. It was like magic when the blues got serious! “Cool Mike" Fitzbenjamin's bass lines, Hank Johnson's piano and Gary Smith, onm drums provided a vehicle that lit up the room! There were people ...
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