Roy Sinclair Campbell Jr. (September 29, 1952 – January 9, 2014) was an American

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

frequently linked to

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians dur ...

, although he also performed

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

and funk during his career.

Biography

Born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, in 1952, Campbell was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. At the age of fifteen, he began learning to play trumpet and soon studied at the Jazz Mobile program along with

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' ...

and Joe Newman. Throughout the 1960s, still unacquainted with the avant-garde movement, Campbell performed in the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

s of the

Manhattan Community College The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is a public community college in New York City. Founded in 1963 as part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, BMCC grants associate degrees in a wide variety of vocational, business, ...

. From the 1970s onwards, he performed primarily within the context of free jazz, spending some of this period studying with

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

. Campbell composed the film music for the documentary ''Survival in New York'' (1989) by

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, painter and one of the most famous gay rights activists in the German-speaking world. In ov ...

. In the early 1990s, Campbell moved to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and performed regularly with Klaas Hekman and

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

. In addition to leading his own groups, he performed with

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McN ...

, William Parker,

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Early life Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...

Matthew Shipp Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer, and bandleader. Early life and education Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford ...

, and other improvisors. Upon returning to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

he began leading his group

Other Dimensions In Music Other Dimensions In Music is a free jazz group founded in the 1980s.Allmusic/ref> The group is a collective quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Campb ...

and also formed the Pyramid Trio, a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

less trio formed with William Parker. He died in January 2014 of hypertensive atherosclerotic

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

at the age of 61.

Discography

As leader

* ''

New Kingdom New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

'' ( Delmark, 1992) * ''

La Tierra del Fuego ''La Tierra del Fuego'' is the second album by American jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell, recorded in 1993 and released on the Delmark label. Music The album reflects Roy's interest in World music. "I wanted more of a Latin and Third World sound t ...

'' (Delmark, 1994) * ''

Communion Communion may refer to: Religion * The Eucharist (also called the Holy Communion or Lord's Supper), the Christian rite involving the eating of bread and drinking of wine, reenacting the Last Supper **Communion (chant), the Gregorian chant that ac ...

'' ( Silkheart, 1995) * ''

Ancestral Homeland An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

'' (No More, 1998) * ''

Ethnic Stew and Brew ''Ethnic Stew and Brew'' is the fifth album by American jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell, the third by Pyramid Trio, which also included bassist William Parker and new member Hamid Drake replacing former drummer Zen Matsuura. The album was recorded i ...

'' (Delmark, 2001) * ''

It's Krunch Time ''It's Krunch Time'' is the sixth album by American jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell, recorded and released in 2001 on Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, a line of recordings under the artistic direction of pianist Matthew Shipp. The album includes a versio ...

'' (

Thirsty Ear Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 1970s as a marketing company for the then-unnamed alternative music field, and expanded to issue its own records in 1990. Thirsty Ear came to prominence ...

, 2001) * ''

Akhenaten Suite ''Akhenaten Suite'' is the seventh album by American jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell, an extended work inspired by Amenhotep IV, Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. The project was specially commissioned by Arts for Art, recorded live at the 2007 ...

'' ( Aum Fidelity, 2008)

As co-leader

with

Other Dimensions in Music Other Dimensions In Music is a free jazz group founded in the 1980s.Allmusic/ref> The group is a collective quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Campb ...

* ''

'' (Silkheart, 1990) * '' Now!'' ( Aum Fidelity, 1998) * ''

Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time ''Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time'' is the third album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music, composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Rashid Bakr. Fo ...

'' (Aum Fidelity, 2000) * ''

Live at the Sunset ''Live at the Sunset'' is the fourth album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music, composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and Hamid Drake replacing regular drummer Ras ...

'' (

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe El ...

, 2007) * ''

Kaiso Stories ''Kaiso Stories'' is an album by free jazz collective quartet Other Dimensions In Music featuring vocalist Fay Victor, which was recorded in 2010 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label. The album is a collection of improvised pieces with cl ...

'' (Silkheart, 2011) with

The Nu Band ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

(Roy Campbell Jr., Mark Whitecage, Joe Fonda, Lou Grassi) * ''Live at the Bop Shop'' (

Clean Feed Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music Al ...

, 2001) * ''Live'' (Konnex, 2005) * ''The Dope and the Ghost'' (Not Two, 2007) * ''Lower East Side Blues'' (Porter, 2009) * ''Live in Paris'' (No Business, 2010) * ''Relentlessness Live at the Sunset'' (Marge, 2011) with

Joe McPhee Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone. McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is m ...

, William Parker & Warren Smith * ''

Tribute to Albert Ayler Live at the Dynamo ''Tribute to Albert Ayler Live at the Dynamo'' is an album by a free jazz quartet composed of trumpeter Roy Campbell, Jr., Roy Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, bassist William Parker (musician), William Parker and drummer Warren Smith ( ...

'' (Marge, 2009)

As sideman

;with

Billy Bang Billy Bang (September 20, 1947 – April 11, 2011), born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer. Biography Bang's family moved to New York City's Bronx neighborhood while he was still an infant, and as a ...

*''

Live at Carlos 1 ''Live at Carlos 1'' is a live album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1986 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (Soul Note, 1986) ;with

's Die Like a Dog Quartet *'' From Valley to Valley'' (Eremite, 1998) ; with

Tentet + 2 * ''Short Visit to Nowhere'' (Okkadisk, 2002) * ''Broken English'' (Okkadisk, 2002) ; with Rob Brown * ''

Jumping Off the Page ''Jumping Off the Page'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Rob Brown released in 2000 on No More, a label founded by producer Alan Schneider. It features a quartet with trumpeter Roy Campbell, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Jackson K ...

'' (No More, 2000) * ''

The Big Picture The Big Picture may refer to: Music * ''The Big Picture'' (Michael W. Smith album), a 1986 album * ''The Big Picture'' (Michael Shrieve album), a 1988 collaborative album by Michael Shrieve and David Beal * ''The Big Picture'' (Elton John album ...

'' (Marge, 2004) ; with

Whit Dickey Whit Dickey (born May 28, 1954) is an American drummer. He has recorded albums with David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp. Biography His first album as a leader was ''Transonic Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at ...

* ''

Coalescence Coalescence may refer to: * Coalescence (chemistry), the process by which two or more separate masses of miscible substances seem to "pull" each other together should they make the slightest contact * Coalescence (computer science), the merging of ...

'' (Clean Feed, 2004) * '' In a Heartbeat'' (Clean Feed, 2005) * '' Sacred Ground'' (Clean Feed, 2006) ;with

El-P Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...

*''

High Water Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

'' (Thirsty Ear, 2004) ; with Ehran Elisha * ''Sweet Empathy'' (Cadence, 1995) * ''The Kicker'' (CIMP, 1998) * ''Lowe Down Suite'' (CIMP, 1999) ; with Exuberance * ''The Other Shore'' (Boxholder, 2003) * ''Live at Vision Festival'' (Ayler, 2004) ;with Garrison Fewell * ''Variable Density Sound Orchestra'' (Creative Nation Music, 2009) ; with Yuko Fujiyama * ''Re-entry'' (CIMP, 2001) ;with

Dennis Gonzalez Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometime ...

* ''Nile River Suite'' (Daagnim, 2004) ;with

Burton Greene Burton Greene (June 14, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium. Biogra ...

* ''Isms Out'' (CIMP, 2004) ;with William Hooker Trio with

Dave Soldier David Sulzer (born November 6, 1956) is an American neuroscientist and musician. He is a professor at Columbia University Medical Center in the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology. Sulzer's laboratory investigates the interact ...

*''Heart of the Sun'' (Engine Records, 2013) ; with

Khan Jamal Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when pl ...

* ''Balafon Dance'' (CIMP, 2002) ; with Adam Lane * ''Blue Spirit Band'' (CIMP, 2013) * ''Oh Freedom'' (CIMP, 2013) ; with Steve Lehman * ''Structural Fire'' (CIMP, 2001) * ''Camouflage'' (CIMP, 2002) ; with Maneri Ensemble * ''Going to Church'' (Aum Fidelity, 2002) ;with

Jemeel Moondoc Jemeel Moondoc (August 5, 1946 – August 29, 2021) was a jazz saxophonist who played alto saxophone. He was a proponent of a highly improvisational style. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and studied clarinet and piano befo ...

* ''

The Evening of the Blue Men ''The Evening of the Blue Men'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc with Muntu, which was recorded live in 1979 at NYC's St. Mark's Church and released on his own Muntu label. The album was reissued in 2009 as part of the three ...

'' (Muntu, 1979) * ''New York Live!'' (Cadence, 1981) * ''The Intrepid Live in Poland'' (Poljazz, 1981) * ''The Athens Concert'' (Praxis, 1982) *'' Konstanze's Delight'' (Soul Note, 1983) * ''

Spirit House A spirit house is a shrine to the protective spirit of a place that is found in the Southeast Asian countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The spirit house is normally in the form of sma ...

'' (Eremite, 2001) * ''

Live in Paris ''Live in Paris'' may refer to: Albums * ''Live in Paris'' (Art Ensemble of Chicago album) * ''Live in Paris'' (John Coltrane album) * ''Live in Paris'' (Jemeel Moondoc album) *'' Live in Paris 1975'', an album by Deep Purple * ''Live in Paris+'' ( ...

'' (Cadence, 2003) * '' Live at the Vision Festival'' (Ayler, 2003) * ''

The Zookeeper's House ''The Zookeeper's House'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, which was recorded in 2013 and released on Relative Pitch Records. It was his first album leading a full band in over a decade. Music Moondoc plays the ballad "For ...

'' (

Relative Pitch Relative pitch is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note by comparing it to a reference note and identifying the interval between those two notes. For example, if the note ''Do'' and ''Fa'' is played on a piano, a per ...

, 2014) ;with New Atlantis Octet * ''Unto the Sun'' (Not Two. 2013) ; with

Kevin Norton Kevin Norton (born January 21, 1956) is an American percussionist and composer active in the New York City jazz and contemporary music scenes. He has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians, including Anthony Braxton, Paul Dunma ...

* ''The Dream Catcher'' (CIMP, 2003) ; with William Parker * ''

Flowers Grow in my Room A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

'' (Centering, 1994) * ''

Sunrise in the Tone World ''Sunrise in the Tone World'' is an album by American jazz double bassist William Parker, which was recorded live in 1995 and released on the AUM Fidelity label. This is the second recording by William Parker & The Little Huey Creative Music Orc ...

'' (AUM Fidelity, 1997) * ''

Mayor of Punkville ''Mayor of Punkville'' is a double live album by American jazz bassist William Parker and his Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, which was recorded at Tonic in New York City in 1999 and released on the AUM Fidelity label. Reception In her r ...

'' (AUM Fidelity, 2000) * '' Raincoat in the River'' (Eremite, 2001) *''

Spontaneous Spontaneous may refer to: * Spontaneous abortion * Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis * Spontaneous combustion * Spontaneous declaration * Spontaneous emission * Spontaneous fission * Spontaneous generation * Spontaneous human combustion * Spontan ...

'' (Splasc(H), 2002) * ''

Mass for the Healing of the World ''Mass for the Healing of the World'' is a live album by American jazz double bassist William Parker & the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra which was recorded live in 1998 but not released on the Italian Black Saint label until 2003. Recept ...

'' (Black Saint, 2003) * ''

Fractured Dimensions ''Fractured Dimensions'' is an album by American jazz double bassist William Parker, which was recorded live during the Berlin Total Music Meeting in 1999 and released on the German FMP label in 2003. The band originally billed to play was the f ...

'' (FMP, 2003) * ''

For Percy Heath ''For Percy Heath'' is an album by bassist and composer William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, which was recorded in 2005 and released on the Canadian Victo label.Lopez, R.William Parker sessionography accessed June 4, 2014 The alb ...

'' (Victo, 2006) * ''

Essence of Ellington ''Essence of Ellington'' (subtitled ''Live in Milano'') is a double live album by bassist and composer William Parker's Orchestra, which was recorded in Italy in 2012 and released on the Centering label. The album features new arrangements of so ...

'' (Centering, 2012) ;with

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

*''

Spiritual Unity ''Spiritual Unity'' is a studio album by American free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler. It was recorded on July 10, 1964 in New York City, and features bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray. It was the first album recorded for Bernard Stollm ...

'' (Pi recordings, 2005) ;with

Saheb Sarbib Saheb Sarbib (born 1944) is an American jazz double-bassist and bandleader. Career Sarbib, born Jean Henri Sarbib, was raised in Europe. His father was Roger Sarbib, a French pianist and innovator of the big band style in Portugal in the 1940s a ...

* ''Live at the Public Theatre'' (Cadence, 1981) * ''Aisha'' (Cadence, 1981) ; with

* ''

Strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as e ...

'' (hatOLOGY, 1998) * ''

Pastoral Composure ''Pastoral Composure'' is an album by American jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, recorded in 2000 and released on Thirsty Ear. It was the first installment of the Blue Series, a collection of releases curated by Shipp. He leads a quartet with trumpete ...

'' (

, 2000) ; with

Alan Silva Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player. Biography Silva was born a British subject to an Azorean/ Portuguese mother, Irene da Silva, and a black Bermudian f ...

* '' Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra'' (Eremite, 2001) * '' H.Con.Res.57/Treasure Box'' (Eremite, 2003) ;with Stone Quartet * ''

Live at Vision Festival ''Live at Vision Festival'' is a live album by the Stone Quartet: bassist Joëlle Léandre, trumpeter Roy Campbell, pianist Marilyn Crispell, and violist Mat Maneri. It was recorded in June 2010 at the Vision Festival held at the Abrons Arts Cente ...

'' (Ayler, 2011) ; with

Steve Swell Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. Music career Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...

* ''Suite for Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers'' (CIMP, 2003) * '' News from the Mystic Auricle'' (Not Two, 2008) ;with

Charles Tyler Admiral Sir Charles Tyler, GCB (1760 – 28 September 1835) was a naval officer in the British Royal Navy who gained fame during the Napoleonic Wars as a naval captain that fought at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801) and Battle of Trafalgar, beco ...

* ''Live at Sweet Basil vol. 1 & 2 (1984)'' (Bleu Regard, 2006) ; with

* '' Summer Sun'' (Matador, 2003)

References

External links

Official site
*
Roy Campbell on Life
brief spoken word video, Jalopy, Brooklyn, September 26, 2009. ( Punkcast) {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Roy 1952 births 2014 deaths Musicians from Los Angeles American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Free jazz trumpeters 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters 21st-century trumpeters Jazz musicians from California 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Other Dimensions In Music members Thirsty Ear Recordings artists