Roy Campbell MemorialEvening events introduced by William Parker

The Roy Campbell Fund is a request by Roy’s sister Valerie Morris.

It is her feeling that Roy cared much more for music than for flowers.

Roy was a founding member of Arts for Art and close friend of all the artists involved. He was also a bridge builder. He played with as many artists as he could. What he loved was the music, the musicians who played it and the artists of all disciplines who were part of the aesthetic. The Roy Campbell fund will go towards a program in his honor, where artists will receive a guarantee – because Free Jazz isn’t cost free.

Checks should be made to Arts for Art and in the memo (Roy Campbell Fund)

Mail to Arts for Art 107 Suffolk Street #3.5, NY, NY 10002 or go to artsforart.org

We thank Roulette and its staff for generously offering their venue and support for the event.

We represent the sum totalof the musical masters whoplayed music before us and

presently. We reflect theassimilation of their

influences and our ownexperiences which have

evolved to reach the presentlevel of presentation and

performance which manifestsin the music we create. The

music is a spiritualcommunion which hastranspired through us

individually and collectively, inspiring a togetherness

which is definitely uniqye.The music we compose

develops from this processof assimilation.

Our talents and abilities havegoverned us to be able to

play any style of music,regardless of labels andcategories, at a moments

notice, at any given time orspace in the universe. Thereare no barriers in time, spaceand evolution. There is only

eternal Freedom and“Other Dimensions in Music!”

–Roy Campbell, 19961st Vision Poetry Book

What is Jazz ?

ACCORDING TO THE DICTIONNARY JAZZ HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS

_TO COPULATE..JIVE..MAKE NONSENSE...EXXAGERATE...AND A KIND OF MUSIC WHICH IS HIGHLY RHYTHMIC WITH SOLO AND ENSEMBLE.........IMPROVISATIONS...JAZZ IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH BLUES..PAIN.....LONELINESS....SADNESS...DEPRESSION...SUFFERING...FRUSTRATION...IGNORANCE...BENIGN...NEGLECT...CRITICS POLL...DOWN BEAT...OR BEAT DOWN...INSTRUMENTS IN NEED OF REPAIR...NO GIGS.........NO MONEY...MOVING FAST AND GETTING NOWHERE...EXPLOITATION......GETTING PAID OFF THE DOOR...WONDERING IF YOU WILL GET PAID WHEN THE GIG IS OVER...TALENT DESERVING WIDER RECOGNITION.....AFTER 15 OR 25 YEARS OF DISPLAY..BEING REFERED TO AS UP AND COMING AT THE AGE OF 40 OR 50...BEING APPRECIATED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND IGNORED IN AMERICA WHERE THE MUSIC DEVELOPED....AND GREW...CLUBS...FUNKY JOINTS...SMOKE...FILLED...ROOMS......ALCOHOL...MINIMUM OF DRINKS PER SET...SMALL STAGES......DRESSING ROOMS THE SIZE OF CLOSETS...NO DRESSING ROOMS AT ALL. MAKE SHIFT DRESSING ROOMS WITH DIRT AND GARBAGE.. NO..GUESTS.....ON THE GUEST LIST...TWO GUEST PER WEEK...WONDERING IF YOU ARE GOING TO COP TONIGHT...GROUPIES...CHEAP THRILLS...ONE NIGHT...AFFAIRS...PIMPS...GIGOLOS...WHORES...LONELY ROOMS...FREAKS...FAST TRACK...DRUGS...BEING FUCKED UP ON COKE, HEROIN, SMOKE, ETC. RECORD PIRATES...BOOTLEG RECORDS...POOR SOUND EQUIPMENT...

INHUMAN CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONDITIONS LEADING TO SICKNESS.....AND MOST OF ALL EARLY OR PREMATURE DEATH...YES EARLY DEATH IS.....AN IMPORTANT FEATURE BECAUSE THE BEST JAZZ MUSICIAN...IS A DEAD MUSICIAN......AFTER YOU ARE DEAD YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED.....AND PEOPLE WILL SAY “OH WASN’T HE OR SHE GREAT...AND THE...RECORD PIRATES WILL RELEASE UNKNOWN TAPES, LEGENDARY.......PERFORMANCES AND ALL WHO CAN WILL CAPITALIZE ON THE DEATH...OF THE NEXT LATE GREAT JAZZ MUSICIAN............

ROY CAMPBELL JR.JULY 1982 BILL COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

“When you play the trumpet, you are essentially pushing a large tube of metal into your face, amplifying the pressurized vibration of your lips, turning that buzz into music. Some players strive to hide this, making the instrument sound as smooth and consistent as possible. Others, from Bubber Miley to Lee Morgan to Don Cherry, relish this physicality, exposing the blood and sweat and spit that goes into the instrument, embracing the raw humanity captured in brass. The great Roy Campbell, Jr., who passed away this week, was definitely of the latter group.Campbell was a global traveller and an omnivorous collaborator, working with hundreds of musicians around the world and even living in the Netherlands for a period. But at his core he was a true New Yorker, representing a particularly rugged and independent streak of African-American improvisational music that has stubbornly survived in the city despite gentrification and changing trends. Drawing from the ecstatic spiritualism of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane in the 1960s, Campbell was committed to a kind of free-improvisational music that prized passionate individualism over faceless technique, and advocated for a shared sense of community over the fickle rewards of the music industry.This is as much Roy’s legacy as the hundreds of recordings and countless musical memories—the reminder that creativity is a path we are on together, and that road is easier (though never, thankfully, smooth) if we love and support each other along the way.” –Taylor Ho Bynum

“Roy was too often taken for granted. But he knew that in the long run it was not about ‘success’. It was not about this world. It was about what too many in this world are afraid of. For Roy, playing music was about truth, love, peace and universal Harmony. He loved Albert Ayler’s song, ‘The Truth Is Marching In’. Roy always gave all he had to the music, each and every moment. In the last ten years, having been diagnosed with diabetes he might be tired before or after the gig, but when he played… The music was alive and filled with that life energy. We often talked about the music and agreed that music is the healing force of the universe. Roy Campbell was simply a jazz original, like Duke Ellington, like Miles Davis, like David S. Ware, Billy Bang and Fred Anderson. And therefore, he can never be replaced. Roy, our fearless warrior of sound, fighting the banal with each breath he pressed into song. An angry peacemaker, A terrible bridge builder, A lover, a healer and a critic of all.” – Patricia & William Parker

7:00 Valerie Morris speaks about Roy7:15 “Prayer” by William Parker, for Roy’s Father Fay Victor – voice Andy Bemkey – piano William Parker – bass Charles Downs – drums

7:30 Akhenaten Ensemble Brian Carrott – vibes Jason Hwang – violin Hill Greene – bass Warren Smith – drums

7:45 Bob Craddock speaks7:50 Hempstead Ensemble Tune 1: “Roy’s Tune” Chris Sullivan – bass Bevin Turnbull – piano Christine Bard – drums Bruce Edwards – guitar Craig Harris – trombone Tune 2: “Charenee’s Tune” Hill Greene – bass Bevin Turnbull – piano Bobby Sanabria – drums Keith Davis – guitar Donald Hanson – saxophone Craig Harris – trombone

8:05 Matt Lavelle read a poem by Roy Campbell8:10 Stephanie Stone – solo piano8:15 Nemesis Matt Lavelle – trumpet Flip Barnes – trumpet Asim Barnes – guitar Warren Smith – drums

8:40 William Parker speaks, performs solo bass8:50 Tazz Joe McPhee – sax Dennis Gonzalez – trumpet Andy Bemkey – piano Chris Sullivan – bass Michael T.A. Thompson – drums

9:00 Steve Dalachinsky speaks, reads poetry9:05 NU Band Mark Whitecage – sax Joe Fonda – bass Lou Grassi – drums

9:20 Patricia Parker – words, movement9:25 5 for Roy William Hooker – drums Connie Crothers – piano Daniel Carter – sax Ras Moshe – sax Henry Grimes – bass

9:40 Documentary on Roy Campbell By Robert O’Haire, Jeff Burns, Michael Lucio Sternbach

10:00 William Parker’s “Ascension into Heaven” & Roy Campbell’s “Thanks to the Creator”Trumpet: Dave Douglas, Lewis Barnes, Matt Lavelle, Frank London, Taylor Ho Bynum, Ted Daniel, Graham Haynes, Dennis GonzalezTuba: Joe Daley, Dave HofstraSax: Andrew Lamb, Mark Whitecage, Rob Brown, Daniel Carter, Joe McPhee, Avram Fefer, James Brandon Lewis, Dave SewelsonViolin: Jason Kao Hwang, Mazz Swift, Henry Grimes, Elektra Kurtis, Sarah Bernstein, Rosi Hertlein, David Soldier, Stephane GriffinGuitar: Juan Quinones, Garrison Fewell, Asim BarnesVoice: Ellen Christi, Fay Victor, Lisa Sokolov, Lewis Barnes, Kyoko Kitamura, Kali FasteauPiano: Andrew BemkeyBass: Hill Greene, Chris SullivanDrums: Lou Grassi

Nobu AwataR.I. Cohen

Alan NahigianLucas Noonan

Michael Wilderman

Richard CondePeter GannushkinAndy Newcombe

Nick RuechelKen Weiss

We thank the Photographers who shared their photos

And Jeff Schlanger MusicWitness®

Joe McPhee and Roy Campbell

Picture by Alan Nahigian

Picture by Michael Wilderman

Picture by Luciano Rosetti

Picture by Luciano Rosetti

Roy Campbell and John Tchicai

Roy Campbell and William Parker

Picture by Luciano Rosetti

Picture by Luciano Rosetti

Raphe Malik, Roy Campbell, Roy Campbell sr., Ahmed Abdullah

Picture by Michael Wilderman

Picture by R.I. Cohen

With Much Respect to Valerie Morris

We ThankRoulette : Jim Staley, Amanda Davis, Woraman Jamjod, Ben Manley, Lucy Walters-Maneri, Sam Garrett, Justin Frye and Perry Huntoon.Arts for Art Staff: Nader Beizaei, Margot Dellac and Bill Toles, Zak Sherzad and Allison Sciplin