Jazz St. Louis’ accomplished new creative adviser sees music as a microcosm of democracy

Keyon Harrold refers to jazz as the form of music that he speaks. The trumpeter, songwriter, vocalist, and activist, who grew up in Ferguson and has traveled the world with his horn, views music as a way to communicate rather than an esoteric interest or a talent that only some possess.

But Harrold does have that rare talent. He’s collaborated with Common; performed with Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Rihanna, among others; played in Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead; and, in 2017, released The Mugician, an album admired for its concinnity of jazz, soul, hip-hop, and reggae, as well as orchestral performances. Now the communicator returns, having been recently appointed to a three-year term as creative adviser for Jazz St. Louis. He’ll curate performances, participate in the organization’s educational programs, and create a major work to close out the 2023–2024 season.

Harrold grew up in a musical family, singing in church and playing in his grandfather’s drum and bugle corps. “I wanted to play drums, but the horn was stuck in my hand, so I had to figure that out,” he says. His grandfather told him about Miles Davis, Clark Terry, Duke Ellington, the Count Basie Orchestra, and Charlie Parker, and he found them so fascinating that he began to teach himself music theory before attending college at The New School in New York City. It was in New York that Harrold landed that first big job, working with Common.

In much the same way that Harrold sees jazz as a language, he also sees it as a microcosm of the way a democracy should function—with people offering different ideas, talking about their biases, and figuring out how to work together. In jazz, each person leads—or gets a chance to “speak”—for a while. They share their ideas, and then they take a back seat. “At the same time, this microcosm is moving, and it’s evolving, and it’s giving strength to every time somebody offers something,” he says. “You support it, or if there’s disagreement, if there’s discord for a little while, we know that there will be resolution. It’s a beautiful thing, and I wish that humanity were like that.”

Work on Harrold’s original piece, even though its début is still two years out, starts now. The artist is looking to our city’s musical heritage, great artists, and social climate for inspiration. At the same time that he’s taking notes for the piece of music, he’s keeping his ear to the streets for new talent. “I think that’s very important because music—especially jazz—is a continuum of finding new elements that will keep pushing it forward. Jazz is a living music. It needs the new vibrations to keep vibrating.”

Track Star

Get sonically acquainted with Jazz St. Louis’ new creative adviser.  

Part of Harrold’s position at Jazz St. Louis will be to create performances that showcase jazz in a new way. What might that sound like? These three works will give you a sense of his musicianship.

Introducing Keyon Harrold (2009)

Harrold’s solo début features a soulful rendition of “Amazing Grace/Lord My God” and appearances by Marcus Strickland and Harrold’s brother, Emanuel Harrold. 

Miles Ahead (2015)

Don Cheadle’s biopic of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis focuses on a mysterious tape that Davis’ record company is hot to find and a Rolling Stone reporter eager to uncover what Davis was up to in his years out of the spotlight. Harrold plays trumpet on Miles Ahead, which won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

The Mugician (2017)

Harrold’s family influenced his interest in activism, which he sees as “totally tethered to my existence.” “It’s just always been about that for me, speaking for people who couldn’t really speak for themselves via the platform,” he says. The Mugician features two songs, “MB Lament,” an instrumental track, and “When Will It Stop,” that speak to the death of Michael Brown and racism.