Detroit Jazz Hero
Michigan
Bassist Ralphe Armstrong has a reputation that circles the globe, but the one-time prodigy remains all-in on Detroit.
Oh, he still goes on the road when James Carter or other A-listers call. But at age 68, the fleet-fingered acoustic and electric bassist — who burst on the national scene at age 17 with John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra and later worked with Frank Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty, Eddie Harris, Geri Allen, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Larry Coryell, Aretha Franklin and others —feels no higher calling than championing his hometown’s remarkable jazz legacy and investing in its future. That’s why Armstrong is hailed as 2025 Detroit Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Armstrong’s charisma resonates in every corner of our scene. On the bandstand of local clubs, he’s a musical standard bearer, who embodies Detroit’s contributions not only to the swinging mainstream but to funk, fusion and R&B. Armstrong is also a proud union man, who has devoted significant time and energy to executive board work for AFM Local 5, helping ensure that musicians’ pay, rights and dignity receive the protections they deserve.
Perhaps Armstrong’s most significant contribution these days is his commitment to mentoring and inspiring younger musicians. As an artist-in-residence at his alma mater, Cass Technical High School, Armstrong grounds the next generation not only in the fundamentals of the bass but also the musicianship and citizenship skills necessary for a rewarding musical life.
His students call him an inspiration, but the admiration goes both ways. Armstrong is so devoted to them that it’s not unusual for him to give basses to promising students.
“Don’t trash young people,” Armstrong once told me, recalling the bassists who’d been his mentors. “Help ‘em! Pass it on. Ron Carter, James Jamerson, Ray McKinney, Ali Jackson — they all passed it to me, and I’m passing it on to others.”
That’s what Jazz Heroes do.
— Mark Stryker
2020 JJA Jazz Award Recipient
