In July 2021, saxophonist Kasan Belgrave was in a near-fatal car accident, T-boned at a highway intersection en route to a gig in Ohio. When paramedics arrived on the scene, Belgrave was unconscious, having sustained a brain injury and neck fracture, which required surgery. The crash happened when so many things in his life were going so well. He was close to completing his graduate studies at Michigan State University, high-profile gigs were pending, and he was scheduled to perform at the Detroit Jazz Festival.
The accident derailed many of Belgrave’s plans. His doctor instructed him not to perform until fully healed. Through it all, Belgrave maintained unwavering perseverance. While recuperating, he discovered some semblance of solace, focusing on composing new music.
Still hungry to participate in the Detroit Jazz Festival, guitarist Chuck Newsome commissioned Belgrave to write an arrangement for the Detroit Jazz Festival All-Star Band featuring Keyon Herald a month after the accident.
“Knowing that I got into a horrible car accident, I was grateful to be alive and that all my limbs were working, and I didn't have any cognitive loss in my thinking. It changed my outlook on life,” says Belgrave.
“You just start rethinking a lot of your decisions in life, wanting to be more careful with everything you do. I treat life now like I treat music, just being as gentle as possible with everything and making sure I know my details and not miss anything.”
Belgrave, 25, is one of the rising talents on Detroit's jazz scene. On stage, he has a calm and polished presence. If you have witnessed him in various groups, you’d be correct to acknowledge he’s been a Godsend to many bands that have employed him. His improvisational know-how while soloing puts you in the mindset of great alto saxophonists like Sonny Red and Oliver Nelson. Belgrave currently leads a residency at Detroit jazz club Cliff Bell’s, which he started in January, replacing bassist and the club’s artistic director, Noah Jackson.
Recent additions to Belgrave’s growing resume are stints with Detroit’s Gathering Orchestra, the Paradise Jazz Big Band, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and renowned drummer and producer Karriem Riggins.
As the son of the late trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, the young Belgrave has big shoes to fill. Belgrave was just a kid when his father was already a legendary figure globally. He remembers running around his dad's rehearsals and seeing him chastise students during practice.
“Honestly, I got it a little easier than his students when he was younger because I was born when he was older. So that hard mentorship, he didn’t force it down my throat, but he was still hard on me, which is part of why I love music today because I had somebody like him who had the same passion and said, ‘Hey, if this is what you want, then you have to love it,’” says Belgrave.
To put his father’s history into context, the senior Belgrave — who passed away in 2015 — served as a music educator and mentor to many jazz musicians when they were unknown, like Riggins, bassist Robert Hurst, pianist Geri Allen, saxophonist Kenny Garrett, and violinist Regina Carter. Belgrave was the first Kresge Eminent Artist fellow, the first director of the Civic Jazz Orchestra when the DSO educational program began in 2000, and an instructor at both high schools and colleges.
When his father died, Belgrave was just a high schooler, and he didn’t understand how important his father was.
“I had a ton of people coming up to me saying, ‘I remember your dad. I miss your dad.’ And they would just tell me all these stories,” Belgrave says. “So, I saw everybody worldwide, Kenny Garrett, Bob Hurst, Ron Carter, and all these big-name people, saying that my dad is one of the greatest musicians and teachers ever. Sometimes, it still doesn’t register to me.”
Belgrave grew up on the west side of Detroit and was educated through Christian schools, including Southfield Christian High School, where he was a band member. He was a part of the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra under the direction of drummer Sean Dobbins and bassist Rodney Whitaker. He earned a degree in jazz studies from the University of Michigan and held a graduate assistantship at MSU.
The core of Belgrave’s musical breeding came from studying with Detroit’s jazz elites, such as the late bassist Don Mayberry and saxophonist Wendell Harrison, who mentored Belgrave in the jazz program at Youthville Detroit.
Harrison, who’s known Belgrave all his life, was a major influence on the musician and taught him about improvisation and bebop.
“He’s very talented, but I give a lot of credit to his mom for his development. She made him practice every day. He’s a quick study and following the Belgrave legacy; he can’t lose,” says Harrison.
Now that the near-fatal accident is behind Belgrave and his chops are back 100%, he’s hell-bent on carrying the torch for himself and keeping his father’s light burning. He’s planning to release his debut recording this spring, and like his father, he wants to have a global impact. Belgrave also wants to have a presence outside of jazz. He’s been performing with techno music musicians like DJ Kyle Hall and has been featured on a few records as well.
The pressure Belgrave faces carrying on his father’s legacy is enormous, but he isn’t frightened by it. Like sons with renowned fathers such as pianist Gerald Clayton and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, Belgrave understands his greatest test is making his own way musically.
“I know that with my skills, it is possible to fill those shoes even though there are some really big shoes,” he says. “My love for music won’t just let me stop. I have to keep this going. That’s part of my duty, too. So, the pressure doesn't really get to me anymore. That just comes with time.”
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