Michael Ray (trumpeter)

Michael Ray is an American jazz trumpeter. He has played extensively with Sun Ra and the successor Sun Ra Arkestra under Marshall Allen's direction following Sun Ra's passing. For a period from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s he led his own band, Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe. His playing with Sun Ra and independently has incorporated jazz, R & B, electronica and fusion genres.

Background and early professional life

He was originally from Trenton, New Jersey and was born December 24, 1962.^[1] His professional start was performing with R & B acts such as Patti LaBelle, The Delfonics and The Stylistics.

Sun Ra

Ray joined Sun Ra's band in 1978. He appears on Sun Ra albums on Saturn Records and on CDs released by Evidence, Enja, HatHut, Rounder Records, Black Saint/Soul Note, Horo Records, A&M Records, Philly Jazz and ESP-Disk labels. Ray also mixed Mayan Temples, Sun Ra's last studio session (Black Saint/Italy-1992).

In 1989 he moved to New Orleans and established several music projects, particularly the Cosmic Krewe. He has released records in the 1990s and 2000s under his leadership.

Michael Ray continues to perform with the Sun Ra Arkestra and has appeared with rock-phenom PHISH, live and on two Elektra recordings (Phish, A Live One and Trey Anastasio's Surrender to the Air). He recently worked on a PBS soundtrack for producer Delfeayo Marsalis and appears on recordings of Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and avant rockers Iris May Tango. He has made special appearances with many popular groups including Aquarium Rescue Unit, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Widespread Panic, Porno for Pyros, Col. Bruce Hampton and Deep Banana Blackout. ^[2][3]

References