The Trumpet Don's Amazing Journey, Miles Davis, Glasper, GRAMMYs & The New Jazz Era
Keyon Harrold is one of the most important trumpeters of his generation — a musician who carries the weight of jazz tradition while speaking directly to contemporary audiences in ways that feel urgent and alive. His album Foreverland earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album, and his work playing all the trumpet parts in Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead announced him to a wider audience as someone with genuine range and vision.
In this conversation with Elmo, Keyon traces his extraordinary journey — from growing up in Ferguson, Missouri, to studying with the greats, to his collaborations with Robert Glasper, Kendrick Lamar, and some of the most important artists working at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop. His story is one of discipline, community, and an unwavering belief in the power of the trumpet.
They talk about what the Miles Ahead experience meant to him, his philosophy on bridging jazz and hip-hop, the social activism that runs through his music, and what he believes the next chapter of jazz looks like — and who is going to write it.
"Miles didn't play the trumpet. He spoke through it. That's what I'm trying to do."
Keyon's roots in Ferguson, Missouri — the musical influences that surrounded him, the community that shaped his values, and how growing up in that specific place gave him a perspective on music and justice that runs through everything he plays.
The remarkable story of being chosen to play all the trumpet parts in Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead — the preparation, the pressure, and what the experience of inhabiting Miles's musical voice taught him about his own.
Keyon's longstanding creative partnership with Robert Glasper and his place in the movement of artists who are redefining what jazz means in the 21st century — the conversations, the collaborations, and the shared vision for where the music is going.
The making of his GRAMMY-nominated album Foreverland — the concept behind it, the collaborators involved, and what the recognition meant for Keyon's place in the contemporary jazz conversation.
How Keyon thinks about the relationship between jazz and hip-hop — the shared roots, the current conversation, and his specific approach to creating music that honors both traditions without diluting either one.
The thread of social activism that runs through Keyon's work — what it means to him to make music that speaks to the moment, and how he believes artists have a responsibility to use their platform for something that matters.
The Miles Ahead story in full — how Keyon got the call, how he prepared to play in Miles Davis's voice, and what it felt like to inhabit the musical identity of one of the greatest musicians who ever lived.
Keyon's description of his friendship and creative partnership with Robert Glasper — the conversations they have had about jazz, identity, and the future of the music, and how their collaboration has shaped both of their artistic visions.
A deep conversation about what it means to grow up in Ferguson, Missouri — the weight of that history, the music that helped him process it, and how his hometown continues to inform the urgency of his artistic message.
The Foreverland creative process — what Keyon was trying to say with that album, the specific choices he made, and what the GRAMMY nomination meant for how the jazz world received his vision for the music.
Keyon's honest take on where jazz is today — the conversations he hears in the music, the artists who excite him, and why he believes the next decade will be one of the most creative and culturally significant periods in the music's history.
A reflection on the trumpet as a vehicle for expression — what Miles meant to Keyon not just as a musician but as a model for how to use an instrument to say something that goes beyond technique into something genuinely human.
Available on all major platforms.