Keyon Harrold facts for kids

Keyon Karim Harrold (born November 18, 1980) is an amazing American musician. He plays the trumpet, sings, writes songs, and produces music. He's known for blending jazz with other styles like rap.

Keyon Harrold's Early Life

Keyon Harrold grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, in the United States. He came from a very musical family with 16 children! His grandfather even started a drum and bugle corps. Keyon studied music at the School of Jazz at The New School.

He was inspired by many great artists. These include jazz legend Miles Davis, pop superstar Prince, and hip-hop artists like Common and Dr. Dre.

Keyon Harrold's Music Career

Starting Out in Music

Keyon Harrold got his first professional music job playing trumpet for the rapper Common. His friend and classmate, Robert Glasper, recommended him for the audition. Keyon even performed with Common at The White House in 2016. This was part of a special concert series called "Tiny Desk Concert" for NPR.

Keyon also learned a lot from the famous trumpeter Charles Tolliver. He played in Tolliver's big band. You can hear him on the album With Love (2006) and the live concert recording Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (2009).

Working with Famous Artists

During this time, Keyon became a popular musician who could play many different styles. He often performed in New York jazz clubs. He also played on recordings for many huge stars. These include JAY-Z, Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Maxwell.

Keyon has also toured around the world. He played with Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. He also toured with artists like Rihanna, Eminem, D’Angelo, and Gregory Porter.

Playing for the Big Screen

Keyon Harrold played all the trumpet music in the movie Miles Ahead. This film was about the jazz legend Miles Davis. Keyon played the trumpet parts to match the actors' performances. The soundtrack for this movie won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. This is a very big award in music!

Keyon's Own Albums

Keyon released his first solo album, Introducing Keyon Harrold, in 2009. Music critics really liked it. They said it showed a bright future for him as a top jazz trumpet player. His next album, The Mugician, came out in 2017. It also received great reviews. In 2024, he released another album called Foreverland.

Recent Performances

In August 2019, Keyon appeared on a radio show called "All Of It." In August 2020, he helped record an EP (a short album) called VOYAGE-19. This was done remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The money from this album helped musicians who were struggling financially. In September 2022, he played at the Brighton Jazz Festival.

SoHo Incident

In December 2020, Keyon Harrold and his 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr., were involved in an upsetting incident. A woman falsely accused his son of stealing her phone at a hotel in New York City. Even though both Keyon and his son denied it, the woman physically grabbed his son.

A video of the event showed the hotel manager seeming to support the woman. Keyon said, "I didn't have the opportunity to be believed, and neither did my son." The woman's phone was later found in an Uber car.

New York police arrested the woman in January 2021. She was charged with serious actions related to the incident. During a court hearing, she pleaded not guilty.

Discography

As leader

• Introducing Keyon Harrold (Criss Cross, 2009)
• The Mugician (Legacy, 2017)
• Foreverland (Concord Jazz, 2024)

As guest

• 50 Cent, "Touch the Sky" (from Curtis Aftermath/Interscope, 2007)
• Beyonce, "Back Up" (from B'Day Columbia, 2006)
• Big K.R.I.T., "Cool 2 Be Southern" (from Live from the Underground Def Jam, 2012)
• Michael Leonhart & JSWISS, "The Chase" (from Bona Fide, 2022)
• Otis Brown III, The Thought of You (Blue Note, 2014)
• Will Calhoun, Celebrating Elvin Jones (Motema, 2016)
• Andrae Crouch, Live in Los Angeles (Riverphio Entertainment, 2013)
• Anthony Hamilton, Back to Love (RCA, 2011)
• Billy Harper, Blueprints of Jazz Vol. 2 (Talking House Records, 2008)
• Maya Hatch, "Spice of Life" (Spice of Life. 2012)
• Derrick Hodge, Live Today (Blue Note, 2013)
• JAY-Z, "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)" (from American Gangster Roc-a-Fella, 2007)
• John Legend & Mary J. Blige, "King and Queen" (from Once Again G.O.O.D./Columbia, 2006)
• Maxwell, BLACKsummers'night (Columbia, 2009)
• Maxwell, "Pretty Wings"" (from Pretty Wings - Columbia, 2009)
• Jason McGuiness, "We Could Be/Empyrean Tones", 7" (Analog Burners, 2016)
• Mac Miller, "Stay" (from The Divine Feminine REMember/Warner Bros., 2016)
• Mobb Deep, "Smoke It" (from Blood Money - Interscope, 2006)
• PJ Morton, "Claustrophobic" and 1 more (from Gumbo - Morton, 2017)
• Gregory Porter, "Real Good Hands" (from Be Good Blue Note, 2012)
• Gregory Porter, Take Me to the Alley (Blue Note, 2016)
• David Sanborn, Here & Gone (Decca, 2008)
• Nina Simone, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" & 2 more (Revive Music, RCA, 2015)
• Lonnie Smith, Evolution (Blue Note, 2016)
• John Stoddart, Faith, Hope Love (Urban Junction East Music, 2010)
• Joss Stone, "I Believe it to my Soul" (from Colour Me Free!) (Virgin, 2009)
• Marcus Strickland, Nihil Novi (Blue Note, Revive Music, 2016)
• Charles Tolliver, With Love (Blue Note/Mosaic, 2006)
• Charles Tolliver, Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (Blue Note, 2009)
• Samm Henshaw, Untidy Soul (AWAL Recordings, 2022)
• Kendra Foster, Nothing is Impossible (feat. Keyon Harrold) (Ear Kandy/Theorymusik, 2023)