Ralphe Armstrong Trio

Ralphe Armstrong began his music career early, landing a spot in the Mahavishnu Orchestra at 17, standing out with his fretless bass guitar—a contemporary of Jaco Pastorius. He received classical training at Michigan's Interlochen School of Fine Arts, learning the Josef Harvey method, which he adapted for electric bass. Armstrong was also a force in mid-70s funk on albums like Apocalypse, Visions of the Emerald Beyond, and Inner Worlds. At the Blue LLama Jazz Club, he played two shows as a true master of his craft.