Leroy Hill and Trumpet Black’s New Beginning
By Veronica Cross
Cover image for The New Beginning by Trumpet Black. Album artwork by Aiden, designed by Noé Cugny, 2022.
Leroy Hill and The Ella Project were initially connected by a mutual friend in the music industry. Leroy wanted to publish an album featuring his brother’s recordings from 2015, which was originally intended as the debut of Leroy’s label, Black Trumpet Productions. As the flagship artist of the label, Leroy’s brother - gifted young musician Travis Hill, aka “Trumpet Black”, had already achieved success with international tours and prestige when he died suddenly. Leroy held onto the recordings with the intention of releasing them as an album, just as he and Travis had planned. Leroy and Travis Hill came from a famed New Orleans musical family that includes Glen David Andrews, James Andrews, Trombone Shorty, and their grandfather Jesse “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” Hill, the local legend who burst onto the national R & B charts in 1960 with the single of that name. Jesse Hill emphasized music industry work as “90% business and 10% show”, a lesson which later energized Leroy as he witnessed countless musicians drop in and out of music due to financial issues.
Seven years is a long time to keep the momentum going for a project. Sometimes time is as precious as it is elusive, and Travis’ own storyline reflects what mindset, faith, and determination can do. Though recognized for his musical talent early in life, Travis had fallen into criminal habits and was incarcerated for nearly nine years in his youth. During his imprisonment, Travis embraced Islam and made a commitment to change his life. His journey from incarceration back to music would go on to inspire many people. Travis Hill’s legacy is found in his legendary performances, the music he recorded, the young musicians he mentored, his work with the nonprofit Trumpets NOT Guns, and within the three youth facilities in the New Orleans Corrections detention centers and schools that bear his name.
Titled The New Beginning in recognition of Travis’ experience, the album features his band, The Heart Attacks, with four tracks written by Trumpet Black and three by other New Orleans artists. The album was engineered by Eric Heigle and produced by Mike “Bass” Bailey. Over a dozen artists appear on the album, including June Yamagishi, Britney Chauntae, Quinten Spears, Keiko Komaki, Drew Calhoun, Terrence Houston, and James Andrews, among others, grace this album with their gifts. Leroy asserts that Trumpet Black’s cover of “Trumpets Not Guns” will be the lead single of the album. Originally written, arranged, and produced in 2012 by Jeanine Jennings (aka Kiné Kay), this song was conceived in response to appeals to escalating gun violence in this city, and the message continues to be timely. The “Trumpets Not Guns” video is currently in production and the video for the first single “Living the Good Life”, which was produced by community video outlet NOVAC, is in circulation on YouTube. Noé Cugny designed the album artwork, choosing for its cover a painting of Travis Hill by Australian artist Aiden.
Leroy worked with The Ella Project entertainment and intellectual property attorney Ashlye Keaton on crediting all the musicians who had performed and/or written music on the album to ensure they would receive their royalties because artists should be paid for their work. Such is the model for building trust and creating opportunity in the music business, and Leroy starts his own new beginning in the music business with a personal and profound project. Over seven years in the making, Leroy has persevered to present Trumpet Black’s highly anticipated album The New Beginning for a release date in late 2022. You can view and follow “Living the Good Life” video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLf8zeNMuRA "
