“Music is truly universal; it’s spiritual,” says Rodney Block, arguably one of the city’s best trumpet players and most iconic jazz artists.
If you’ve frequented the social scene in Little Rock at all in the past decade, chances are you’ve been entertained by Block, either solo or with his band Rodney Block and The Real Music Lovers. The band formed officially in 2007, and along with Block, includes Sam Carroll on piano/keys, Oliver Thomas on bass and Jonathan Burks on drums. Patrick Pettus and N’ell Jones are advance team/band managers and the group’s barber and stylist is André Talbert.
“The band is dubbed as a jazz musical outfit, but we play pretty much everything,” says Block, including hip-hop, rhythm and blues, gospel and even rock. “The versatility allows us to play all types of events: corporate, private, ceremonial, clubs, festivals, etc.” Block and the band play a lot — about 85-90 dates a year, he estimates.
“Ironically, most people think I do music full-time, but I do have a ‘day gig,’ Block says, “a great and fulfilling job in medical infusion sales.”
He’s married to Jean Block, chief legal counsel for the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and a former Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honoree. The couple met 15 years ago at a gig in Kansas, where Rodney was living and where Jean obtained her law degree and specialized training with the Tribal Law and Government Center.
When asked how long he’s been a musician, Block laughs and says it feels like a lifetime, but the last 13 years have been more professional, as he’s increased frequency and the type of gigs.
And while the trumpet is Block’s specialty, this man of many talents can also play an array of other brass instruments, including the trombone, the baritone sax and the tuba, “and I dabble on drums,” he adds nonchalantly, as if it’s as easy as changing a pair of shoes.
A Dumas native and UofA at Monticello speech communications grad, Block says he learned about music in school and church. “The late Lawanna Hunt-Walker served as an early musical mentor for me and many, many young people from southeast Arkansas,” he remembers. As for other musical mentors, Block says Miles Davis has always been an inspiration to him both musically and from a fashion perspective.
“If you look at images of Miles from the ’50s-’90s he changed with the times, while at the same time being a trendsetter. His style changed as his music evolved through time.”
Of all the gigs he’s played in the past decade, there are two that Block says remain the most memorable. The first was in 2009, when he participated in a music tour in Recife, Brazil. “I remember the very first concert, walking into a packed club and not knowing the native language or anything,” he recalls. “I was really a man in a strange land, but once I started playing the jazz music, the audience and the band became connected. The music connected us.”
Then last year, Block and The Real Music Lovers performed at North Little Rock’s Laman Library. “We did an impromptu New Orleans second line processional with all the kids attending the concert. That was a pretty moving sight to see all these kids marching around the room and playing the instruments. Again, music connects us all.”
ENCORE
Tools of the trade: Block’s trumpet was made 13 years ago and modeled after the Monette Trumpets brand for Edwards Instruments. His trumpet — dubbed Sweet Baby — was the prototype for the new generation of trumpets for Edwards Instruments, endorsed by celebrity musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. “[Sweet Baby is] a running joke with me and my brother Tyrone Block, an accomplished musician in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” Block says. “We have always called our horns ‘Sweet Baby.’ We came up with the name sometime between high school and college, and it just stuck!”
Favorite pieces: My favorite tune to play is Miles Davis’ version of ‘It Never Entered My Mind.’ Also, I like to perform tunes with a groove feel.
Albums released: “Steel” and “Outside the Box”
Awards: “In 2007 I was nominated for a regional Emmy for the musical feature, ‘AETN Presents: Front Row’; in 2012, I was featured in the documentary, ‘Up Among the Hills,’ narrated by President Bill Clinton; in 2013, I was nominated for Platinum Awards Artist of the Year.“
Dumas native Rodney Block, shown here with his trumpet Sweet Baby, says his mentors include Miles Davis and the late Lawanna Hunt-Walker. Suit by Tramaine Richardson.
Dumas native Rodney Block, shown here with his trumpet Sweet Baby, says his mentors include Miles Davis and the late Lawanna Hunt-Walker. Suit by Tramaine Richardson.