Famed Portland Jazz Trumpeter and Educator Thara Memory Has Died

The Grammy-winning musician achieved his greatest fame as a mentor. He had been indicted on charges of sexual abuse earlier this year.

Thara Memory
By Matthew Singer

Thara Memory, the Grammy-winning Portland jazz musician and educator, died Saturday night. He was 68 years old.

A fixture of the Portland jazz scene, Memory came to Portland from Florida in the 1970s. Though known as a virtuoso trumpet player, he achieved his greatest fame as a mentor.

He taught at Wilson High School and established the American Music Program at King Elementary School. In 2013, he won a Grammy for his arrangement of "City of Roses," a song performed by his best-known protege, Esperanza Spalding.

Related: "How Portland is keeping jazz alive and raising its next generation."

In February, Memory was indicted on charges of third-degree sexual abuse involving four alleged female victims, two of whom were under the age of 18. The alleged crimes had not yet been adjudicated at the time of his death.

While a cause of death has not been announced, Memory had been in failing health for several years, suffering from diabetes and kidney problems.

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