Home » Jazz Articles » Roy Hargrove
Jazz Articles about Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove: Earfood
by Tom Greenland
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove's 15th release, Earfood, is one of his best, showing that this not-so-young lion is in top shape. The disc features Justin Robinson (alto/flute), Gerald Clayton (piano), Danton Boller (bass) and Montez Coleman (drums), with Robinson's gushing alto ebullience, slightly loose around the edges, the perfect foil for Hargrove's eclectic moods, which range from brash and feisty to moody and introspective. Clayton is a real find, who 'speaks' swing, blues and gospel with fluency and feeling.
read moreRoy Hargrove: Earfood
by C. Michael Bailey
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove emerged into jazz consciousness as one of the “young lions" who beamed into the late 1980s and early 1990s. Other notable contemporary trumpeters include Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, Kermit Ruffins, and Wallace Roney. All are associated with different genre traditions, Hargrove's being most closely associated with Lee Morgan.Hargrove's association with Morgan's style nevertheless has not prevented the young trumpeter from approaching music from a broad perspective. Hargrove and his Latin-Cuban band, Crisol, won a Grammy ...
read moreThe Roy Hargrove Quintet: Earfood
by Ian Patterson
In the liner notes, trumpeter Roy Hargrove declares that Earfood was recorded to bring pleasure to the listener. This may seem like a superfluous statement, after all, which artist doesn't want to please the listening public? What Hargrove means, is that the aim of the game is to offer up catchy melodies with a minimum of unnecessary artistic baggage; tunes as opposed to ambience, sweet harmony in place of dissonance. There isn't a fractured rhythm within earshot, nor an obscure ...
read moreRoy Hargrove: Two Views as a Sideman, With Jimmy Cobb and Anke Helfrich
by Ken Dryden
Roy Hargrove has been one of the most active jazz musicians of his generation, appearing on numerous record dates as a sideman each year in addition to leading his own CDs. The trumpeter/flugelhornist recently appeared with veteran drummer Jimmy Cobb's quartet, along with a 2005 disc by German pianist Anke Helfrich, with sterling results. Jimmy Cobb Quartet Cobb's Corner Chesky 2007 Cobb's Corner features Hargrove as the primary soloist, ...
read moreThe RH Factor: Distractions
by Chris M. Slawecki
A straight-up hard bop player of often stunning ability, Roy Hargrove (RH) needs to play more than straight-up hard bop, and sometimes he embarks on outside projects like The RH Factor for explorations beyond the jazz repertoire. He performs on trumpet and flugelhorn here, with an experimental laboratory that includes a double rhythm section (bassists Reggie Washington and Lenny Stalworth; drummers Jason “JT Thomas and Willie Jones III), guitarist Todd Parsnow, and three keyboard players (Bobby Sparks, Charles McCambell, Renee ...
read moreRoy Hargrove: Nothing Serious
by Russ Musto
Despite the nonchalance of its title, Nothing Serious may be Roy Hargrove's best disc yet. The first working band outing by the genre-leaping trumpeter since 1993's Of Kindred Souls features a cohesive quintet with alto saxophonist Justin Robinson, pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Willie Jones III, augmented on three selections by special guest trombonist Slide Hampton.The opening title track, composed by Venezuelan guitarist Leo Quintero, is a melodious Latin jazz tour de force with powerful ...
read moreRoy Hargrove Quintet in Seattle
by Christopher Jones
If you like flashy solos and the 'head-solo-solo-solo-head' school of group jazz, you'll like the Roy Hargrove Quintet. If you're looking for something else in your jazz, you might need to look elsewhere. This is not a criticism of Hargrove's quintet, which is currently in the midst of a five-day run at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley in Seattle. Rather, it is an honest appraisal of the music towards which the group seems to gravitate: straightforward, no-nonsense modern jazz. No new trails ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 22
