What's so good about Roy Hargrove?

Before we begin, I must reveal my bias. I'm a trumpet player. And so any other trumpet player with outstanding sound and technique is going to rank fairly high on my list. But that's not all that's good about Roy Hargrove...

A quick look at some of Hargrove's acclaimed projects reveals the breadth of his ability. He won Grammy awards in 1997 (Best Latin Jazz Performance with his Cuban-based band Crisol) and 2002 (Best Instrumental Jazz Album for his contribution to Directions in Music, the Herbie Hancock-led tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane). In 2003 he introduced the world to his funk/hip-hop/jazz collective the RH Factor; and in 2010 he appeared at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival fronting a big band. It could be said that every album he's released has been different from the previous album.

A few things appeal to me in particular about Roy's playing. First is his sound. Oftentimes when a player's technique is discussed, what's being referred to is his or her ability to easily get around the instrument - high, low, fast, slow. Roy's got that ability, but he's also got incredible control over his sound. It's beautiful, round and full, but in the middle of an intense solo, he easily converts it to a fiery force with which to be reckoned. Second is his ability to truly tell a story when soloing. With Roy it seems to not be all about technique - he builds on each phrase, extending it out to complete a musical paragraph. Check it out (Roy's solo starts at about 5:38):

The third thing I notice about Roy's playing is how funky it is. In a group like the RH Factor, that may be expected; but even in his quintet, Roy not only swings - he grooves. Here's a track that demonstrates these various aspects: the melody shows off the ease with which he gets around the horn; his solo (which starts at about 4:15) starts off simply but then builds to a fever pitch, showing off his range of sound; and the whole thing just grooves like crazy.

We talk a lot these days about the cross-over between jazz and hip-hop, and there are a number of musicians who have garnered attention for recent "genre-bending" albums. A mix of jazz, gospel, funk and hip-hop has been a part of Roy Hargrove's playing and composing for years; with projects like the RH Factor he has explicitly explored the relationship between jazz and other genres. These musical explorations, coupled with his technique on the instrument, has inspired a generation of musicians. Here he is talking a bit about the evolution of jazz - from swing to hip hop:

The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Roy along with Justin Robinson on alto sax & flute, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Ameem Saleem on bass, and Quincy Phillips on drums) performs on Friday, June 27, 8 pm at Jane Mallett Theatre. Buy tickets now or, for more information, go to his concert page.

See in person one of the most important trumpet players on the jazz scene today.

Josh