Roy Hargrove
Encyclopedia
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American
jazz
trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Award
s for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002. Hargrove has played primarily with jazz musicians with stellar careers, from Wynton Marsalis
to Herbie Hancock
.
Hargrove is the bandleader
of the progressive group the RH Factor, which combines elements of jazz
, funk
, hip-hop, soul
, and gospel music
. Its members include Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, Pino Palladino
, James Poyser
, Jonathan Batiste
and Bernard Wright
.
, Texas
, to parents who early in his childhood discovered his musical potential, and with lessons on the trumpet, was discovered as a potential jazz talent when trumpet
player Wynton Marsalis
visited his high school, Dallas's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
. One of his influences was saxophone
player David "Fathead" Newman
, who performed in Ray Charles
' Band at Hargrove's junior high school.
Hargrove spent one year (1988–1989) studying at Boston's Berklee College of Music
, but could more often be found in New York City jam sessions, and finally transferred to the New School
, in New York. His first recording there was with the saxophonist Bobby Watson
. Shortly afterwards he made a recording with Superblue
featuring Watson, Mulgrew Miller
, and Kenny Washington
. In 1990 he released his first solo album
, Diamond in the Rough, on the Novus/RCA label, along with four other albums.
Between April 1991 - February 1993 Hargrove frequently joined the Arnold Strickland Trio at the French bistro restaurant Cuckoo's in NYC's Upper East Side. Several recordings of this time period reveal Roy at what is considered as his most provocative.
In 1993 he was commissioned by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and wrote The Love Suite: In Mahogany. Hargrove won a Grammy Award
in 1998 for the album Habana
with the Afro-Cuban band he founded, "Crisol".
Hargrove moved on, recording Family in 1995, and then, experimenting with other musicians, as part of a trio, the album Parker's Mood, in 1995 with bassist Christian McBride
and Stephen Scott
on keyboards.
In 1994, still with Verve
, he took the opportunity to record with some of the major jazz musicians on With the Tenors of Our Time
, including Joe Henderson
, Stanley Turrentine
, Johnny Griffin
, Joshua Redman
, and Branford Marsalis
.
Hargrove moved toward a jazz sound with a lot of groove and funk in it, performing and recording with nu soul singer D'Angelo
, resulting in Voodoo in 2000.
In 2002, he collaborated with D'Angelo
and other soul artists, Macy Gray
, The Soultronics
, and Nile Rodgers
, on two tracks for Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to the music of afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti
.
He acted as sideman
for jazz pianist Shirley Horn
, rapper Common, on the album Like Water for Chocolate
in 2002, and the following year, singer Erykah Badu
, Worldwide Underground
. Nowadays he fronts a big band
aptly named the "Roy Hargrove Big Band".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002. Hargrove has played primarily with jazz musicians with stellar careers, from Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
to Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
.
Hargrove is the bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
of the progressive group the RH Factor, which combines elements of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, hip-hop, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Its members include Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
, Jonathan Batiste
Jonathan Batiste
Jonathan Batiste is a musician, educator and entertainer from Kenner, Louisiana, United States.-Biography:Jonathan is a member of a long lineage of musicians from the Batiste family of Louisiana. He was introduced to music by his family's band, the Batiste Brothers Band, in which he played...
and Bernard Wright
Bernard Wright
Bernard Wright is an American funk and jazz keyboardist who began his career as a session musician and later released several solo albums in the 1980s....
.
Biography
Hargrove was born October 16, 1969 in WacoWaco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, to parents who early in his childhood discovered his musical potential, and with lessons on the trumpet, was discovered as a potential jazz talent when trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
visited his high school, Dallas's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is a public secondary school located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . Booker T. Washington High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is the Dallas Independent School District's arts magnet school...
. One of his influences was saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player David "Fathead" Newman
David Newman (jazz musician)
David "Fathead" Newman was an American jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Corsicana, Texas, Newman's professional career as a musician began in 1954 as a member of the Ray Charles Band....
, who performed in Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
' Band at Hargrove's junior high school.
Hargrove spent one year (1988–1989) studying at Boston's Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, but could more often be found in New York City jam sessions, and finally transferred to the New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, in New York. His first recording there was with the saxophonist Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson is an American post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Watson now has 26 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role...
. Shortly afterwards he made a recording with Superblue
Superblue (band)
Superblue was an American jazz ensemble that released two albums for Blue Note Records in 1988 and 1989.-Supeblue:Superblue featured an octet including Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Frank Lacy, Bill Pierce, Kenny Washington, Don Sickler, Bob Hurst.#"Open Sesame"#"I Remember...
featuring Watson, Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller is an American jazz pianist who performs in a number of jazz idioms. He began his career as member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.-Biography:...
, and Kenny Washington
Kenny Washington (musician)
Kenny Washington is a jazz drummer born in Staten Island, New York.He studied at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts...
. In 1990 he released his first solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Diamond in the Rough, on the Novus/RCA label, along with four other albums.
Between April 1991 - February 1993 Hargrove frequently joined the Arnold Strickland Trio at the French bistro restaurant Cuckoo's in NYC's Upper East Side. Several recordings of this time period reveal Roy at what is considered as his most provocative.
In 1993 he was commissioned by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and wrote The Love Suite: In Mahogany. Hargrove won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1998 for the album Habana
Habana (album)
Habana is an album by Roy Hargrove's Crisol. In 1998, the album won Hargrove and the band the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.-Track listing:# "O My Seh Yeh" – 9:59# "Una Mas" – 8:06# "Dream Traveler" – 5:23...
with the Afro-Cuban band he founded, "Crisol".
Hargrove moved on, recording Family in 1995, and then, experimenting with other musicians, as part of a trio, the album Parker's Mood, in 1995 with bassist Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
and Stephen Scott
Stephen Scott (jazz pianist)
Stephen Scott is an African American jazz pianist. As a solo artist he has recorded for Verve Records and Enja Records.-As leader:...
on keyboards.
In 1994, still with Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
, he took the opportunity to record with some of the major jazz musicians on With the Tenors of Our Time
With the Tenors of Our Time
-Track listing: # "Soppin' The Biscuit" – 7:59# "When We Were One" – 5:59# "Valse Hot" – 6:57# "Once Forgotten" – 5:45# "Shade Of Jade" – 5:24# "Greens At The Chicken Shack" – 5:45# "Never Let Me Go" – 5:36# "Serenity" – 5:35...
, including Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
, Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
, Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
, Joshua Redman
Joshua Redman
Joshua Redman is an American jazz saxophonist and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991.-Biography:...
, and Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
.
Hargrove moved toward a jazz sound with a lot of groove and funk in it, performing and recording with nu soul singer D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
, resulting in Voodoo in 2000.
In 2002, he collaborated with D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
and other soul artists, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, The Soultronics
The Soultronics
The Soultronics was an American R&B and neo soul supergroup that served as the backing band for musician D'Angelo in 2000 during The Voodoo Tour, the supporting tour for his second studio album Voodoo...
, and Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, on two tracks for Red Hot & Riot, a compilation CD in tribute to the music of afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
.
He acted as sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
for jazz pianist Shirley Horn
Shirley Horn
Shirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist.-Biography:Encouraged by her grandmother, who was an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. At twelve, Horn studied piano and composition at Howard University and later majored from there in classical music...
, rapper Common, on the album Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate (album)
Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by American hip hop rapper Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for Common, receiving generally favorable reviews from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in...
in 2002, and the following year, singer Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, Worldwide Underground
Worldwide Underground
Worldwide Underground is the third studio album by American R&B and neo soul musician Erykah Badu, released September 16, 2003 on Motown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block and her performing on the Frustrated Artist Tour...
. Nowadays he fronts a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
aptly named the "Roy Hargrove Big Band".
As leader
- 1989: Diamond in the Rough (Novus)
- 1990: Public Eye (Novus)
- 1991: Tokyo Sessions (Novus)
- 1992: The Vibe (Novus)
- 1993: Of Kindred Souls (Live) (Novus)
- 1994: With the Tenors of Our TimeWith the Tenors of Our Time-Track listing: # "Soppin' The Biscuit" – 7:59# "When We Were One" – 5:59# "Valse Hot" – 6:57# "Once Forgotten" – 5:45# "Shade Of Jade" – 5:24# "Greens At The Chicken Shack" – 5:45# "Never Let Me Go" – 5:36# "Serenity" – 5:35...
– The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Verve) - 1994: Approaching Standards (Jive/Novus)
- 1995: Family (Verve)
- 1995: Parker's Mood – with Christian McBrideChristian McBrideChristian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
(bass), and Stephen ScottStephen Scott (jazz pianist)Stephen Scott is an African American jazz pianist. As a solo artist he has recorded for Verve Records and Enja Records.-As leader:...
(piano) (Verve) - 1997: HabanaHabana (album)Habana is an album by Roy Hargrove's Crisol. In 1998, the album won Hargrove and the band the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.-Track listing:# "O My Seh Yeh" – 9:59# "Una Mas" – 8:06# "Dream Traveler" – 5:23...
– Crisol (Verve) - 2000: Moment to Moment (Verve,)
- 2003: Hard Groove (RH Factor, Verve)
- 2004: Strength (RH Factor, Verve)
- 2006: Distractions (RH Factor, Verve)
- 2006: Nothing Serious – The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Verve)
- 2008: Ear Food – The Roy Hargrove Quintet (Emarcy)
- 2009: Emergence – The Roy Hargrove Big Band (Emarcy)
As sideman
- 1988: with SuperblueSuperblue (band)Superblue was an American jazz ensemble that released two albums for Blue Note Records in 1988 and 1989.-Supeblue:Superblue featured an octet including Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Frank Lacy, Bill Pierce, Kenny Washington, Don Sickler, Bob Hurst.#"Open Sesame"#"I Remember...
: Superblue (Blue Note RecordsBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) - 1995: with Shirley HornShirley HornShirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist.-Biography:Encouraged by her grandmother, who was an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. At twelve, Horn studied piano and composition at Howard University and later majored from there in classical music...
: The Main IngredientThe Main Ingredient (Shirley Horn album)-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album four stars and said that "This Shirley Horn CD is a little unusual, as it was recorded at her home. The four sessions utilized some of her favorite musicians...As usual, virtually all of the songs are taken at slow tempos, with "All or...
(VerveVerve RecordsVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
) - 1995: with Christian McBrideChristian McBrideChristian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
: Gettin' To It - 1995: with Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
: Damn! - 1996: with Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
: Angel Eyes - 2000: with Erykah BaduErykah BaduErica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
: Mama's GunMama's GunMama's Gun is the second studio album by American recording artist Erykah Badu, released November 21, 2000, on Motown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1999 to 2000 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City... - 2000: with D'AngeloD'AngeloMichael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
: Voodoo - 2000: with Common: Like Water for ChocolateLike Water for Chocolate (album)Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by American hip hop rapper Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for Common, receiving generally favorable reviews from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in...
- 2003: with Erykah Badu: Worldwide UndergroundWorldwide UndergroundWorldwide Underground is the third studio album by American R&B and neo soul musician Erykah Badu, released September 16, 2003 on Motown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block and her performing on the Frustrated Artist Tour...
- 2003: with Shirley HornShirley HornShirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist.-Biography:Encouraged by her grandmother, who was an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. At twelve, Horn studied piano and composition at Howard University and later majored from there in classical music...
: May the Music Never EndMay the Music Never EndMay the Music Never End is a 2003 studio album by Shirley Horn, it was Horn's last studio album. -Reception:The Allmusic review by Tim Sendra awarded the album four stars and said that "Horn's trademark sound is the sparse, languid torch song, with atmospheric piano chords and her gentle and...
(Verve) - 2006: with John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
: Continuum - 2008: with John BeasleyJohn BeasleyJohn Beasley may refer to:*John Beasley , American actor*John Beasley , American basketball player*John Beasley , American football player...
: Letter to Herbie - 2010: with Angelique Kidjo: Samba Pa Ti on album Õÿö
- 2011: with Cyrille Aimée: Cyrille Aimée & Friends (Live at Smalls)