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(More customer reviews)Five HUGE Stars!! Jazz music flourishes in the hands of double Grammy-winner Roy Hargrove: hands holding both his flaming trumpet & flugelhorn and his brilliantly arranged themes and compositions. Roy Hargrove continues to showcase his brilliant trumpet virtuosity, open and muted, both of which escape the spell of Miles. This is one of the most approachable and enjoyable CDs of the year: carrying a definite Blue Note 1960's tinge at times (which is to say-timeless) and at other times just plain great modern Hargrove music. Mr Hargrove is assisted by a highly talented group of musicians which includes: Justin Robinson on alto/tenor sax and flute, Gerald Clayton on piano, Danton Boller on bass, and Montez Coleman on drums, all of whom solo brilliantly and interplay in a highly empathetic way. The rhythm section is particularly impressive as are Messrs. Clayton and Robinson, individually. Roy's goal was to produce enjoyable, engaging, unpretentious music and he succeeded on all levels!!
The 'best of the best' begins with Cedar Walton's marvelous "I'm Not So Sure" with Roy blowing hot liquid notes in a great solo and his band-mates likewise soloing assuredly in a song cast with a gospel/funk glow. "Joy Is Sorrow Unmasked" is pure jazz beauty, voiced to perfection and soloed wonderfully. "Rouge" is wonderful unison playing all the way through, somewhat in the area code of Charles Mingus' "Self-Portrait in Three Colors", but still individualistic, and "Divine" has Roy in solo ballad mode on flugelhorn. "The Stinger" is a multi-tiered delight, with Justin Robinson getting off a great solo, showing some Cannonball influences. The funky playful "Strasbourg/St. Denis" has a laid-back beat and superb solos that emulate a bright sunny day and which stay in the mind for days. "Brown" is pushed along by Montez Coleman's rimshots and beautiful unison muted trumpet and sax. In all, a great jazz CD of 14 songs that is one of the best of 2008, so far. Bravo, Roy Hargrove!! My Highest Recommendation. Five Big Stars
(This review is based on an iTunes digital download.
Trivia: Roy Hargrove was 'discovered' by trumpet master Wynton Marsalis.)
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Ear Food"This recording was made to bring sonic pleasure to the listener," says trumpeter/bandleader Roy Hargrove about his sublime new album, Earfood, his debut Groovin' High/Emarcy Records. "Simple melodies moving around luscious chords allow [my working quintet] to capture attention and give a feeling of transcendence." Nicknaming the album Sound Nutrition, Hargrove delivers a 13-song collection of nutritious post-bop jazz that includes seven of his originals and six covers that range from the upbeat Cedar Walton crowd-pleaser "I'm Not So Sure" that opens the CD to the New Orleans-styled endsong, Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me." "This is my favorite way to play," says Hargrove, who, at 38, is one of a handful of jazz artists of his generation who have deservedly attained critical and commercial star status. "I like playing music that's considered classic jazz, especially now when it's hard to find musicians who deal with the jazz tradition. So many people are playing the `new and improved' jazz, which alienates a lot of the audience. I'm not afraid to play the blues and soul, and I like to try to be innovative. But I prefer the standards sound. If you get too far from that, what's the point?"
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