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Roy Hargrove
  Roy Hargrove  
Biography
Roy Hargrove


"Camaraderie" could be the best word to describe the attitude and the personality of this young musician, trumpet player - composer & producer Roy Hargrove, age 37, born in 1969.
"Camaraderie" a French word, is the fourth tune of his most recent album NOTHING SERIOUS & DISTRACTIONS, a release of 2 Cds (both which can be purchased separately). These albums uniqueness aim to amateurs of either "Funk Music" or classical Jazz. Roy, trumpet player- composer-producer, can’t choose between music said "serious" (known as boring for some) like Jazz, and dance music "Funk music"... Released under the label VERVE and staying his own music producer, ROY HARGROVE gives us 2 visions of his musical universe.
The first one, NOTHING SERIOUS, Jazzier, (in a quintet which include the legendary trombone player SLIDE HAMPTON, born in 1932) and the second one titled DISTRACTIONS, for the Funkier music lovers. With this opus Roy brings us to this variable geometry formation, as he names it "Rh FACTOR". In these releases we find names such as, his good friend the bass player REGGIE WASHINGTON, the charming vocalist RENEE NEUFVILLE (singer from the Group ZHANE) and the legendary sax player DAVID "FAHEAD" NEWMAN (born in 1933) who played with RAY CHARLES for many years.

Biography

No use to emphasize that the groove and the funk fusing together are having a blast. It is solid, hard as a rock, even though, the earth beneath our feet seems to be moving & fluid.
It will have taken 3 years of preparation & studio time, between the release of these 2 cds and the preceding one that came out in 2003, named: "Hard Groove". ROY HARGROVE, nevertheless stays a prolific musician with no less than 15 albums under his own name all released since 1995. He also plays as a sidemen for celebrities such as: SHIRLEY HORN, JOHNY GRIFFIN, HERBIE HANCOCK, MICHAEL BRECKER, JIMMY SMITH, AARON NEVILLE, and for movie scores at the side of DIANA KRULL or the regretted DINAH WASHINGTON. In 1974 FRANCK ZAPPA said: » Jazz is not Dead, but it smells Funny »…
Well… he was mistaken. The new generation of musicians who would eventually relieve the historical figures of Jazz was still wearing shorts. Some like ROY HARGROVE were just starting learning their scales. However, FRANCK ZAPPA, being an avant–garde musician had not, integrated the FREE JAZZ with its basic rhythmic structures and de- structured melodic, like many others.
Born in WACO, Texas in 1969, Roy like most African Americans is brought to church by his parents, where the songs of the gospel seduced him. Back at home he also listened to rhythm’ blues on the radio. Roy learned to play the cornet and studied music as soon as he started college. At the age of 9, he had chosen the cornet as his musical instrument. Later on, in 1978 he will opt for the trumpet. At 16, he kept up with music studies in Dallas at the prestigious school of Booker T Washington School, where he acquired a very advanced level of music. In 1987, he attracted the attention of WINTON MARSALIS (8 years older than him), who was visiting the music school. WYNTON was giving his famous Jazz Clinic at the college where Roy was learning music. Impressed by Roy’s knowledge, his personality and his talent, he asked him to join his orchestra at Forth Worth Caravan of Dreams Performing Arts Center. At 19, during one year, Roy continued to perfect his art in Boston at the Boston Berklee School of Music till 1989. His passion for music took him to go back and forth from Boston to New York where his goal was to get to play in jam sessions. This situation being tiring & quite expensive, he decided to transfer his application to the New York’s New School. This was the beginning of his career. That same year (1989) he recorded for the first time under the label NOVUS/RCA, the album title "Diamonds in the Rust". Then, everything went on a roll. In 1992, he was the guest player for SONNY ROLLINS in "Here to the people" Under the label MILESTONE. In1993, he went from the label NOVUS to VERVE. In 1994, came the VERVE release for the indispensable "Tenors of our time" with the participation of RON BLAKE, JOHNY GRIFFIN, BRANDFORD MARSALIS, JOSHUA REDMAN and STANLEY TURRENTINE. In 1996, he met the Cuban pianist CHUCHO VALDES & created the project; CRISOL. In 1998, He received a Grammy Award for "CRISOL HABANA" (VERVE). In 2002, it is the beginning of Rh Factor.

Since then, Roy’s personality doesn’t cease to grow as being one of the greatest musicians of our time, by creating the tie between the 2 musical styles. In conclusion, to quote ROY: "with Rh Factor my goal has always been to Try to erase the differences between the mainstream and the underground. The straight line and the hip – hop or the R n’ B. Some musicians know all there is to know about harmonies and melodies And others without real basics have a direct access to music, they play what they hear. If we can combine the two that can be quite innovative".
Actually… I confirm This…

 

Patrick Stevens [Just Soul]

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