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17.10.2008 г.

The Roy Hargrove Quartet - 2008 - Earfood


Roy Hargrove Quintet - Earfood
Emarcy (Groovin’ High/EmArcy)
Released July 29, 2008

Personnel:
Roy Hargrove: trumpet and flugelhorn
Justin Robinson: alto saxophone and flute
Gerald Clayton: piano
Danton Boller: bass
Montez Coleman: drums.

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove is the definition of a questing musician, having tried his hand at a number of different styles. From funk/hip-hop work on Hard Groove to Latin on Habana, Hargrove hasn’t always succeeded but he’s never been afraid to pursue. On Ear Food his road-tested straight-ahead quintet focuses on demonstrating how jazz can be some of the world’s most exciting and exhilarating music. Performing mostly originals, the focus is on the joy of playing at the highest levels with like-minded musicians. They never, however, forget that without an audience to “groove to it,” music is pedantic meandering.

Highlights include the delightful two-beat swinger “Strasbourg/St. Denis.” Gerald Clayton’s piano pops in perfect accord with Montez Coleman’s drum set accentuations, creating a colorful and vivid landscape from which Hargrove’s lines radiate. Ballads like “Joy Is Sorrow Unmasked” unleash Hargrove’s delicately balanced, full-bodied tone. The closing spirited gospel rendition of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me” perfectly caps what will certainly reign as one of 2008’s best jazz discs.

01 - I'm Not So Sure
02 - Brown
03 - Strasbourg-St. Denis
04 - Starmaker
05 - Joy Is Sorrow Unmasked
06 - The Stinger
07 - Rouge
08 - Mr. Clean
09 - Style
10 - Divine
11 - To Wisdom The Prize
12 - Speak Low
13 - Bring It On Home To Me