Roy Hargrove Quintet
Earfood
Emarcy/Groovin’ High
By George W. Harris

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove is the essence of a jazz musician; he looks it, he feels it, and lives it. Every time I’ve seen him in concert, the gigs have been well paced, varied, and always containing Hargrove’s pure tone at its gorgeous best. This 13 track collection, more than half of which are originals, clocks in at almost 70 minutes, essentially comprising one live set of his at your local club, and capturing Hargrove at his lyrical and swinging best.

The band, including Gerald Clayton (p), Danton Boller (b), Montez Coleman (dr) and Justin Robinson (alto, flute), is right in the pocket, since they’ve been touring with Hargrove for quite some time. The band crackles with cohesion on Cedar Walton’s “I’m Not So Sure”, with Robinson’s alto particularly sharp and snappy. “Strasbourg/St. Denis” features a whirlwind interchange between Hargrove and Robinson that is like watching a high wire act without a net. Clayton is glossy and supportive on the ballads “Joy Is Sorrow Unmasked”, while “Divine” is self explanatory in beauty. All throughout, Hargrove is able to make the trumpet the golden sounding instrument it was created to be. One of his best releases to date.