Roy Hargrove Habana CD

ROY HARGROVE'S CRISOL HABANA won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.

At last, this highly touted, heretofore conservative Young Lion makes his move beyond neo-bop toward something new, fresh, and potentially important. He had to go to Havana to find it, starting with some jam sessions with Cuba's Los Van Van dance band in February 1996, which led to the formation of an exciting ten-piece U.S./Cuban band called Crisol. True, this album is a somewhat subdued recorded debut; as heard at the Playboy Jazz Festival in June 1997, Crisol is obviously capable of real thermal combustion. But one can still hear the embryo of its complex fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythm, bop, and progressive jazz impulses on this disc. Hargrove himself still seems dazzled by his new discovery, groping a bit for direction in his own solos. But challenged by the asymmetrical rhythms, he takes more chances and jaggedly strikes some fire. Irakere's Chucho Valdes, an awesome pianist and progressive-minded musician, is one of the anchors of the band, and Russell Malone contributes some of his meatiest, most driven guitar work. The tune that remains most indelible in the memory is trombonist Frank Lacy's "O My Seh Yeh," which opens and closes the CD in neat, bookended fashion. But the most promising track is a smoking arrangement of Kenny Dorham's "Afrodisia," where the heat of this cross-cultural exchange rises well above room temperature. One can only hope that U.S. and Cuban politicos will forego their usual roadblocks and allow these meetings to continue. ~ Richard S. Ginell

Recorded at Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto, Italy on January 5 & 6, 1997. Includes liner notes by Larry Blumenfeld.

Personnel: Roy Hargrove (trumpet, flugelhorn); Gary Bartz (soprano & alto saxophone); David Sanchez (soprano & tenor saxophone); Frank Lacy (trombone); Jesus "Chucho" Valdes, John Hicks (piano); Russell Malone (guitar); Jorge Reyes (electric bass); John Benitez (bass); Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Idris Muhammad (drums); Miguel "Anga" Diaz (congas); Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana (timbales).

Down Beat (7/97, p.62) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Roy Hargrove ups the ante....with such a large gathering of top-notch musical colleagues, Hargrove keeps his solos exhilaratingly focused, blowing with passion..."
Vibe (8/97, p.152) - "...HABANA...is the trumpeter's first journey into Latin jazz as a leader. His 11-piece band of American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban musicians builds momentum with Latin percussion, and crowns it with a four-piece horn section..."
Option (9-10/97, p.98) - "...Hargrove is all over the place with excellent trumpet solos....a first-class addition to the annals of Latin jazz, one that rocks from beginning to end."