Roy Hargrove Hard Groove CD

"I'll Stay" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

Having previously explored such varying genres as classic bebop on PARKER'S MOOD, and Latin swing in HABANA, Roy Hargrove turns his attention to urban R&B with this consistently entertaining set. HARD GROOVE is one of the more adventurous albums in the trumpeter's Verve catalogue, featuring hip-hop artists such as Q-Tip and sophisticated R&B singers Erykah Badu and D'Angelo.

As you'd expect from such company, the music is smooth as Courvoisier, especially on such grooving soul cuts as "Forget Regret," with Stephanie Mackay's tough-but-fragile vocals reminiscent of Randy Crawford's work with the Crusaders. And of course Hargrove can't resist a cursory nod to Miles Davis on the all-too-brief "Interlude," with its urban ambience. Mostly, though, HARD GROOVE is that rare delight--high-quality jazz-funk that avoids straying into the realms of lite jazz. Hargrove's tasteful, lyrically swinging trumpet is a constant pleasure, while the impeccably credentialed musicianship negotiates its way through the jazz- and R&B-inflected arrangements with practiced ease.

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, New York between January & September 2002.

The RH Factor: Roy Hargrove (arranger, trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards, bass, percussion); Keith Anderson (alto & tenor saxophones); Jacques Schwarz-Bart (tenor saxophone); James Poyser (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Bernard Wright (piano, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, ARP synthesizer); Bobby Sparks (Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, ARP synthesizer); Spanky, Cornell Dupree (guitar); Pino Palladino, Reggie Washington (bass); Willie Jones III, Jason Thomas (drums).

Producers: Roy Hargrove, Jason Olaine, Russell Elevado.

Additional personnel: D'Angelo (vocals, Wurlitzer piano); Renee Neufville, Stephanie McKay, Shelby Johnson, Erykah Badu (vocals); Common, Q-Tip (rap vocals); Steve Coleman (alto saxophone); Karl Denson (flute); Meshell Ndegeocello (bass); Kwaku Obeng (percussion).Entertainment Weekly (6/13/03, pp.96-7) - "...A mix that stresses thick bass, heavy backbeats, and danceable grooves..." - Rating: B
CMJ (5/19/03, p.8) - "...Tightly focused funk-Jazz and laid-back Hip-Hop/soul is fleshed out over the album's 14 tracks, making for both perfect dinner party music and great headphone listening for those with an obsession for precise sonic analysis..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/03, p.111) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...HARD GROOVE is stuffed to the gunwales with top notch guests, and the atmosphere is like a rootsy hip hop-soul version of those Quincy Jones jam session albums..."