| | Roy Hargrove Hard Groove CD Roy Hargrove Discography of CDs
 (2 Customer Reviews)
"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..." Hard Groove Music | List Price | $18.98 (You save $3.93) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Jazz Instrument CDs, Jazz | | Label | Verve | | Orig Year | 2003 | | All Time Sales Rank |  14657  | | CD Universe Part number | 5857059 | | Catalog number | 065192 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | May 20, 2003 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Personnel | Common, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Karl Denson, Renee Neufville, Stephanie McKay, Steve Coleman, Kwaku Obeng, Shelby Johnson, Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello |
Roy Hargrove Hard Groove Songs Hard Groove Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)  Fantastic and Unique
This new Roy Hargrove (RH Factor) album is amazing. I've heard nothing like it. He blends fusion, jazz, hip-hop, and electronics to create completely fresh, new, and original sound. You hear a lot of artists trying to combine types of music, but on this album there are just elements all blended to create one form that is solely its own. The album is very catchy, but at the same time very deep. I have listened to it countless times already and I've only had it for a week. Roy Hargrove is a virtuoso, using his abilities along with effects to enhance his playing. There are also some great cameos on this album (Common, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Me'shell Ndgeocello, Steve Coleman) that keep a real fresh feel to the whole thing. I'd recommend this album to any music-lover.
Submitted by a reviewer (Plano, TX, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No worldwide underground
it's hard to describe this album. it's just awesome! roy hargrove is guiding music to another level with this one. he is setting new standards. when you hear album's like this, a large quantity of music becomes unsatisfactory because of its lack of creativity and courage.
Submitted by a reviewer (Ft. Worth, TX)
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ETERNAL proves (yet again) that saxophonist Branford Marsalis, though no longer a "young lion" of jazz, still has a strong, unique musical voice. This 2004 album begins with "The Ruby and the Pearl," a somber tune that suggests an Argentinean tango. On this selection, Marsalis's soprano sax glides effortlessly over the understated rhythms. The title track is really a tone poem; it tells the story of the universe through both large, sweeping gestures and soft, delicate colors. Over 17 minutes long, this work is an extended ...
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Though it's billed as an EP, STRENGTH is 45 minutes long, and certainly has enough content to qualify for full-length status. RH Factor is jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove's electric jazz-funk alter-ego; under this moniker, the erstwhile straight-ahead jazzman neatly solves the problem that's been plaguing musicians since the early 1970s--how do you mix jazz with funk and electric instruments without sounding like Miles Davis? While the roiling R&B grooves and percolating keyboard riffs that frame Hargrove's terse trumpet lines are somewhat in the lineage of ON THE CORNER, JACK JOHNSON, et al, there's a distinctly contemporary ...
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