Spotlight: Roy Hargrove

I inadvertently missed out on the true greatness which was known as Roy Hargrove. As a jazz lover who, in turn, loved the sound of a trumpet, particularly that “muted” sound, I should have been all up in his phenomenal world. Although he learned from and was influenced by many (he attributes Freddie Hubbard as having had the greatest influence on his instrumental voice), he left his own mark on the jazz scene and beyond. In 1990, Hargrove presented us with his debut solo album, Diamond In The Rough. He released three (3) other albums, also in the early nineties, which were lauded as having found their place among the most commercially successful jazz albums. It seems that he rubbed elbows with quite a few masters of jazz, citing Wynton Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, and Kenny Washington just to name a few. Unfortunately for him, and for us as well, an ongoing illness overtook him in 2018. He will be missed by one and all, and we are fortunate that his music lives on. I leave you with Diamond In The Rough (1990), and my personal favorite, Nothing Serious (2006).

Jazz, jazz, and nothing but jazz. Mostly.

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