Roy Hargrove was not quite eleven when WRVR pulled its jazz format, but his energy and talent exemplified the creative spirit of jazz, and of the station in promoting emerging young artists. The jazz world experienced a great loss with the death of Hargrove on November 2nd from cardiac arrest at the young age of 49.
Hargrove, best know for his work on trumpet and flugelhorn, continued in the tradition of the great horn players who came before him, such as Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy, Miles, Clifford Brown and Woody Shaw, while crossing over to modern forms of jazz, hip-hop and R&B.
While not familiar with Hargrove’s contributions, I heard several tributes this morning on WBGO, including a performance of September in the Rain, that caught my attention, and piqued my curiosity about his career. The announcer commented that Roy owned this song, and I have to agree. Sharing this live performance of the song from 1995, which showcases Roy Hargrove leading his big band.
Four Square Miles of Noise 
Leave a Reply