Hard Groove

( 1 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Roberta Penn
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove follows his romantic, string-laden Moment to Moment with Hard Groove, a fairly fabulous fusion of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. Coming together as the RH Factor are contemporary jazz players Bernard Wright on keyboards and saxophonist Keith Anderson; Soulive saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart; R&B guitarist Chalmers “Spanky” Alford; old-school guitarist Cornell Dupree; gospel keyboardist Bobby Sparks; jazz bassist Reggie Washington; R&B bassist Meshell Ndegeocello; and a variety of drummers and vocalists. The title cut is an instrumental high point, flashing back to '70s soul jazz with a fresh horn arrangement rising out of the funk. “Pastor ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Roberta Penn
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove follows his romantic, string-laden Moment to Moment with Hard Groove, a fairly fabulous fusion of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. Coming together as the RH Factor are contemporary jazz players Bernard Wright on keyboards and saxophonist Keith Anderson; Soulive saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart; R&B guitarist Chalmers “Spanky” Alford; old-school guitarist Cornell Dupree; gospel keyboardist Bobby Sparks; jazz bassist Reggie Washington; R&B bassist Meshell Ndegeocello; and a variety of drummers and vocalists. The title cut is an instrumental high point, flashing back to '70s soul jazz with a fresh horn arrangement rising out of the funk. “Pastor T” hits the funk a little bit harder, but Hargrove’s trumpet oozes in and around the groove like melted butter on hotcakes. After an opening rap by Q-Tip, Erykah Badu sings lead on the spacey “Poetry.” Stephanie McKay, who is noted for her work with Tricky, is more interesting on “Forget Regret,” as is Shelby Johnson’s fragile voice on “How I Know.” The best of the guest vocalists is D’Angelo, whose singing builds to a howl on George Clinton’s “I’ll Stay.” Hargrove has played brilliantly on a number of R&B and hip-hop artists’ recordings, and the far-reaching Hard Groove should continue to expand his visibility beyond the jazz audience.
All Music Guide - Paula Edelstein
A new musical vision for ace jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove has manifested itself in the form of Hard Groove. This neo-soul/jazz project showcases Erykah Badu, Common, D'Angelo, Marc Cary, and jam band icon saxophonist Karl Denson on a 14-track set that is laden with funk, groove, freestyle rap poetry, and sultry hip-hop/R&B mood swings. Hargrove's interesting horn and keyboard improvisations stem from extensive knowledge of each musician's work and, perhaps even more importantly, from close personal friendships developed as an underground club jam session warrior in N.Y.C. He also plays flügelhorn and percussion, and adds background vocals on several compositions. Opening with "Hardgroove," the set eases into a groove that is skillfully combined with Hargrove's meticulous riffs and segues into the band's free interpretation of an all-out jam session. "Common Free Style" is just that, a free rap session crammed with intimate details. This team-up works, and Common's prose style is exemplary in his choice of words and inspiring atmosphere. As one of the ladies who sings with the band, Grammy-winning Erykah Badu presents a valuable addition to the literature of hip-hop and jazz on several levels. On "Poetry," her rap is an entertaining and unpretentious chronicle of knowing the way to go in life, recounted with honesty and sincerity. Overall, Roy Hargrove has evolved as a hipper version of himself and given his listeners an entirely new musical direction than that heard on his Grammy-winning release Habana or his sensuous ballad recording Moment to Moment. Hard Groove is simply an exploration of his multidimensional musical attributes and his belated recognition of years of "open-eared moonlighting." In any case, the ultra-hip trumpeter manages not to alienate his die-hard jazz fans by intersecting with many of the icons of hip-hop, R&B, and neo-soul. Highly recommended.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/20/2003
  • Label: Verve
  • UPC: 044006519227
  • Catalog Number: 065192
  • Sales rank: 48,199

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Hardgroove (5:31)
  2. 2 Common Free Style (5:57)
  3. 3 I'll Stay (7:50)
  4. 4 Interlude (0:59)
  5. 5 Pastor "T" (5:44)
  6. 6 Poetry (5:48)
  7. 7 The Joint (5:41)
  8. 8 Forget Regret (3:52)
  9. 9 Out of Town (3:58)
  10. 10 Liquid Streets (4:59)
  11. 11 Kwah/Home (6:00)
  12. 12 How I Know (4:56)
  13. 13 Juicy (6:34)
  14. 14 The Stroke (4:28)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
The RH Factor Primary Artist
Roy Hargrove Indexed Contributor, Bass, Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Steve Coleman Alto Saxophone, Guest Appearance
Bernard Wright Piano, Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Background Vocals, ARP
Marc Cary Wurlitzer
D'Angelo Vocals, Background Vocals, Wurlitzer, Guest Appearance
Cornell Dupree Guitar
Shelly Johnson Vocals, Guest Appearance
Gene Lake Drums
MeShell NdegeOcello Bass, Guest Appearance
Renee Neufville Vocals, Guest Appearance
Pino Palladino Bass
James Poyser Piano, Keyboards, Background Vocals, fender rhodes
Q-Tip Vocals, Guest Appearance
Reggie Washington Bass, Acoustic Bass
Karl Denson Flute, Guest Appearance
Stephanie McKay Vocals, Guest Appearance
Bobby Sparks Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Clavinet, ARP, fender rhodes
Jason Thomas Drums, Background Vocals
John Arthur Lee Bass
Erykah Badu Vocals, Guest Appearance
Anthony Hamilton Vocals, Guest Appearance
Daniel Moreno Percussion
Common Vocals, Guest Appearance
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng Percussion
Donte Winslow Background Vocals, Finger Snapping
Willie Jones III Drums
Jacques Schwarz-Bart Acoustic Guitar, Flute, Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Chalmers "Spanky" Alford Guitar
G. Craig "Butter" Glanville Drums, Background Vocals
Keith Loftis Tenor Saxophone
Maurice Brown Trumpet
Maurice Brown Background Vocals
Tony Suggs Hammond Organ
Keith Anderson Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Technical Credits
Roy Hargrove Arranger, Composer, Producer
Eddie Hazel Composer
George Clinton Composer
Larry Clothier Executive Producer
Russell Elevado Producer, Engineer
Chris Gehringer Mastering
Johnny Mandel Composer
Jason Olaine Producer
James Poyser Composer
Craig Glanville drum machine
B.J. Wright Composer
Stephen Jones Composer
Hollis King Art Direction
Steve Mandel Engineer
Rudy Guiterrez Illustrations
Esantis Washington Composer
Donte Winslow drum machine
Jacques Schwarz-Bart Composer
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Customer Reviews

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    How We Know

    This album of neo-soul gems further establishes Roy Hargrove as one of the "keepers of the flame" to two sets of American musical treasures, jazz, and now, soul. Hargrove has continually challenged himself and those with who he collaborates to expand the boundaries of their musicianship and incorporate the imagination and artistry of fellow collaborators. On this work, as with previous efforts, he and they have succeeded. The almost spare interpretations and perspectives on soul, funk and spoken word/rap sets a standard for others to emulate. Most pleasing are the appearances by Q-Tip, Common and Eryka Badu. This is a must have album for the true aficianado of soul - because that is where its from and that is where it connects.

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review