Roy Hargrove

在當(dāng)今的世界爵士樂壇，在各種Jam Session或者音樂家的比武臺(tái)上，沒有誰會(huì)像Roy Hargrove這樣生猛。咄咄氣勢，技巧傲人，同時(shí)又兼具迷人松弛的舞臺(tái)表現(xiàn)。
 
出生于德克薩斯州的Roy Hargrove，如今早已是紐約音樂界的焦點(diǎn)人物。21歲時(shí)，他就在知名的Novus唱片廠牌發(fā)行了首張專輯。在該廠牌下發(fā)行了4張成功的專輯后，Roy Hargrove轉(zhuǎn)簽老牌的爵士廠牌Verve，出版的專輯每張都是高水準(zhǔn)之作。除了他最著名的五重奏外，Hargrove還帶領(lǐng)一支大樂隊(duì)，集結(jié)了許多紐約年輕有為的音樂家。
 
Roy Hargrove受邀參與了許多專輯的錄制。其中不僅有同時(shí)代的音樂家，還包括爵士樂壇的不少前輩大師，如Oscar Peterson，Shirley Horn等。同時(shí)Roy Hargrove也受邀參加不少爵士名家的巡演，像Wynton Marsalis，Nicholas Payton和Jon Faddis等等。
 
小的時(shí)候，教堂的福音音樂和廣播上滾動(dòng)播放的R&B和Funk音樂，讓還在讀4年級(jí)的Roy Hargrove拿起了小號(hào)。16歲時(shí)，他開始在達(dá)拉斯享有盛譽(yù)的Booker T. Washington School for the Visual and Performing Arts學(xué)習(xí)音樂。還在念初中的他，當(dāng)時(shí)的技巧就已經(jīng)相當(dāng)嫻熟。
 
也是在這里學(xué)習(xí)的期間，Roy Hargrove被當(dāng)時(shí)已聲名顯赫的Wynton Marsalis發(fā)現(xiàn)，后者當(dāng)時(shí)正好在Hargrove的學(xué)校里講學(xué)。Wynton Marsalis對Hargrove的才華頗為驚訝，并邀請Hargrove加入他自己的樂隊(duì)。誰想，這次偶然的經(jīng)歷，讓Roy Hargrove在之后的3個(gè)月時(shí)間里，不斷有機(jī)會(huì)和像Dizzy Gillespie、Herbie Hancock、Freddie Hubbard、Bobby Hutcherson這樣的頂級(jí)爵士音樂家合作。當(dāng)時(shí)北海爵士音樂節(jié)的創(chuàng)始人Paul Ackett聽到了人們對Hargrove的高度評(píng)價(jià)，就邀請他在那年夏天參加音樂節(jié)的演出。而音樂節(jié)之后，Roy Hargrove又進(jìn)行了長達(dá)一個(gè)月的歐洲巡演。
 
可以說Roy Hargrove在Verve出的每張唱片都是對前一次的超越。同時(shí)，無數(shù)的音樂同行也為Hargrove的音樂才華傾倒，紛紛要請他同臺(tái)演出或錄制專輯，其中既有Sonny Rollins和Jackie McLean這樣傳奇式的爵士前輩，也有Natalie Cole，Diana Krall和Abbey Lincoln這樣的個(gè)性獨(dú)特的歌手；既有Diana Ross, Steve Tyrell, Kenny Rankin等流行樂隊(duì)的風(fēng)云人物，也有John Mayer, Rhian Benson等年輕一代的佼佼者。但最風(fēng)光的，還是帶著他自己的五重奏或RH Factor樂隊(duì)，或者以獨(dú)奏的形式，在全球各地的舞臺(tái)上讓成千上萬的樂迷為他的音樂所傾倒。
 
No musician on today's scene has kept alive the spirit of the afterhours jam session and the cutting contest as vigorously as Roy Hargrove. An aggressive, brilliant trumpeter, with a charming, relaxed stage manner - and even an easy style of singing when the mood takes him - Hargrove is always ready to play.
 
Born in Texas and now a feature of the New York scene, he made his major label debut at 21 for Novus. He made several more discs for that label until 1993, and has subsequently produced a string of high-quality albums for Verve. As well as fronting a regular quintet he also leads a big band packed with the cream of New York's younger talent.
 
He has been in demand as a guest on dozens of discs, from elder statesmen of the music such as Oscar Peterson and Shirley Horn to his own contemporaries. He has also fronted the exciting Cuban-American big band Crisol on disc and on tour, and toured in a trumpet summit with Wynton Marsalis, Nicholas Payton and Jon Faddis.
 
Roy Hargrove was born in Waco, TX on October 16, 1969. Inspired by the gospel music he heard in church on Sundays and the R&B and funk music that played on the radio, Roy began learning the trumpet in the fourth grade. By junior high school, he was playing at an advanced level of proficiency. At 16, he was studying music at Dallas's prestigious Booker T. Washington School for the Visual and Performing Arts.
 
Midway through his junior year, Roy was &discovered& by Wynton Marsalis, who was conducting a jazz clinic at the school. Impressed, Marsalis invited Roy to sit in with his band at Ft. Worth's Caravan of Dreams Performing Arts Center. Subsequently, Hargrove was able to return to the venue over a period of the next three months, sitting in with Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson. Word of Roy’s talent reached Paul Ackett, founder and Director of The North Sea Jazz Festival who arranged for him to perform there that summer. This lead to a month long European Tour.
 
Every album Roy has released on Verve has been different from the one preceding it. And the same can be said of the array of talents who have invited him to grace the stage and/or their recordings - from jazz legends Sonny Rollins and Jackie McLean to song stylists Natalie Cole, Diana Krall and Abbey Lincoln. From pop veterans Diana Ross, Steve Tyrell and Kenny Rankin to younger stars John Mayer and Rhian Benson to the crème de la crème of jazz divas: Carmen McRae and the late, great Shirley Horn. Hargrove was also commissioned by the Lincoln Jazz Center to compose the piece “The Love Suite: In Mahogany,” which was performed in 1993. He is also a superstar of the international touring scene with his quintet, RH Factor and as a soloist.
 
ROY HARGROVE QUINTET:
Roy Hargrove: trumpet
Justin Robinson: saxophone
Montez Coleman: drums
Sullivan Fortner: piano
Ameen Saleem: bass
 
Useful links:
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/royhargrove
http://www.myspace.com/RoyHargrove
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=7412