This week, I’m exploring one of the most musically stacked records in the discography of Roy Hargrove – legendary trumpeter, bandleader and composer, who has arguably the most recent song to earn the ‘jazz standard’ status and a likely favourite of our jazz-jam frequenting readers, in Strasbourg / St. Denis.
I’m talking about a piece of work which doesn’t just dip its jazzy toes into funk, soul and hip-hop, it dives heads first. Roy Hargrove’s childhood adoration of hip-hop is something we should be all be grateful for, as, years before the days Strasbourg / St Denis starting touring every jazz bar in the world, it’s love led to the production of our Album of the Week – Hard Groove, credited to Hargrove’s band, the RH Factor.
What strikes me every time I listen to this record, is how unbelievably stacked the line-up of musicians involved are. Here’s a breakdown: alto saxophonist Keith Anderson (Prince, Erykah Badu, Marcus Miller); bassists Pino Palladino (Gary Numan, De La Soul, Chaka Khan, and many, many, many more) and Reggie Washington (The Headhunters, Bobby Sparks, Steve Coleman); organist and pianist Bobby Sparks, of Snarky Puppy; keyboardist James Poyser (The Roots, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli) drummer Jason Thomas, also of Snarky Puppy, and Forq; guitarists Cornell Dupree (Arethra Franklin, Chaka Khan) and Spanky (The Roots); keyboardist Bernard Wright (who composed Hardgroove, the emphatic track 1 of this record); percussionist Daniel Moreno; tenor saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart (Erykah Badu); and of course features from the legendary Common, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, D’Angelo, and more.
That’s a long list of names, and for the more eagle-eyed lovers of late 90s and early 00s black music; If you haven’t heard of the Soulquarians collective by name, you definitely will have by music, and Roy Hargrove was a key member. I could wax lyrical about the Soulquarians all day, but to keep it relevant, will stick to the parallels between the collective’s work and this record (of which there are many), and why I think this record is one of the best with the Soulquarians ‘stamp’, so to speak. And that’s not to mention their place alongside some of the most in-demand session players of their generation and all time – the likes of Palladino, Dupree and Anderson.
Hard Groove was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, which was the common creative hub for Soulquarians’ members. The album is a love letter to from Hargrove to hip-hop, which is also a key part of the collective’s identity and sound. To me, Common Free Style is a hip-hop ode to the musicians both directly involved in the Soulquarians, and in black music in general, with lyrics referencing to artists including Marvin Gaye – “Wonderin’, what’s goin on? like Marvin”; Roy Hargrove – “My man Roy will make it hot”; Common himself – “The brother Common Sense never stop with the flow”; legendary drummer and Soulquarians founder Questlove – “Questions like brother Questlove”; and Erykah Badu – “Down with EB, you know how we do”.
The blend of jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop are composed and delivered perfectly. With hip-hop bangers in Common Free Style and Poetry, and blissful jazz trumpet in the likes of Pastor “T”, it’s an album which tributes Hargrove’s loves and inspirations perfectly, whilst also reminding you what an incredible jazz musician he and the rest of the Factor are. With solos rife, and a funky time signature never too far away, this is no doubt a jazz album at heart.
Every single track is packed full of passion and incredible musicianship. It feels as though each and every instrument has a chance to shine. From the ridiculously dextrous bassline on Out of Town, to the luscious, soulful, guitar solo on the following Liquid Streets, the album can turn on its heel and sprint in the opposite direction in an instant, leaving you wondering how the musicians keep up – but not for long, when you remember who’s playing.
All in all, Hargrove’s intention to create a tribute to his hip-hop listening childhood years were not only a huge success, creating an all time great fusion of jazz, hip-hop, R’n’B, funk and soul – it’s a showcase of some of the best artists of their generation, working together to produce pure brilliance.
Waxing Lyrical 