It was a mysterious night at Catalina’s for Roy Hargrove’s first set of his weekend long run. Once perennially one of jazz’s top 2 or 3 trumpeters, Hargrove hasn’t released a new album for over 6 years. This evening, he had an adroit and flexible band of Sullivan Fortner/p, Ameen Saleem/b, Quincy Phillips/dr and Justin Robinson/as, and they kept the music swinging and forward looking.
As for Hargrove, he stoically stepped on stage and sat on a stool at the far end, not even acknowledging the enthused crowd. For the first couple of songs, a funky back beat burner and a Monkish bopper, Hargrove was not only tentative in his blowing, but frustratingly off mic, as Fortner’s rich striding chords and Robinson’s assertive blowing made up for the leader’s tentativeness.
No titles were announced; Hargrove simply would noodle a melody by himself, and the band would pick up on the direction. A 3-4 song medley included a minor hard bop with exoticism, and then a hard swinger that had Hargrove leave the stage for a bit during Robinson’s flaming solo. Hargrove returned for the gently swaying closing theme that included a gorgeous Harmon mute performance.
Things got much more cogent as Hargrove and company shifted gears to a collection of gentle pieces. His flugelhorn was fluffy and warm, filled with sweetness as Saleem provided a lithe pulse. Even more intriguing was when Hargrove put down the horn to sing a couple ballads. His voice was amazingly rich and emotive during “Personal Possession” and ”Never Let Me Go” coming across as a vintage lounge singer with Fortner’s flowery support.
A couple R&B pieces closed the set, including a vintage Earth Wind and Fire piece sandwiched between a snappy Latin sizzler with Hargrove up to the assertive dialogue with Phillips drumming. He may have seemed distant, but Hargrove’s innate sense of musicianship got him through an intriguing night. Would love to hear how this would have sounded without the visuals. Is an album in store?
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Gordon Goodwin Aug 4, Ann Hampton Callaway Aug 12-14 and Chick Corea Aug 17-24