(Source: Last FM)
Today it marks 5 years of Roy Hargrove's death. I still remember when I heard of the passing. Scrolling through Facebook in my Prague hotel room. So sad!
Then... life went on, even without him, no more Roy, no more appearances on jam sessions all over the world, gone.
Covid hit and life stood still. No gigs, no work, writing music and overthinking life and repentance came.
I realized that Roy Hargrove was one of my major influences, especially in his ballads, but also in his soulful funky tunes and of corse RH Factor. I knew I had to dedicate my next jazz album to him (to be released in spring 2024, so stay tuned!).
The way he lived music and interacted with his own musicians on stage but also all the jam sessions he attended, has to be remembered.
This is what I wrote 5 years ago:It took me a minute to process the passing of one of my favourite musicians.
Roy Hargrove was always spreading enthusiasm amongst musicians and audience, he turned every jam session into a celebration and jazz party and apart from his excellent playing, quintet, funk band RH Factor, big band, collaborations with D’Angelo and many others projects, he won many hearts for jazz music.
His generation succeded in making jazz attractive again for a younger crowd. It resulted in hanging out get togethers after the actual concert. Everybody knew that if there was a jam session in town, Roy would probably go there and turn it into a jazz funk party until the place had to close.
His jazz wasn't only listening music for math teachers or dixie grandads but social music for a younger audience, partly prepared by acid jazz and The J.B.'s a few years before, but then bringing back straight-ahead jazz.
The main difference compared to many other jazz musicians was that he was always listening to the musical story other people played. You could see him follow the solo's and sometimes laugh or say "really?", close his eyes and enjoy.. or interrupt musically and play along or respond.
Listen and vibe, not just one solo after the other but always seeking musical conversation.
Let's go back in time.. As he influenced me a lot, here's "my story" with Roy:
When I was a teenager, 16 years old, being one of Joshua Redman’s biggest fans, I went to Leverkusen Jazztage in 1994. It was the second time I saw Joshua Redman in concert. (Check the festivals's
archive, really nice band line-ups..)
Arriving in Leverkusen by train on my own, I walked around in town, trying to orientate in this city. While doing so, I spotted Brian Blade, Redman‘s drummer at the time In the pedestrian zone. I followed him secretly. He was buying a tooth brush! How exciting! (Remember, I was 16...)
No idea where the venue was so I figured I should continue to follow him. He noticed it and smiled at me. Fortunatly I would get a chance to explain why I was following him later.
Luckily the festival wasn't sold out. I went to buy a ticket and waited, of course very excited, looking very much forward to the Joshua Redman concert with Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass) and Brian Blade (drums).
On the same night, I think right before Redman, the Roy Hargrove Quintet was playing, with Ron Blake (tenor sax), I think Peter Martin (piano), Rodney Whitaker (bass) and Greg Hutchinson (drums) and, behind the scenes, manager Larry Clothier.
Immediately fell in love this band, too! It was so exciting. My head was fried!!
Here's a full concert video from the same period:
Full of enthusiasm, after the show I went to talk to the bands, who were all friends/mates from studying music and knew each other for a long time. I made my excuses towards Brian Blade for following him, he laughed and invited me to come along and join the group for dinner, how great!
So there I was, sitting between all these fantastic musicians, and they were kind, too!
This was so inspiring. Both bands made deep impressions on me and I wanted to be like them, play catchy bluesy soulful jazz and entertain the audience and party with the musicians and their friends...
With a couple of these amazing musicians I've always stayed in touch since then, and when I am in New York (or when they are in Amsterdam) I always check if I can catch them live on stage and a chat.
Roy Hargrove I met as a very sweet and funny guy, handsome too, dressing sharp, always playing on jam sessions and having one of the most beautiful flugelhorn sounds. He could play bebop highspeed or play the most beautiful ballads and mix it up with some catchy soulful mid tempo tunes.
I was lucky to jam with him many times throughout the years, he even asked me to join him and play togther, he often told me I had such a beautiful sound, what a compliment from one of my favorite musicians! He was always very encouraging. During the last weeks, after his passing, I read similar stories from other musicians all around the world. Not many musicians like to share like he did.
Roy always had the most amazing bands, maybe my favourite quintet was with Justin Robinson or in the video below Sherman Irby on alto sax, Larry Willis on piano, Gerald Cannon (bass) and Willie Jones III (drums).
There was always talk about Roy‘s lifestyle but maybe he has been sick for a much longer time, I don't know. I always sensed that people were really jealous of him and he must have felt lonely sometims.
I guess that the nicest and most comforting place for Roy to go to was music, he was listening to music 24/7.
During the last years he became sick, he had a kidney disease and eventually needed dialysis and you could tell by looking at him that he was ill. But ill or not, he still would go out and jam!
Still it came as a shock when I heard a few weeks ago that he got a heart attack as a complication of his kidney disease. He had just turned 49 years a couple of days befor his death.
It‘s so sad that he wasn’t allowed to live longer.
He will always have a place in my heart.
Here's Funkadelic's "I'll Stay", played by Roy's Band RH Factor.
