Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
Changing of the Guard at Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
If only because openings for JLCO’s 15 permanent positions appear about as frequently as sub-freezing days on the…
Roy Hargrove at Chicago’s Jazz Showcase in 2017.
(Photo: Mark Sheldon)Roy Hargrove, the acclaimed trumpeter who was part of the Young Lions jazz movement of the early 1990s, has been reported dead at the age of 49 by WBGO.
The report stated Hargrove died Friday night in New York from cardiac arrest after being admitted to the hospital for kidney issues, according to his longtime manager Larry Clothier.
A child prodigy, Hargrove was known for his natural talent, impeccable tone and ability to bring a new generation and a new attitude to jazz. He was one of the first jazz artists to successfully fuse the jazz tradition with the attitude of hip-hop.
Known for fiery, entertaining shows when he was on his game, Hargrove was also known for hard-living and battled substance abuse issues throughout his adult life. Hargrove was on dialysis for many years. Still, few could match his ability to light up a crowd. Looking thin and frail during a performance at this year’s Monterey Jazz Festival, Hargrove wowed the crowd with beautiful trumpet work, stage presence and humor, even mixing in some classic dance moves into his set.
“I knew this bright-eyed, loving young man, Roy Hargrove, since 1982,” said Bart Marantz, retired jazz director for the Booker T. Washington School for the Performing Arts in Dallas, where Hargrove attended high school. “Hearing the sound of the trumpet like few I’ve heard before coming from down the school hall, I was just astounded by the beauty and, really, by what I wasn’t hearing—no clutter, only melodic statements. But the truly amazing statement here was the space and phrasing he had that only comes from a seasoned and very accomplished 40-year-old! I ran toward the sound and there was this little middle-school, stick of a kid with such a sweet face playing his heart out on his trumpet. He was playing the music with depth, color, space and beauty like few others—at 14!
“He loved trumpet, jazz and its wonderful history, basing all of his gifts on those who came before him. He was truly carrying more than he could take in and had problems with this weighty artistic ability on his shoulders; [it was] far beyond his understanding. When Roy performed, he was saying much more than Roy. We were in the presence of the Lord, who gave Roy this unique ability to take the gift of those 12 notes and make them his through Roy. Rest in peace dear Roy—with love, respect and admiration—for running the race like no other.”
DownBeat has posted a tribute to Hargrove. DB
As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.
Mar 4, 2025 1:29 PM
If only because openings for JLCO’s 15 permanent positions appear about as frequently as sub-freezing days on the…
Larry Appelbaum with Wayne Shorter in 2012.
Feb 25, 2025 10:49 AM
Larry Appelbaum, a distinguished audio engineer, jazz journalist, historian and broadcaster, died Feb. 21, 2025, in…
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
“With Roy, everything was like full throttle,” drummer Willie Jones III says of Hargrove (1969–2018). “Every time we hit the bandstand, it was almost like it was the last time you were going to play a set.”
Feb 11, 2025 12:07 PM
Willie Jones III remembers playing with Roy Hargrove for the first time in spring of 1997 at the old Catalina Bar and…
“You’ve got to trust that inner child, keep exploring, even though people think it’s wrong,” says Fortner.
Feb 25, 2025 11:20 AM
Every week at the Village Vanguard fosters its own sound. No one really knows how the music might evolve by Sunday, but…
