Roy Hargrove - With the Tenors of Our Time (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Hargrove keeps getting better

Harold T Thomas | Silver Spring, MD | 10/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though this album features jazz saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine, Joshua Redman, Joe Henderson, Ron Blake and Johnny Griffin, it's the craft of Hargrove's horn playing that truly makes this album work so well. The addition of these quality saxophonists only heightens the experience one has come to expect from a Roy Hargrove album. Moving from one piece to the other is silky, and the CD offers that "in-the-club" feel that doesn't always get translated in album performances. After having played the album numerous times, I still get a thrill from listening to it. "Shade of Jade" and "Soppin' the Biscuit" with their distinctive jazz combo feel contrast very well with "Across the Pond," and "When We Were One," which will make you want to slow dance with a partner. And the album is upbeat, though humble in its own way; the musicians are never brash or overbearing, but sonorous and musically aware of each other. "Once Forgotten" has become one of my favorites on this album for just that reason -- it blends the tone qualities of the instruments so well, that one rarely if ever gets the impression one musician is trying to outdo another or take the spotlight. In that respect this album is more than gracious, a pleasure for the ears and soul, attracting me to it each time I look at my CD rack."

Need a great jazz CD, but not sure what? This is it!

Giordano Bruno | 11/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On a friend's recommendation, I saw Roy Hargrove at The Mercury a year or two ago. What an awesome show! Unfortunately, I never picked up any of his CD's -- until this fall. I can't believe I went this long without it. "With the Tenors of Our Time" refers to the various tenor saxophonists Hargrove plays with on the different songs. The guitar is minimal, if there is any. (I'm not a fan of jazz guitar, for the most part.) Just Hargrove's trumpet, tenor sax(es), and piano, acoustic bass, & drums. EXCELLENT!"

Roy Hargrove's best CD so far

Erik Werkman | Utrecht, Netherlands | 05/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is clearly Roy Hargrove's best effort so far. The playing is exquisite and intense at the same time, the guest appearances very effective, "Valse Hot" with Branford Marsalis being my personal favorite (even though normally I don't like his playing very much). A special mention goes to the drummer Gregory Hutchinson, who too seldomly gets to play good stuff like this to show what he is worth (a whole lot). The quintet's tenor sax player Ron Blake holds his own, too, among these other illustrious tenors."

One of the best jazz albums of the 90's.

Giordano Bruno | 10/29/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few years ago, I became a very big fan of the jazz genre' and this CD was the main reason. This CD was one of the first jazz CD's that I purchased and although it is a few years old I still listen to it daily. Roy Hargrove is one of, if not the best young jazz artist out there today, and this album proves it. This CD is one of the best jazz CD's of the 90's. Roy Hargrove definitely has skills, and you need to check out this great CD."

"Concept" Jazz ...

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 05/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... and the concept is a good one, to showcase the exciting young tenor saxophonists of Roy Hargrove's jazz generation while complementing Hargrove's own technically superb but affectively staid performance. In other words, all those tenors make Hargrove sound damn good. This is a "big" ensemble playing the sort of jazz that has dominated recent decades - a cocktail of be-bop, cool jazz, and just a splash of free jazz. Hargrove is tastiest as a balladeer, so most of the tracks have the smoky-romance ballad feel abou them.

The "concept" is also a fine commercial one, a "sampler" in effect of the new jazz voices on the iconic instrument of modern jazz, the tenor saxophone. One might be tempted to buy this CD just to sort through the 'competition' for the mantle of Lester Young or Dexter Gordon. The tenorists included are: Stanley Turretine, Bradford Marsalis, Joe Henderson, Johnny Griffin (though Griffin is a lot older, born in 1928), and Joshua Redman. You can listen, evaluate, and go find other CDs by the ones you like, right? To my ears, the clear choices would be Griffin, for his hot licks, and Redman, for his harmonic/melodic intelligence. Redman never lets his fingers do his thinking; his improvs always have a kind of melodic relevance and intentionality. Frankly, I wish he'd recorded more tracks like these, multi-instrument ensembles rather than his usual trios or quartets backed up with only piano/bass/drums. Both Griffin and Redman encourage Hargrove's musical focus.

But the dominant impression one will get from this menagerie of tenor saxists is that John Coltrane lives and breathes. Coltrane's influence is paramount, as most jazz fans will probably assume it should be."

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	Roy Hargrove With the Tenors of Our Time Genres: Jazz, Pop Track Listings (12) - Disc #1 Soppin' The Biscuit When We Were One Valse Hot Once Forgotten Shade Of Jade Greens At The Chicken Shack Never Let Me Go Serenity Across The Pond Wild Is Love Mental Phrasing April's Fool
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