Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Common Planned For New Roy Hargrove Set

Mainstream jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove plans to go in a more contemporary direction with his next recorded outing. Leading a newly formed ensemble called RH Factor, he will deliver the album Hargroove, tentatively scheduled for May 20.

Configured as a hip-hop-meets jazz project, Hargroove will also feature vocalists Erykah Badu and D’Angelo and rhyme stylers Common and Q-Tip, among other special guests.

Hargrove, 33, has been mostly a purveyor of hard-bop-styled jazz. His career got a boost while he was still in high school when he met Wynton Marsalis, who helped him come to the attention of more established players. He soon began to play with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, and Frank Morgan, among others. Hargrove’s last recorded output as a leader was on the 1999 CD Moment To Moment, where he rendered versions of standards and pop classics with strings.

Roy Hargrove is currently finishing up a five-night stand at New York’s Village Vanguard. Upcoming solo dates include:

January 24-26 – New York – Village Vanguard

February 13-14 – Atlanta, GA – Emory University

February 18 – Tokyo, JAP – International Forum A Hall

February 19 – Osaka, JAP – Festival Hall

February 28 – Chicago, IL – Orchestra Hall

March 7 – Pittsburg, KS – Memorial Auditorium

— Janine Coveney, Los Angeles