Welcome to Wednesday, where we really start to delve into the Oktoberfest, beginning with a milestone birthday for a recently departed superstar.
Our hero of the day passed last year entirely too young, and his going left quite a void.
Whilst he was here, he was probably the leading exponent of his instrument under the age of 50.
He wasn't around long -- his prominence lasted under 30 years -- but he definitely left a mark.
If there was a modern heir to Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan -- is that the post-bop Holy Trumpet Trinity or what? -- it would be difficult to name anyone else but Roy Hargrove as that person.
I was reading about how he battled renal failure for much of his life, and that he was on dialysis for the last 14 years he was alive.
When he passed, it sent an "oh no, too young!" shockwave through Jazz.
I feel fortunate I got to hear him in person once... I think it was as part of McCoy Tyner's group in the 2000s, or maybe it was Roy leading, I don't recall. I seem to remember it was maybe at Stern Grove in SF.
Anyway he was born this day in 1969, meaning he just missed making it to 50 today.
In tribute to this masterly player gone far too soon, we have two heavyweights for the price of one.
This tremendous tape -- I call them tapes, even though this was captured straight from an FM rebroadcast to digital -- features our hero alongside the group of piano deity Cedar Walton, whom I'll cover someday on his own.
Roy Hargrove & The Cedar Walton Trio +1
Victoria Hall
Geneva, Switzerland
1.21.2002
01 All the Things You Are
02 Martha's Prize
03 Never Let Me Go
04 Woody'n You
05 Con Alma
06 A Child Is Born
07 Public Eye
08 I Thought About You
09 In a Sentimental Mood
10 Lover Come Back to Me
11 Centerpiece
12 Firm Roots (excerpt)
Total time: 1:21:45
disc break goes after Track 05
Roy Hargrove - trumpet
Cedar Walton - piano
Peter Washington - bass
Karriem Riggins - drums
Roberta Gambarini - vocals
digital capture of an Espace 2 rebroadcast
Apparently this 81 minutes isn't the full performance, and there's another rebroadcast that once circulated with more from this one.
If I am ever able to locate the rest, I'll reconstitute the complete gig and share it in the future, but this is a fairly large chunk of it.
Anyway I will be back really soon with more milestone b'day madness, but you better not miss out on the forever young lion Roy Hargrove, blowing it up on this sweet and unissued performance from almost 20 years ago already.--J.
10.16.1969 - 11.2.2018