In early 1998, fresh off their GRAMMY win for Best Latin Jazz Performance for their debut album Habana, Roy Hargrove and his celebrated group of musicians headed back into the studio to capture lightning in a bottle. Until now that recording, Grande-Terre, has never been heard.
Showcasing Hargrove’s red-hot playing, his superlative writing and the band’s powerful singular sound, Roy Hargrove’s Crisol: Grand-Terre (Verve Records) will be released worldwide on October 18, two days after what would have been Roy’s 55th birthday.
The first track, from the never-before heard recording sessions, “Priorities,” is available now and you can listen to the song below.
Roy Hargrove was widely praised for his compositions and abilities on the trumpet and flugelhorn. The New York Times called him “…the most impactful trumpeter of his generation.”
Grand-Terre succinctly exhibits this talent alongside his “Crisol” or melting pot of long-time collaborators. This all-star group of Cuban, American, and Guadeloupian musicians was the foundation to Hargrove’s unparalleled approach to jazz and the mélange of musical genres that appear on the record.
Featuring trombonist Frank Lacy, pianist Larry Willis and drummer Willie Jones III, Grande-Terre showcases Hargrove’s fiery playing, his exquisite writing and the band’s incredible power and unique sound.
Roy’s untimely passing in 2018 has left many wondering what this band could have achieved if they’d had the chance to continue developing their original approach to Latin Jazz.
This unique blending of the genre, afro-Cuban rhythms, soul, bop, and funk influenced a generation of jazz, hip hop, and neo-soul musicians. From Kamasi Washington and Robert Glasper to D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Questlove, all these artists—who are now household names—have been shaped by Roy Hargrove’s music and what he cooked up in the studio.
Order Roy Hargrove’s Crisol: Grand-Terre.