| Hard Groove | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 2003 | |||
| Studio | Electric Lady Studios | |||
| Genre | Jazz, funk, hip hop | |||
| Label | Verve [1] | |||
| Producer | Roy Hargrove | |||
| Roy Hargrove chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hard Groove is an album by the American musician Roy Hargrove, released in 2003. [2] [3] It was credited to his group, the RH Factor. [4]
The album peaked at No. 185 on the Billboard 200. [5] "I'll Stay" was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals" category. [6]
Produced by Hargrove, the album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios. [7] [8] Hargrove used a 10-piece band on the album. [9] He considered it to be a tribute to his childhood love of hip hop; he also wanted to impart a gospel or spiritual element to the music. [10] [11] Reggie Washington and Pino Palladino were among the musicians on the album. [12]
D'Angelo appears on the cover of Funkadelic's "I'll Stay". [13] Renee Neufville sang on "Juicy". [14] Q-Tip rapped on "Poetry"; Meshell Ndegeocello and Erykah Badu also appeared on the track. [15] [16] Anthony Hamilton sang on "Kwah/Home". [17]
The album cover was designed by Rudy Gutierrez, who was inspired by the art for Abraxas . [18]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [19] |
| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | B [14] |
| The Gazette |  [16] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [20] |
The Boston Globe deemed Hard Groove a "genre-busting album [that] is a funky showcase of Hargrove's musical alacrity." [21] The New York Times labeled it "a late-night party album: it begins upbeat then settles into a stoned haze." [22] The Birmingham Post concluded that "there's a 1970's retro feel which conjures up Donald Byrd's hits, as well as some funk worthy of George Clinton, but it's also very up-to-date, especially in the sophistication of the studio sound." [23]
The Washington Post wrote: "Loose-limbed and groove-driven, it occasionally sounds overplayed and undercomposed as the musicians struggle to find the right balance of rhythmic momentum and jazz improvisation." [15] The New York Amsterdam News stated that Hargrove "plays on the edge of his imagination using jazz improvisations as the key to display another exciting element of his creativity." [24]
AllMusic called the album "an exploration of his multidimensional musical attributes and his belated recognition of years of 'open-eared moonlighting'." [19] The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings determined that "Pastor 'T'" "might be one of Hargrove's best performances on record." [20]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hardgroove" | |
| 2. | "Common Free Style" | |
| 3. | "I'll Stay" | |
| 4. | "Interlude" | |
| 5. | "Pastor 'T'" | |
| 6. | "Poetry" | |
| 7. | "The Joint" | |
| 8. | "Forget Regret" | |
| 9. | "Out of Town" | |
| 10. | "Liquid Streets" | |
| 11. | "Kwah/Home" | |
| 12. | "How I Know" | |
| 13. | "Juicy" | |
| 14. | "The Stroke" |
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mid-20th century. It deemphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a percussionist, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Funk typically consists of a complex percussive groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a "hypnotic" and "danceable" feel. It uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, and dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths.
Bitches Brew is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970 by Columbia Records. It marked his continuing experimentation with electric instruments that he had featured on his previous record, the critically acclaimed In a Silent Way (1969). With these instruments, such as the electric piano and guitar, Davis departed from traditional jazz rhythms in favor of loose, rock-influenced arrangements based on improvisation. The final tracks were edited and pieced together by producer Teo Macero.
Roy Anthony Hargrove was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles of jazz in 1998 and 2002. Hargrove primarily played in the hard bop style for the majority of his albums, but also had a penchant for genre-crossing exploration and collaboration with a variety of hip hop, soul, R&B and alternative rock artists. As Hargrove told one reporter, "I've been around all kinds of musicians, and if a cat can play, a cat can play. If it's gospel, funk, R&B, jazz or hip-hop, if it's something that gets in your ear and it's good, that's what matters."
Zhané was an American R&B duo, best known for their 1993 hit "Hey Mr. D.J.", which reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Other popular hits include "Groove Thang" and minor hit "Sending My Love", both released in 1994. The group was part of Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit collective.
Jack Johnson is a studio album and soundtrack by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was released on February 24, 1971, by Columbia Records.
Saxophone Colossus is the sixth studio album by American jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Perhaps Rollins's best-known album, it is often considered his breakthrough record. It was recorded monophonically on June 22, 1956, with producer Bob Weinstock and engineer Rudy Van Gelder at the latter's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. Rollins led a quartet on the album that included pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Max Roach. Saxophone Colossus was released by Prestige Records to critical success and helped establish Rollins as a prominent jazz artist.
The Blues and the Abstract Truth is an album by American composer and jazz saxophonist Oliver Nelson recorded in February 1961 for the Impulse! label. It remains Nelson's most acclaimed album and features a lineup of notable musicians: Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Roy Haynes. Baritone saxophonist George Barrow does not take solos but remains a key feature in the subtle voicings of Nelson's arrangements. The album is often noted for its unique ensemble arrangements and is frequently identified as a progenitor of Nelson's move towards arranging later in his career.
A Night at the Village Vanguard is a live album by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released on Blue Note Records in 1958. It was recorded at the Village Vanguard in New York City in November 1957 from three sets, two in the evening and one in the afternoon with different sidemen. For the afternoon set, Rollins played with Donald Bailey on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums; in the evening they were replaced respectively by Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones.
Russell Elevado is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City.
Bradford Alexander Mehldau is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Willie Jones III is a jazz drummer. He has played, toured, and recorded with Horace Silver, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock. He played on Arturo Sandoval's Grammy-winning album Hot House (1998).
Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall is a live recording by pianist Herbie Hancock, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. It was recorded on October 25, 2001 in Toronto and was Brecker's eighth and Hancock's forty-fourth album. The band is rounded out by bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade.
Gerald William Clayton is a Dutch-born American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader.
Chalmers Edward "Spanky" Alford was an American gospel, jazz, and neo-soul guitarist. Alford was born in Philadelphia. He was well known for his playing style, utilizing chord embellishments. He had an illustrious career as a gospel quartet guitar player in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with groups such as the Mighty Clouds of Joy. His most notable contributions are to the D'Angelo album Voodoo, and his contributions to music from other popular artists including Tupac Shakur, Roy Hargrove, and The Roots.
Keith Anderson is an American saxophonist. After studying at Booker T. Washington Arts Magnet, Anderson has played with Les McCann, Roy Hargrove, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Kanye West, Marcus Miller, and Prince.
Midnight Creeper is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label in 1968 and featuring Donaldson with Blue Mitchell, Lonnie Smith, George Benson, and Leo Morris.
Everything I Play is Funky is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label featuring Donaldson with Blue Mitchell, Lonnie Smith, Melvin Sparks, Jimmy Lewis and Idris Muhammad and two tracks with Eddie Williams and Charles Earland replacing Mitchell and Smith.
Trio Music is a double album by Chick Corea, recorded in November 1981 and released by ECM Records in October of the following year. The trio features bassist Miroslav Vitous and drummer Roy Haynes.
Gettin' to It is the debut studio album of American jazz bassist Christian McBride. The album was released in 1995 by Verve.
Composer is an album by pianist Cedar Walton which was recorded in 1996 and released on the Astor Place label.