Never-before-heard recording of trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s Crucible Ensemble appears with 1998’s ‘Grande Terre’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Roy Hargrove was the most influential post-Miles Davis trumpeter and one of the most important mentors to many of today’s contemporary jazz artists. Hargrove left us too soon, at age 49, but he was extremely prolific, which is why archivists are doing everything they can to unearth his unreleased recordings. The album is strategically being released two days after Hargrove’s supposed 55th birthday.^the birthday.

Last year, we covered her JALC performance, Love Suite in Mahogany. Hargrove could fuse so many styles, as evidenced by the landmark RH Factor album of soul, hip-hop and funk. However, his less acclaimed collective of American, Cuban and Guadeloupean musicians, Crisol, which means “melting pot”, was equally innovative in its fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, post-bop and progressive jazz. To be clear, the group’s 1997 Habana won a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Performance. Shortly after this, Hargrove assembled a slightly different group in a studio in Guadeloupe to record Great Land, unprecedented until now and equally, perhaps even more deserving of the praise given to Havana due to its intricate arrangements, the band’s powerful, raucous sound, inspired solos, and the singular strength of Hargrove’s emotive playing. All tracks were done live without edits or overdubs.

This intergenerational set is made up of familiar and not-so-familiar names. In the first category, we have trombonist Frank Lacy, altoist Sherman Irby, tenorist and Guadeloupe native Jacques Bart-Swartz, pianist Larry Willis, guitarist Ed Cherry, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Willie Jones. Pianist Gabriel Hernandez, percussionists “Anga” Diaz and Changuito and drummer/vocalist Julio Barreto are in this last category. Hargrove has three compositions, along with others by Bart-Schwartz, Willis, Cherry, Jones, Lacy, Hernandez, and a reading of Cedar Walton’s “Afreaka.”

Hernandez’s opening “Rumba Roy” explodes with unbridled energy and power, driven by the percolating percussion and pulsing rhythms that Hargove rises above. Willis keeps up steadily, and the relentless pace never lags with inspired turns from Bart-Swartz, Lacy and Willis. The band applies its Latin tones to Cannon’s fluid “A Song for Audrey,” again with Hargrove, Lacy and Willis leading the way with a strong turn from the songwriter and a sympathetic turn from guitarist Cherry. The entire ensemble comes together for a powerful farewell. Hargrove delivers his dynamic, dynamic “Lake Danse” with his horn reaching stratospheric heights, complemented by Bart-Swartz’s ferocious solos. Like many of them, the finish is volcanic. This is followed by her more mid-tempo song, “Kamala” (for her daughter, not the vice president), first appearing on a bonus track on her 2008 album. Ear food.

Cherry’s distinctly Latin “B And B” brims with uplifting playing and stirring percussion, while Jones’ ballad “Another Time” (also on Roy Hargrove with Strings; Moment to Moment) showcases the tender side of Hargrove’s playing as it offers rich, warm tones. on his flugelhorn. This tender side is most concentrated in the delightful “Ethiopia,” a duet between Hargrove and Willis that attests to their close chemistry with extraordinarily delicate twists. The band breaks into an infectious Afro-Cuban rhythm on Walton’s “Afreaka” (first released on Lee Morgan’s 1970 The Sixth Sense), where an incandescent Lacy matches Hargrove’s fury.

Bart-Swartz’s surreal “Lullaby for Atlantis” sets itself apart from any other track as it imagines an otherworldly realm inspired by the unique blue-green waters of the Caribbean. The stunning, highly textured arrangement has all four horns beautifully weaving lines for the richest set of harmonics of this session. The closest is Hargrove’s third original, “Priorities,” already released as a single and featuring the set’s only vocal, as Barreto inspires the set to a celebratory, free-swinging intensity that rivals the opener. We’ve come full circle and probably still crave more music.

The energy is palpable from the first notes, and the album reveals an equally moving emotional component. Lest we ever discount this side of Hargrove’s special art. His Crucible set easily ranks among the best of his historical groups.