Roy Hargrove

The Profile

Roy Hargrove (1969–2018) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader celebrated for hard bop roots and adventurous collaborations. A two-time Grammy winner, he led The RH Factor, recorded acclaimed albums from Diamond in the Rough to Earfood, and collaborated widely, including with Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and artists in neo-soul and hip-hop.

Two Grammy Awards (Habana; Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall). Discovered early by Wynton Marsalis. Led The RH Factor; collaborated with D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Common. Active from the late 1980s until 2018.

A single review explores Roy Hargrove’s 1989 debut as bandleader, praising his tone and original tunes like A New Joy, Confidentiality and All Over Again. Standards are deemed elegant but academic. The set sits in a Jazz Messengers-inspired mainstream vein, with nods to Geoffrey Keezer and Antonio Hart. Overall: a promising, historically interesting starting point.