Search - Roy Hargrove :: Public Eye

Worthy entry

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 08/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A recent gift, this album probably would not have been produced today (the early nineties saw a proliferation of jazz recordings by young lions profiting from the afterglow of Wynton Marsalis' brilliance--sadly, most of the recordings are disappearing from the catalog, even if the musicians themselves are stronger than ever). On this occasion, Hargrove is merely solid, not spectacular or especially creative. Antonio Hart is beginning to show some of the spark and versatility (allusions to both Hodges and Bird) that would be a hallmark of his playing in the later nineties. But the real discovery for this listener was pianist Stephen Scott, whose swinging solos manage to kick the rhythm section up a notch on each of his opportunities. Athough he's gone on to make some recordings under his own name, from the evidence here I'm surprised he's not a household word."