NEW YORK- Roy Hargrove, a prolific trumpet player who provided his jazz sound to records across a vast range of styles and won two Grammys, has died at age 49, CBS News reported on Saturday.
Hargrove died in New York on Friday of cardiac arrest stemming from a longtime fight with kidney disease, longtime manager Larry Clothier said in a statement seen by PML Daily.
Clothier said Hargrove “was known just as intensely for his brimming fire and fury as he was for his gorgeous, signature balladry.
Over and over, his sound attested to and sanctified his deep love for music. His unselfish timbre covered the waterfront of every musical landscape.”
Many of Hargrove’s peers regarded him as the greatest trumpeter of his generation. Through his own bands and as a sideman, Hargrove brewed his jazz with African and Latin sounds, R&B, soul, pop, funk and hip-hop.
He led the progressive, genre-melding group The RH Factor, played in sessions for Common, Erykah Badu and D’Angelo, and collaborated with jazz giants including Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis.
“He is literally the one man horn section I hear in my head when I think about music,” Questlove, drummer and leader of the Roots, said on Instagram. “Love to the immortal timeless genius that will forever be Roy Hargrove y’all.”
In honor of Roy Hargrove’s birthday, dig this video interview with the trumpeter discussing tradition vs. innovation in modern jazz. #RoyHargrove #jazzhttps://t.co/pXzJDMWqQO
— JazzTimes Magazine (@JazzTimes) October 16, 2018
Additional reporting by agencies
