I was minimally familiar with Roy Hargrove before this show at Scullers, but all I needed to know was that his style has been Afro-Cuban with forays into funk, hip-hop, and bop. Afro-Cuban is arguably my favorite form of jazz so I was all in for this show.

Roy Hargrove

I apologize for the darkness of the photos; I was sitting very close to the stage, which was perfect for sound and the view, but not so perfect for photos.

Roy on flugelhorn

Roy has performed with a veritable Who’s Who of Jazz Musicians – Herbie Hancock, Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Marsalis, and Slide Hampton to name a few. He is extraordinarily talented as a trumpeter, bandleader, and flugelhorn player.

Roy

There was no banter from the stage – they came to play and that they did. The band comprises Quincy Phillips on drums, Ameen Saleem on double bass, Justin Robinson on sax, and Sullivan Fortner on piano.

Justin Robinson

Sullivan Fortner

Ameen Saleem

I loved sitting so close to the piano. I was enthralled watching Sullivan’s hands move across with the keys with such dexterity.

Sullivan’s hands tickling the ivories

The band barely allowed time between numbers for the audience to applaud. I felt that they wanted to give us as much as they could in the first set and encore, considering we had to clear the room for the second set. If I had not had to get up early the next morning, I would have stayed for the second set – that’s how good the show was!

Roy

Unfortunately I can’t give you names of the numbers they performed. They played I will say that you wouldn’t go wrong purchasing any one of his albums!

I feel so fortunate to live in a city where artists such as Roy Hargrove Quintet perform and where venues such as Scullers exist.

Roy

Justin