Family (Roy Hargrove album)

Family
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 20, 1995 (1995-06-20)
RecordedJanuary 26–29, 1995
StudioStudio B, Clinton Recording Studios, NYC
Genre
Length78:19
LabelVerve
314 527 630-2
Producer
  • Roy Hargrove
  • Larry Clothier
Roy Hargrove chronology
With the Tenors of Our Time
(1994)
Family
(1995)
Parker's Mood
(1995)

Family is a studio album by trumpeter Roy Hargrove, recorded on January 26–29, 1995, and released on June 20 of the same year, by Verve Records.[1][2] It features Hargrove on trumpet in a quintet with saxophonist Ron Blake and three different rhythm sections (piano, bass, drums), plus guest artists: trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman and Jesse Davis.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Los Angeles Times[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Scott Yanow, writing for AllMusic, stated: "This well-rounded set not only features trumpeter Roy Hargrove with his mid-'90s quintet... but with two other rhythm sections and a few special guests. Hargrove shows off his warm tone on 'The Nearness of You'..., and other highlights include the lyrical 'Pas de Trois,'... Larry Willis' 'Ethiopia,' and a driving version of 'Firm Roots.' A meeting between Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis on the bop standard 'Nostalgia' is disappointingly tame, but otherwise this is a high-quality modern hard bop release."[1]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote: "Family similarly uses several stars with little focus... The album's saving graces are the fiercely bopping 'Firm Roots' and the almost eerily introspective Booker/Hargrove duet on 'Ethiopia.'"[5]

Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Hargrove now appears in yet another carefully planned production—one that embraces players from every stage of his brief but impressive career".[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Roy Hargrove except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
0."Trilogy":
1. "Velera"
2. "Roy Allan"
3. "Brian's Bounce"
 
2:22
3:48
4:56
4."The Nearness of You"7:03
5."Lament for Love"Ronnie Mathews4:01
6."Another Level" 6:23
7."A Dream of You"Christian McBride6:11
8."Pas de Trois"Paul Arslanian8:39
9."Polka Dots and Moonbeams"5:36
10."The Challenge" 3:46
11."Ethiopia"Larry Willis3:36
12."Nostalgia"Fats Navarro6:00
13."Thirteenth Floor"David "Fathead" Newman5:57
14."Firm Roots"Cedar Walton5:57
15."The Trial" 3:38
Total length:78:19

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

  • Roy Hargrove, Larry Clothier – producer
  • Richard Seidel – executive producer
  • Camille Tominaro – production coordinator
  • Beverly Harris – release coordinator
  • Troy Halderson – recording engineer
  • Adam Blackburn, Jonathan Mooney, Mark Agostino – assistant recording engineer
  • Ed Rak – recording, editing, sequencing, mastering
  • Hardgroove Ent. Inc. – management, booking
  • David Lau – art direction
  • Patricia Lie – art direction, design
  • Michael Lavine – photography
  • Jimmy Katz – photography (of personnel)

References

  1. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Family – Roy Hargrove | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  2. ^ Gliožeris, Slava. "ROY HARGROVE — Family". www.jazzmusicarchives.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Heckman, Don (July 2, 1995). "JAZZ SPOTLIGHT: Roy Hargrove Showcases His Overextended 'Family'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 649. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0. Retrieved January 19, 2026 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b H.B. (1999). Swenson, John (ed.). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (2nd ed.). Random House. p. 290. ISBN 0-679-76873-4. Retrieved January 19, 2026 – via Internet Archive.