1997 · Album
With The Tenors Of Our Time
Recorded 1997 · Verve Records · Produced by Not specified in available documentation
A Trumpeter's Conversation With Jazz Giants
Hargrove sits comfortably alongside the tenor saxophone tradition, holding his own without needing to prove anything.
By this point in his career, Roy Hargrove had already established himself as a serious voice on the trumpet, someone who could navigate both straight-ahead bebop and the funkier currents running through modern jazz. With The Tenors Of Our Time captures him in a setting designed to test that skill — surrounded by some of the best tenor saxophone players working, which means he's constantly in conversation, constantly being measured against voices that define the instrument.
What makes this record work is that Hargrove doesn't try to dominate. He's genuinely listening, trading phrases, finding countermelodies, and occasionally stepping back to let the tenors have their moment. The album has a jam-session quality to it, even though these are clearly carefully arranged pieces. You hear his trumpet as part of an ensemble voice rather than sitting above it all, which actually shows more maturity than you might expect. The interplay between horns is the real subject here — not solos showcasing individual virtuosity, but actual musical conversation.
This is a solid record, not a peak moment in his discography, but worth hearing if you want to understand how Hargrove fit into the broader jazz conversation of his time. It's the kind of album that works better if you already know his other work — you're not going to start your Hargrove journey here. But if you've gotten into him through his Blue Note recordings or his work in other settings, this gives you another angle on what he was thinking about. It's confident without being flashy, which is exactly what a trumpet player needs when the room is full of saxophone legends.
Who's playing
Rodney Whitakerdouble bass
Cyrus Chestnutpiano
Ron Blakesoprano saxophone
Stanley Turrentineguest, tenor saxophone
Johnny Griffinguest, tenor saxophone
Branford Marsalisguest, tenor saxophone
Joe Hendersonguest, tenor saxophone
Roy Hargrovetrumpet
Gregory Hutchinsondrums
Where next?
The musicians on this record
Do You Have Any Sugar? 1999
Stanley Turrentine
plays guest here
plays guest here
Ballads 1995
Joe Henderson
plays guest here
plays guest here
♫
Blue Stroll 1999
Johnny Griffin
plays guest here
plays guest here
Contemporary Jazz 2000
Branford Marsalis
plays guest here
plays guest here
