Mister Magic – 2001
Roy Hargrove
The trumpeter revives a Grover Washington Jr. classic
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While primarily a hard bop trumpeter throughout his career, Roy Hargrove (1969-2018) was always curious about other styles of music, kept his ears open, and was open to exchanging ideas at jam sessions.
Usually the Grover Washington Jr. hit “Mister Magic” is performed in a similar manner as the famous original recording, but Roy Hargrove had other ideas when appearing at the 2001 Newport Jazz Festival.
With his regular quintet (altoist Sherman Irby, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Gerald Cannon, and drummer Willie Jones III.), Hargrove utilized a funky rhythm, played the song more up-tempo, left room for alto, trumpet, piano and bass solos, and only hinted at the melody while reinventing the tune.
