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Roy Hargrove


mrjazzman

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Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn......    Just saw this terrible news on television just now, and was shocked and deeply saddened and, unfortunately, not too surprised.  Last time I saw Roy, although he played great as he always did, he was clearly barely making it.  And, like I'm sure a number of people here, I also saw Roy in past years in a condition where he wasn't really in a state to play,

But the Roy I'll remember is the one I followed around from gig to gig for several years because he would almost always blow everyone's socks off. The Roy who was up at the very top of players of his generation. The Roy who dominated a not much over half full Jazz Gallery on a snowy night and just couldn't stop playing for the few folks assembled there. The Roy who despite his extroverted stage presence had a few soft friendly words for my father when Dad complimented him on the way he approached certain tunes. He is gone far too young and will definitely be missed.

Bye Roy...

Edited by Al in NYC
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15 hours ago, JSngry said:

I get that the addiction itself is not a choice, and I get that coming to a place where you can own it is a journey fraught with peril before the destination is reached (if it ever is).

No it's not simple. This I know.

But there is a point where choices are made, not about whether or not to self-destruct, that is not really a choice, but about whether or not your own pain is so goddamned important that you don't care whether or not you inflict on those around you.

That's the decision that has consequences beyond yourself, and that's the decision it takes honesty and courage to finally make, rather than avoid.

Those consequences are simple. Painful as hell for all concerned, but ultimately simple.

Jim, I’ve really grown to respect you over the years. Your thoughtfulness, insight, oddball musings, left field philosophy, all of it. 

And I hope you take this as sincerely and respectfully as I mean it to be. 

I work in substance abuse. Please do not speak any further on the subject. 

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RIP Mr. Hargrove. 

If you're a non addict or don't have a friend or family member who is or has been, it's hard to impute your way of thinking to one. Moreover, we're here to mourn his life and celebrate his music. Although it's a free country -- at least for a bit longer -- I don't believe condemnation is appropriate. 

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I will speak.

As somebody who has been deeply wounded by the effects of an addiction not owned - or more properly, recovery possibilities not even casually attempted, denial not only just embraced but flaunted - for far too long, I will speak.

I do not condemn Roy Hargrove, nor do I blame an addict for being an addict. I simply - yes, simply - say that the sustained behaviors of addiction damages more than just the addict. It's not just the addict who has to recover. When all chance at a restored wholeness is denied...

 

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28 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I will speak.

As somebody who has been deeply wounded by the effects of an addiction not owned - or more properly, recovery possibilities not even casually attempted, denial not only just embraced but flaunted - for far too long, I will speak.

I do not condemn Roy Hargrove, nor do I blame an addict for being an addict. I simply - yes, simply - say that the sustained behaviors of addiction damages more than just the addict. It's not just the addict who has to recover. When all chance at a restored wholeness is denied...

 

Great. Speak. 

Just know that you come across as incredibly self-centered, and completely ignorant concerning the subject of addiction. The awareness you lack, and the selfishness you display, are actually quite similar to the behaviors of an addict. And like most addicts, when someone tries to respectfully step in to help, you’re immediate and permanent response is essentially, “fuck you! I’ll do what I want.” 

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I suspect strongly that Jim has experience in the area of addiction. Not in terms of hands-on therapy but in the collateral damage.

His views are as real, honest and accurate as any. 

And honestly we may be laying the blame where it doesn't belong. One can be an addict, and also die young of unrelated, chronic conditions. 

RIP Mr. Hargrove.  Will be spinning a lot of your discs in the coming days.

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15 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

I suspect strongly that Jim has experience in the area of addiction. Not in terms of hands-on therapy but in the collateral damage.

His views are as real, honest and accurate as any. 

And honestly we may be laying the blame where it doesn't belong. One can be an addict, and also die young of unrelated, chronic conditions. 

RIP Mr. Hargrove.  Will be spinning a lot of your discs in the coming days.

He has no experience in it from the perspective and reality of the addict. He has made that perfectly clear. 

Steve, who probably knows addiction more than all of us combined, tried to respectfully correct him. 

As for the cause, it could be completely unrelated to his addiction. But the liklihood of that is almost nil due to the all encompassing effects of addiction on the body. 

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I just played a Roy Hargrove CD, and will be playing a few more in the coming week. I had the good fortune to see Roy perform in person a few times and always found his playing to be highly enjoyable.

I have one recollection that was on the funny side. Roy and his quintet had been performing at a concert as part of the Port Townsend, WA Jazz Festival. After the concert ended, the musicians spread out throughout the town to play in a number of bars,  and restaurants. I was at one such venue standing in the back listening to Jay Thomas. He was playing tenor sax when Roy and a couple of his sidemen came in and stood at the back next to me. When the tune ended, Jay picked up his trumpet and played the next tune on that horn. Roy did not know that Jay Thomas was a  top level multi-instrumentalist. When he say Jay switch from tenor to trumpet, his jaw dropped and he had a look of amazement and began to comment to his sidemen that he could not believe what he saw and heard. It was amusing to see Roy's reaction.

Roy proceeded to sit in with Jay and the two of them made some wonderful music together.

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41 minutes ago, Scott Dolan said:

He has no experience in it from the perspective and reality of the addict. He has made that perfectly clear. 

 

The specifics of my experiences will remain anonymous, as they should. Suffice it to say that your assumptions are just that.

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18 hours ago, sgcim said:

So sad to hear. Roy acted like a big brother to the best trumpet player in my HS band.A very encouraging, giving person- RIP, Roy.

I should add that Roy gave that student a free trumpet lesson, backstage at the gig! We're going beyond Ted Curson territory here (one of the nicest guys I ever met), who used to invite young musicians back to his hotel room after his gigs, to hang out and talk about music.

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5 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

I just played a Roy Hargrove CD, and will be playing a few more in the coming week. I had the good fortune to see Roy perform in person a few times and always found his playing to be highly enjoyable.

I have one recollection that was on the funny side. Roy and his quintet had been performing at a concert as part of the Port Townsend, WA Jazz Festival. After the concert ended, the musicians spread out throughout the town to play in a number of bars,  and restaurants. I was at one such venue standing in the back listening to Jay Thomas. He was playing tenor sax when Roy and a couple of his sidemen came in and stood at the back next to me. When the tune ended, Jay picked up his trumpet and played the next tune on that horn. Roy did not know that Jay Thomas was a  top level multi-instrumentalist. When he say Jay switch from tenor to trumpet, his jaw dropped and he had a look of amazement and began to comment to his sidemen that he could not believe what he saw and heard. It was amusing to see Roy's reaction.

Roy proceeded to sit in with Jay and the two of them made some wonderful music together.

 

 

thats awesome jay thomas blew roy hargroves mind!! great story

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Roy was promoting the Habana album when he came to play at the local Freihofer's Jazz Festival. He had an early afternoon set. Near the end of a tune the audio to the audience cut out. Roy was at the end of the stage killin' it. I don't know if he realized that the audio to the amphitheater was lost or not...perhaps the monitors on stage were still working, but he was well in front of them so he may not have known that either. What I recall vividly is he played his ass off acoustically for about 90 seconds to finish off the tune, filling a 5500 seat venue with an unamplified treat. The ovation he garnered was uproarious and so very well-deserved. 

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