Roy Hargrove is a hard bop-oriented "Young Lion." A fine straight-ahead player who does not sound overly influenced by any of his predecessors, Hargrove's fiery solos resulted in him winning the Downbeat Readers' Poll in 1995. He met Wynton Marsalis in 1987, when the trumpeter visited his high school, and impressed Marsalis, who let him sit in with his band. With the help of Marsalis, Hargrove was soon playing with major players including Bobby Watson, Ricky Ford, Carl Allen, and in the group Superblue. Hargrove attended Berklee (1988-1989), and in 1990 released his first of five recordings for Novus; he was 20 at the time. He often toured with his own group, which for several years including Antonio Hart. In addition to Novus, Hargrove has recorded for Verve and as a sideman with quite a few notables including Sonny Rollins, James Clay, Frank Morgan, and Jackie McLean, plus the group Jazz Futures. His Verve album roster includes 1995's Family and Parker's Mood. Habana and Moment to Moment followed at the end of the decade. Hargrove also went on to contribute to well-received R&B albums by Erykah Badu and D'Angelo. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide