BERN: A VIBRANT AND VITAL, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED ROY HARGROVE DATE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZFESTIVAL IN BERN, SWITZERLAND

BERN: A VIBRANT AND VITAL, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED ROY HARGROVE DATE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZFESTIVAL IN BERN, SWITZERLAND ON MAY 4, 2000, RELEASED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ROY HARGROVE ESTATE ARRIVES ON VINYL AS EXCLUSIVE RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE ON APRIL 18, 2026

SINGLE “CIRCUS” TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 4, 2026 ON ALL PLATFORMS

The Grammy award-winning, critically acclaimed trumpeter/bandleader is captured live in Switzerland at the zenith of his artistry with an all-star quintet

Time Traveler Recordings releases Bern, a previously unissued Roy Hargrove date, showcasing the then 30-year-old trumpeter at the height of his powers. Produced by Zev Feldman and James Batsford, the invaluable recording is being released in partnership with the Roy Hargrove Estate, with the late jazz master’s widow, Aida Brandes-Hargrove, serving as Executive Producer. The deluxe 180-gram, limited-edition LP was recorded by 3sat on May 4, 2000 at International Jazzfestival Bern, mastered for vinyl by respected engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab in Salina, Kansas and pressed at Optimal Media in Germany. With extensive liner notes by jazz journalist/author Nate Chinen, the album is being released on LP for Record Store Day, April 18, 2026 with CD and digital download versions to follow on April 24.

From the time he burst on the New York jazz scene in 1987 to his tragic passing in 2018 at the young age of 49, Roy Hargrove reigned supreme as the most dynamic and diversified trumpeter and flugelhornist of his generation, as evidenced by his critically acclaimed post-bop recordings as a leader, his pioneering Latin jazz/Afro-Cuban ensemble, Crisol, and his exciting neo-soul/hip-hop recordings with fellow Texan Erykah Badu and with D’ Angelo on the singer’s keyboardist magnificent recording, Voodoo.

But as this new release illustrates, Hargrove is a jazz musician at his core; a trumpeter forged in the fundamental fires of Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard. For co-producer Zev Feldman, this magnificent musical offering captures Hargrove’s artistry in the creative crucible of a live setting, reminding us of the beautiful and beguiling music he left us.

“Roy Hargrove is such an important artist with a legacy that burns bright in our hearts,” Feldman says. “I love Roy Hargrove, and I just feel honored to have played a small part in bringing this recording out with the support of Aida Brandes-Hargrove and Robb Patryk of the Roy Hargrove Estate. I’m really thrilled that this music could be released on Time Traveler Recordings, in partnership with the estate. This is a big win for all the Roy Hargrove fans out there.”

For Aida Brandes-Hargrove, this album represents a moment in time when Roy Hargrove was at the top of his game. As she writes in the album’s notes, “Roy is so in his element, and the group’s chemistry is through the roof. The recording captures this quintet at its most dynamic and inventive, and I’m thrilled this moment is being preserved; it’s a true snapshot of what made Roy’s live performances so electrifying and mesmerizing. Everyone needs to hear it.”

On this splendid recording, Hargrove fronts a quicksilver quintet featuring pianist Larry Willis, drummer Willie Jones, III, bassist Gerald Cannon and alto saxophonist (and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member) Sherman Irby. As Nate Chinen writes in his liner notes, “[Hargrove] was 30, precisely a decade into his strikingly successful career as a recording artist and shining herald for a jazz generation. And as the music on this knockout concert recording confirms, he was pushing himself to ever-greater heights, like an elite Alpinist daring to chase a new peak.”

The quintet supports, inspires, instigates and activates Hargrove’s improvisational inventions on the recording’s five tracks, which range from about 10 to 16 minutes, with some songs previously released on Hargrove’s studio recordings, Moment to Moment and The Vibe, along with Manhattan Projects - a 1989 all-star project headed by drummer Carl Allen and a 1961 Impulse! date by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.   

Driven by Jones’ in-the-pocket drumming, guided by Cannon’s bone-thick basslines, Willis’ elaborate and engaging pianism and Irby’s down-home sax lines, Hargrove’s bravura trumpet tones dance, prance and trance on the fiery, uptempo Frank Lacy composition, “Stranded.” Hargrove’s fast-paced 4/4 number, “Depth,” is rendered with sublime rhythmic resonance, contrasted by Hargrove’s mellow-toned delivery on the American standard ballad, “Never Let Me Go.” Things get funky on Hargrove’s “Caryisms,” written for pianist and former bandmate Marc Cary, with some zesty quotes from Herbie Hancock’s "Chameleon" and the Meters’ “Cissy Strut.” The album concludes with the south-of-border syncopations of an Art Blakey recorded chestnut, “Circus.”

Hargrove’s premature passing ranks among the great tragedies of contemporary jazz history, making every document of his scintillating creativity a cherished treasure. Bern is a crucial addition to that towering legacy, a brilliant reminder of how this modern master seared his way into our musical memories.