Roy Hargrove Has New ‘Baby’ in Quintet

When modern mainstream trumpeter Roy Hargrove plays the Veterans Wadsworth Theater on Dec. 2, he’ll bring in the quintet he affectionately refers to as “a baby.”

“The band changes every time a new player comes in and the first gig with our new pianist, Charles Craig, was about two weeks ago at a clinic at an elementary school in New York,” Hargrove says.

As you might expect, the 26-year-old Hargrove, who was just voted Down Beat Magazine’s trumpeter of the year, is upbeat about his new band. “It’s not just a Roy Hargrove showcase. Everybody has some input into what we play. I’m the leader but we’ll all be working as one.”

In addition to Hargrove and Craig, the quintet is composed of Ron Blake (saxophones), Gerald Cannon (bass) and Karriem Riggins (drums). Blake has been with Hargrove for more than three years; the bassist and drummer joined in February, replacing longtime members Rodney Whitaker and Gregory Hutchinson. The latter pair, Blake, pianist Stephen Scott and Hargrove made the trumpeter’s latest album, “Family,” on Verve Records.

The album reflects the trumpeter’s growing involvement with playing melodically, offering the kinds of compositions and improvisations that are easy on the ear while still being hearty and swinging.

“I like music that sticks to me, that I remember,” Hargrove says, “. . . the kind of song I hear everyday, all day, whether I’m playing or just walking around.

”. . . I try to write tunes that catch the ear, that have feeling,” Hargrove adds. “And I try to play that way, too. Mixing technique with feeling, that’s my goal, because both of those things are important.”

Information: (310) 825-2101.

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An Eye on Wynton: Wynton Marsalis is profiled on “60 Minutes,” airing Sunday, 7 p.m., on CBS. The segment consists of interviews conducted by Ed Bradley in Marsalis’ Manhattan apartment, on tour in Augusta, Ga., and in his parents’ home in Kenter, La., the suburb of New Orleans where he was raised. Pianist Ellis Marsalis, the trumpeter’s father, is also interviewed and Wynton is heard performing in both jazz and classical genres. Marsalis discusses the charges of racism that have been levied against him by those critical of decisions he has made in his role as artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center program.

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Off the Turntable: Saxophonist James Moody, the 70-year-young jazz reed ace, has signed with Warner Bros. Records. Plans are in the works for Moody to record in January with an orchestra arranged by Gil Goldstein. . . . Roseanna Vitro, the talented singer who has released albums on Concord Jazz and her own Skyline label, has inked with Telarc. The first album in her three-record deal comes out in January and features Elvin Jones and Christian McBride on two cuts.