NoMad Jazz Festival 2026 Events

“There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you’re hearing your compositions and arrangements played by a wall of sound.”
— Roy Hargrove

Originally formed in the rehearsal space that would later become The Jazz Gallery, the Roy Hargrove Big Band gave its inaugural performance at the Greenwich Village Jazz Festival in 1995. Under Roy Hargrove’s leadership, the ensemble toured throughout the United States and abroad, performing at venues including Blue Note Tokyo and the Hollywood Bowl. Hargrove led the band while playing trumpet and flugelhorn and, most famously, lending his vocals to the fan favorite “September in the Rain.” The arrangements comprised of Roy’s original compositions, standards, and new music by band members and other contemporaries whom he respected. They released one album, Emergence, under Roy’s leadership in 2009.

As with everything Roy, his broad musical range is evident in his big band. Nate Chinen’s description of a big band concert at WBGO aptly captures that diversity: “Beginning with “Roy Allan,” a blaring, groove-fortified piece named after Hargrove’s father, the set moves into an original ballad titled “Trust.” Then Jon Batiste plays the elaborative piano introduction to “Mambo For Roy,” a Chucho Valdés composition originally featured on the album Habana. And this selection of excerpts concludes with a Hargrove original, “Tschpiso.”

Following Roy Hargrove’s passing, Roy Hargrove Legacy LLC, founded by his wife, Aida Brandes-Hargrove, and daughter, Kamala, revived the Roy Hargrove Big Band to celebrate his enduring legacy. The ensemble features many of the musicians who performed alongside Hargrove throughout his career. Ms. Brandes-Hargrove serves as Executive Director. Mr. Bruce Williams, lead alto saxophonist and a member of the band from 1997 until Hargrove’s passing in 2018, is Music Director, and longtime baritone saxophonist. Mr. Jason Marshall, baritone saxophonist and also long-time member of the big band, serves as Assistant Music

The Roy Hargrove Big Band has maintained a monthly residency at The Jazz Galleryin NoMad since March 2022.