On In Harmony, trumpeter Roy Hargrove and pianist Mulgrew Miller sound for all the world like a duo in a small nightclub circa 1955. And that’s a good thing in contrast to the blanched repetition of many contemporary jazz players. These guys sound authentic, not through mere mimicry of the past but by capturing the poetry and spirit.
In Harmony is drawn from a pair of concerts in 2006 and 2007 and becomes a pas de deux of relentless motion between peers. Hargrove’s cool tones could have graced any number of West Coast jazz LPs from the ‘50s, yet the alert urgency of the interplay between him and Miller keeps them in the present moment. With understanding for the material’s melodic potential, they perform Cole Porter as well Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie—with one of Hargrove’s in the mix.
