The RH Factor feat. Roy Hargrove — North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, 2006

Full-concert video of The RH Factor, trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s jazz-funk project, captured live at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2006. That year the Dutch festival relocated from The Hague to the Ahoy complex in Rotterdam, and the band performed on 16 July 2006 on the Nile stage. Founded by Hargrove in the early 2000s, The RH Factor blends jazz with soul, funk, hip-hop and gospel, in the spirit of the albums Hard Groove (2003), Strength (2004) and Distractions (2006). On stage Roy Hargrove alternates between trumpet and flugelhorn, backed by an expanded line-up of horns, keyboards, electric bass and a deep groove rhythm section. Released by the North Sea Jazz Festival archive, this full concert showcases the infectious energy and stylistic openness that defined the project. Hargrove, who died in 2018, remains one of the most important trumpeters of his generation, standing at the crossroads of acoustic jazz and urban music. This live recording is a valuable document of The RH Factor at its peak, staged at one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. Essential viewing for fans of jazz-funk and instrumental soul.