Trumpeter Roy Hargrove on jazz and the Monterey
Jazz Festival

(CNN) – Roy Hargrove is a noted jazz trumpet player whose newest all-ballad album, "Moment to Moment" from Verve Records, features Hargrove and his Quintet with string accompaniment by the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra. Hargrove’s previous album, "Habana," explored Afro-Cuban music and won a Grammy.

The Roy Hargrove Quintet will be featured at the 43^rd Monterey Jazz Festival, which takes place September 15 to 17. Over 550 artists will perform on six stages in a magnificent forest setting.

Chat Moderator: Welcome to the CNN chat room, Roy Hargrove.

Roy Hargrove: Hello.

Chat Moderator: Who are your biggest influences, both musically and in your life?

Roy Hargrove: My biggest influence, musically, is a lot of people -- Clifford Brown, Freddy Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie -- there are a whole bunch of them.

Question from Frugalhorn: What kind of flugal were you playing on CNN just now?

Roy Hargrove: It was a horn made by Thomas Inderbinen. Frugalhorn, why do you ask?

Question from Frugalhorn: I want one. Where can I get one?

Roy Hargrove: Well, you can probably order it through the Internet. He is in Zurich, Switzerland. I am advertised as being one of their endorsers. So, if you see my picture in Down Beat or something like that, the information should be there. Other than that, try the Internet.

Question from Keen: Roy, what do you have to say on the death of Stanley Turrentine?

Roy Hargrove: Man, you know, it really saddens me. I am very thankful that I got a chance to record with him before he left us.

Question from ToddK: Roy, how many songs do you have in the current set list and how often do you bring in new ones?

Roy Hargrove: Well, there is no current set list. It mostly depends on if we play for one hour, then there are maybe five songs. The set changes as we go. Sometimes during a sound check, maybe someone might bring in a new song and we might rehearse it, but that doesn't mean we will play it on the gig that night.

Question from PhilipMarshall: Roy, this is Philip Marshall in Austin. Just wanted to say "hi" and ask how you and Larry are doing.

Roy Hargrove: Hello. And Larry is doing good.

Question from James01: Aside from jazz, what other musicians have influenced you?

Roy Hargrove: The Isley Brothers, George Clinton, Sly and the Family Stone, the Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners, Bootsie Collins and C. Valdez, Tito Puente, Fela Kuti and Irene Cara.

Question from Candyce-CNN: Roy, how old were you when jazz grabbed your imagination? Who were your early influences?

Roy Hargrove: Well, I started playing the trumpet when I was nine. I guess when I got into improvising -- when I was about 11 or 12 -- I really started learning about jazz.

Question from Gtribe: Roy, I love the "Crisol" album. Are you considering any other projects with Cuban artists or other Latin-inspired sounds?

Roy Hargrove: Well, there's actually a second recording of "Crisol" that's in the can right now that is yet to be released. It will be released sometime in the future. I don't know when.

Question from Frugalhorn: Are you coming to Columbus, Ohio anytime soon?

Roy Hargrove: I don't know. That's not a place I get to very often. We need more jazz venues.

Question from TheMadSheik: Did you play your solo on "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" with Jimmy Smith in one take?

Roy Hargrove: Yes.

Question from Frugalhorn: Do you think that free music on the Net will ultimately help or hurt jazz?

Roy Hargrove: Oh, man, I think that's gonna make things difficult for everyone involved. Because if no one's buying CD's and they get everything free on the Net or wherever, the musicians don't make money and we all lose. The consumers are winning, but the artists are not making any money. Who is going to pay us? I mean all the money that comes in from record sales goes to the record company. There should be some kind of charge for it.

Chat Moderator: What was it like to work with greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock?

Roy Hargrove: Well, at the times I did get to sit in with them, I felt it was a great honor to share the stage with some people who I really look up to and who I consider my greatest influences.

Dizzy was such a beautiful person. He was very supportive of upcoming jazz artists such as myself. And what can you say about Herbie? He has done it all. So any time that I get an opportunity to play with greats like that, it's always an educational experience for me.

Question from James01: Roy, how would you classify your style?

Roy Hargrove: I wouldn't. That's someone else’s job, not mine.

Chat Moderator: Do you see more young people getting into jazz?

Roy Hargrove: Yes, I do. Which is beautiful because we need it, especially here in America. I spend a lot of time in Europe.

Question from Antonia: Will you tour in Europe soon?

Roy Hargrove: Yes, I will be in Europe in November.

Chat Moderator: Who would you want to work with if you had the chance?

Roy Hargrove: Wow. Well I have always wanted to make a recording with Roy Hanes or Hank Jones. I recently had an opportunity to record with Ray Brown, which was great.

Question from BBB: Roy, I love jazz. I have been trying to learn it for years. What advice can you give to someone who really wants to learn jazz?

Roy Hargrove: What instrument do you play?

Comment from BBB: Saxophone.

Roy Hargrove: Well, I would just say, just listen mainly. Listen and absorb what you listen to. Transcription is also good, but I recommend transcription by ear. It's the best way to retain what you've learned because the ear is a very big deal in jazz. If you can hear it, you can play it. And, of course, practice -- that goes without saying.

Question from Candyce-CNN: What's it like getting together with other jazz artists for such a huge event like this? Is it just work, or more like a reunion?

Roy Hargrove: It's both. It's a reunion because you get to see people on the road that you don't always get to see. The work part comes in getting to the gig -- the bus, train or airplane -- what you have to do to get there.

Question from PhilipMarshall: Have you met anyone on the road lately that you have heard and been really excited about?

Roy Hargrove: I met a few guys, a few good musicians. There is a cat in Chicago burning up the place named Maurice Brown. Yes, I've heard a lot of great young talent coming up in my traveling. It's usually in jazz towns.

Question from Where: Is there any aspect of being a jazz musician that you would change?

Roy Hargrove: Yes. The one aspect I would change is the constant second-class treatment that we get on the road. Not from everyone, but from a lot of different people. Jazz musicians get second-class treatment. We have to ride in very small vehicles and we don't have enough room for our luggage and we ride coach. I know if we were in the pop thing, then it wouldn't be like that. That's the one thing I would change.

Actually, it should be the other way around. A lot of time, jazz musicians are older and they can't get around as quickly as the younger people. Special arrangements should be made and they are not. No one cares or there is not enough money to make it happen.

That has a lot to do with support from you people out there. Because club owners and promoters, they are all about trying to see how many tickets they can sell. When they sell a lot of tickets and get a lot of people in seats, they start treating people nice.

Chat Moderator: How does the Monterey Jazz Festival compare to other festivals you have attended?

Roy Hargrove: Well, I mean I'm a regular there. I come here every year. It's very comfortable and it's different in a sense that it’s very secluded and the patrons are very enthusiastic about jazz, and that's different. Also, this is one of the few festivals where they still have acoustic jazz -- what you call traditional jazz -- as opposed to smooth jazz or hardcore R&B artists.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Roy Hargrove.

Roy Hargrove: Thank you.

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