Down Beat - p.75
"NOTHING SERIOUS sounds loose and joyous throughout, powered by Willie Jones III's hyperactive swirl of drums."
JazzTimes - p.95
"[I]nventive and infectious music....Hargrove leads his quintet with a democratic spirit."
Vibe - p.144
"[A] high-energy, straight-up jazz CD..."
Roy Hargrove: Dwayne Burno (double bass).
Personnel: Roy Hargrove (trumpet, flugelhorn); Justin Robinson (flute, alto saxophone); Slide Hampton (trombone); Ronnie Mathews (piano); Willie Jones III (drums).
As one of the "young lions" who emerged on the jazz scene in the late 1980s, trumpeter Roy Hargrove belongs to the jazz camp that harks back to the classic hard bop put out on Blue Note and Verve in the 1950s and early '60s. NOTHING SERIOUS, which was released by Verve in 2006, finds Hargrove working solidly in this mode and adding his own distinctive voice to the legacy.
Hargrove's quintet consists of top-tier musicians who push all the right buttons at every turn. It's hard to criticize the musicians for sticking to the history books when they're making music this fine (the Afro-Cuban-flavored title cut, and the haunting "Salima's Dance" are just two of the album's many highlights). Excellent songwriting and guest spots from trombone legend Slide Hampton round out the package. Solid from beginning to end, NOTHING SERIOUS proves that classic hard bop is still alive and kicking.
Based on 
