Biography
Born on 23 July 1972 in Guildford, Surrey, England, Hargreaves took up the cello at six and received early piano instruction, although the keyboard did not become his main focus until he turned seventeen. Initial jazz studies took place in England, after which he enrolled at the Berklee College Of Music in the USA, where his instructors included Biff Smith, Barry Harris and Mark Eisenman. Classical training came from Henry Becker and Marc Durand, supplemented by Leon Fleisher’s master-classes at the Royal Conservatory of Music. These dual streams shaped his outlook; early jazz piano touchstones ran from Fats Waller and Art Tatum to Bud Powell, Wynton Kelly and Oscar Peterson, later expanding to Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and Phineas Newborn Jnr. The resulting approach combined an aggressive attack with formidable technical command.
His first professional engagements in the UK found him working trio formats alongside Allan Ganley, Malcolm Creese, Martin Drew and Duncan Hopkins. For the 1998 recording that launched his career as a leader he assembled bassist Andy Cleyndert and drummer Tristan Maillot. Since then he has fronted and performed in ensembles ranging from trios to ten-piece groups, moving freely among contemporary bop, fusion and funk. Core band members have included bassist Andy Hamill, Maillot, guitarist David Okumu and alto saxophonist James Knight, while additional collaborators have encompassed Guy Barker, Peter King, Mornington Lockett, Jim Mullen, Gerard Presencer, Jean Toussaint and guitarist John Etheridge, with whom he has frequently appeared in duo settings. Later listening has drawn from an eclectic pool that includes Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, the Crusaders, Tower Of Power, Donny Hathaway, Brian Wilson, John Scofield, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Jimmy Smith, Marvin Gaye and Joey DeFrancesco.
In 2005, alongside trio work with Maillot and Hamill, Hargreaves performed with Michael Bublé, Alison Moyet, Natalie Imbruglia and Harry Beckett, and he supplied the title theme and incidental score for the television series My Fair Kerry. Beyond piano, keyboards and cello he also performs on bass and drums.
His first professional engagements in the UK found him working trio formats alongside Allan Ganley, Malcolm Creese, Martin Drew and Duncan Hopkins. For the 1998 recording that launched his career as a leader he assembled bassist Andy Cleyndert and drummer Tristan Maillot. Since then he has fronted and performed in ensembles ranging from trios to ten-piece groups, moving freely among contemporary bop, fusion and funk. Core band members have included bassist Andy Hamill, Maillot, guitarist David Okumu and alto saxophonist James Knight, while additional collaborators have encompassed Guy Barker, Peter King, Mornington Lockett, Jim Mullen, Gerard Presencer, Jean Toussaint and guitarist John Etheridge, with whom he has frequently appeared in duo settings. Later listening has drawn from an eclectic pool that includes Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea, the Crusaders, Tower Of Power, Donny Hathaway, Brian Wilson, John Scofield, Marcus Miller, Michael Brecker, Jimmy Smith, Marvin Gaye and Joey DeFrancesco.
In 2005, alongside trio work with Maillot and Hamill, Hargreaves performed with Michael Bublé, Alison Moyet, Natalie Imbruglia and Harry Beckett, and he supplied the title theme and incidental score for the television series My Fair Kerry. Beyond piano, keyboards and cello he also performs on bass and drums.
Albums