Michael Edwards's "Once in Awhile" is presented as a lush ballad on Roy Hargrove's 1990 debut album Public Eye, offering a window into the young trumpeter's ability to communicate depth and tenderness at slow tempos. The AABA standard in E-flat unfolds at a gentle ballad pace, and Hargrove delivers one chorus of trumpet with a maturity and emotional directness that belie his youth. His tone on this performance is round and burnished, his phrasing patient and vocally inflected, each note placed with care. Stephen Scott follows with a half-chorus piano solo, his delicate touch and harmonic sensitivity complementing the intimate atmosphere. Ballad playing is often considered the ultimate test of a jazz musician's expressiveness, requiring the performer to sustain interest without the momentum provided by faster tempos, and Hargrove passes this test with distinction. The sparse arrangement puts his sound front and center, revealing the warmth and personal quality that would become hallmarks of his ballad work throughout his career. The presence of Billy Higgins on brushes adds an understated elegance to the proceedings, the veteran drummer's light touch creating a cushion of rhythm that supports without intruding. The track demonstrates that Hargrove's gifts extended well beyond the fiery technical display of the album's uptempo numbers.
