Customer Reviews

No Job Too Big Or Too Small

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A superb collection from the trumpet player known as the second coming of Miles Davis. Drawn from recordings made in the 80's and 90's, the sound is just terrific, and the production style is uniform enough that all of these tracks could have come from the same sessions. All the players (usually 4 or 5, but not always the same) are in fine form throughout, and bring a lot of energy to the music. "Melchizedek" opens this release with an explosive headlong rush of horns, and never really looks back. Roney employs a mute to fine effect on the mid-tempo "Alone Together", a track that also features some cool flute solos. "Daahoud" is another fast-paced ride, as is "Obsession". Bill Evans' "Blue in Green" is more of a quiet, ruminative track, but still features some lightning runs. Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" picks up the pace again, after which Miles Davis' "Solar" cools things down a bit. "Float" is most notable for its frenetic sax solo, while Wayne Shorter's "Lost" never really finds its way despite some awesome runs from Roney's horn. "For Duke" has a peculiar rhythm that belies its uptempo pace. Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" is just okay. Most of these tracks run 6 to 9 minutes, which makes for a lot of music for your money. The only quibble I have with this set is that a little more variety might have been welcome. Also, Roney's fans should be aware that this is not new material, so they may already have some of these tracks in their collections. For myself, I found this a stunning introduction to an artist I was completely unfamiliar with.

I am giving this music 5 stars for Dahoud and Solar. I have not got around to listening to the other tracks. I saw Wallace Roney here in D.C at the late Bill Harris' "Pig's Foot" club around 1985. The group, the Roney Brothers, was swinging and very well organized to be so young. 21 years later I hear Dahouud on XM radio and think Wallace has a new CD out and he sounds great, and has stopped sounding like the ESP Miles Davis period. I dashed off to pull down Dahoud off Itunes and discovered Solar at that time. I loved the jazz masters, Max, Miles, and Clifford's versions of both tunes and never thought they could be topped. However, Wallace's groups playing on these sides blows the originals away. There is a lot of swing, empathy, and warmth in all the solos, sounds like Gary Thomas on tenor, sounds like Cindy on drums and Gerri on piano. Itunes did not list personnel. Anyway I went back and purchased the rest of the tracks. I wish more players from this generation of musicians would dig into all the great music the bebop and post bebop era created and make that music swing the way this group has. I am also thrilled that I found this music, after all these years, through all of the new venues and technologies that jazz is being made available to consumers.