Customer Reviews

Wallace Roney Quintet

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

 

 

Well, how you ll like this music depends on what you expect. Wallace Roney is known for his lyrical trumpet playing, similar sounding to Miles Davis lyrical trumpet playing. You find this here also, but that s not reason I gave it 5 stars. Listening to this disc I hear further exploration of 60' concept of Davis, Shorter, Hancock, Williams, Carter (played under Miles Davis Quintet) - the albums like Miles Smiles, Neffertiti, Sorcerer etc. The concept that was abandoned for many years (though sometimes played by VSOP Quintet).
Here it is back and explorated further - the polyrhytmic playing, strange, cool, amazing melodies, modal to "free" harmonies etc. All players in this Quintet contribute to this.
Although it doesnt sound "hot", there is a lot of emotions there - the interesting formal concept combined with interesting improvisations and creative playing as well. Just listen to songs that are available on Amazon, and you will know.
So, it is almost sure that this is not going to be Wallace Roney s best selling album for people who like to listen deeper and for those who liked 60 s Miles Davis Quintet highly recommended.
Being aware of situation in music industry I thank Wallace Roney for the courage.

Walace Roney is an excellent musician; sounds a great deal like his mentor, Miles Davis, but has developed his own ideas of improvization.

I got this CD when it was first released and realized its intensity and Mile's like sound . I was too young really to appreciate how technically challenging it is even if you study Miles. It's a good listen but not causual music. I sold it years back and now have it again. I hope Roney is still growing like Miles who never stopped with the 50-60's sound.

Wallace Roney has one of the most beautiful trumpet tones since Miles but his recorded output after his straight-ahead Muse sides has been slim and uninspired. The theory here seems to be that if you like Miles 60's quintet, you'll like this. Sorry, but the meandering, abstract tunes never catch fire. The sound is nice but the feeling is strange. No swing or fire. His next CD, "Village" is much better with more life. I'd recommend his Muse reissue compilation (on 32 Jazz), "No Job Too Big or Small" for well-played, swinging classic jazz, but Roney needs a creative breakthrough if he's going to make his mark in the '00s.

I bought this CD upon its original release and was stunned (not pleasantly) by its mimicry of mid-to-late-60s Miles. Roney makes good music but it is extremely formulaic with the formula being Miles Quintet albums such as "Miles in the Sky," "Filles," "Smiles," "ESP," etc. Roney clones the musical sounds and tempos of albums like these and does so to admirable effect. Therefore, the album is enjoyable because Roney is an excellent clone but why bother with it when the originals by Miles are clearly superior. This albums is too much music-by-numbers and, therefore, short on spirit. I've seen Roney many times, including with his piano-phenomenon-wife Geri Allen (from whom he could learn something about originality). He puts on a good show, but his impulsive mimicing of Miles is a serious limit, to this day (e.g., Mystral), on his creative output.