Wallace Roney and His Mission to Record and Perform Wayne Shorter's Long-Lost "Universe"

By R.J. DELUKE, Published: December 26, 2013

"It's like the Holy Grail of music that was written specifically for Miles and that band. —Wallace Roney"

Wayne Shorter is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest composers in the history of jazz, which is the history of American music. His compositions are played by instrumentalists in cramped and crowded nightclubs wherever on earth jazz music is performed. It's hard to imagine a jazz festival where at least few of his works don't cascade upon the ears at some point. Vocalists have added lyrics to some of his songs so they, too, can get involved in their interpretation. 

"He's an absolute jazz master, one of the greatest composers in jazz and, in my opinion, in modern music," says Joshua Redman, who has made his own mark as one of the finest saxophonists of his generation. 

Shorter is prolific. He writes often and in different forms. He has pieces of music written many years ago that he occasionally gets back to and brings out in some fashion. "Finishes" isn't really a term he prefers. "When people say something is finished, that's like a consensus," he says, proudly. "That's just an opinion. 'That's the end of that song.' No. the song's just sitting there. That's not a law." 

Lately, there is some special music sitting in Shorter's vault that is finding its way out, albeit slowly, to be finally heard. It's being done by the extraordinary trumpet player Wallace Roney, who obtained the music in 2012 from Shorter, his close friend. Until about a year ago, when Roney formed a band that played it in concert, all but one piece had never been performed before. 

These are extended scores for 23 musicians, written around 1968 by Shorter specifically for Miles Davis to play with his great quintet of that time, Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams at the core. 

"I've got to get it out there so people can hear it," says Roney. "It's like the Holy Grail of music that was written specifically for Miles and that band." 

But Roney met resistance all throughout 2013 and is still baffled at the situation. His goal in 2014 is to get the music heard more live, and also get into a studio to document it "because the music demands it. That's important to be said. The music demands it. Not for any other goal except that the music demands to be recorded and put out there." 

There are five extended pieces, "Legends," "Universe," "Twin Dragon," "Utopia" and "5/4." Roney struggled to get opportunities for the music to be played. He had some rehearsals, but no one was willing to book a performance. But in January of 2013 he finally got a chance to play publicly at a club called Drom in New York City. "Nobody got paid, because they weren't paying anything," says Roney. "It was a showcase. Everybody came out and there was a buzz all over the place for a moment. Because the music was that great," but nothing happened. A few months later, in a May conversation, Roney was still scratching his head. "I can't get nobody. Let me give you a capital N, capital O, capital B, capital O, capital D, capital Y. NOBODY. They're interested when they first hear. But I've gotten resistance so much it's incredible. You've got to be kidding me. No one wants to hear this? It's like when I was with VSOP and nobody would book us. It's the same thing."

Read more: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=46127#.Ur2AD3nnb9s

Wallace Roney: I Stuck It Out

In a video from iRockJazz, trumpeter talks about staying true to the music

n a video from iRockJazz, trumpeter Wallace Roney candidly reveals his conviction for staying true to jazz music in the spite of many hardships and conveys why his deep love for the art form moves him to honor and fight for the music. - http://jazztimes.com/articles/29048-wallace-roney-i-stuck-it-out

Jazz Journalists Association Announces Musical LineUp for Awards

Pianist Randy Weston headlines the artist lineup and tickets are now on sale at www.JJAJazzAwards.org for the 15th annual Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards gala, to be held on Saturday, June 11, from 1 pm to 5 pm EDT at City Winery, 155 Varick St.  at Vandam in  New York City .

Besides Weston, trumpeter Wallace Roney ' s sextet, Canadian flutist/soprano saxophonistJane Bunnett with Cuban-born pianist Hilario Duran and special guest Candido on congas, singer Gregory Porter (a nominee for the JJA ' s Male Vocalist of the Year Award) and the Hammer Klavier Trio from  Hamburg  will perform at the event. The JJA gala, a fundraiser for the non-profit professional organization that promotes coverage of jazz in all media, will also feature announcements and presentations of the Awards to winners, and introductions of "Jazz Heroes" honored for extra-musical jazz activism in locales across the U.S. (in order to highlight the decentralized aspect of jazz activism, the JJA is not inducting "A Team" jazz activists this year). City Winery refreshments and beverages, as well as Brother Thelonious Ale and Celebrity Jazz cognac will be served.

The Jazz Awards is being produced as live streaming video, viewable online (and later archived) at JJAJazzAwards.org. Free satellite parties have been convened to watch the Awards in Berkeley, Boston, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland OR, Seattle and Washington, D.C, among other sites.

The general public may purchase tickets to the Awards gala in  New York  for $150. Ticket reservations, the list of all nominees for 2011 JJA Jazz Awards, details about the satellite parties and videos of the performers are also available at JJAJazzAwards.org.

Jazz Awards headliner Randy Weston, robust at 85 and a recently named Guggenheim Fellow, is a nominee for the JJA ' s Best Book of the Year Award for his autobiography African Rhythms ("arranged" by former JJA vice president Willard Jenkins). Weston ' s performance and that of singer Gregory Porter, whose album Water was nominated for a Grammy as vocal jazz cd of the year, are being supported by Motema Records. Acclaimed trumpeter Wallace Roney and his band with his brother Antoine and Arnold Lee on saxophones is being supported by HighNote/Savant Records.

Pianist Hilario Duran, born in Cuba and residing in Canada, has been nominated for two Juno Awards for his 2010 album Motion, hailed as #1 of the year by the Latin Jazz Network; soprano saxophonist/flutist Jane Bunnett, a multiple Juno winner who led her Spirits of Havana ensemble at the 2009 JJA Jazz Awards, has been Duran ' s guest artist on tour with a 13-pieceLatin Jazz band. Their performance is supported by Alma Records; master conguero Candido Camero, who joins them, was voted Percussionist of the Year by the JJA in 2009. The Hammer Klavier Trio, presented by Jan Matthies Management, is the subject of a JJA-nominated Short Form Video of the Year, and appears at the Jazz Awards as part of its debut American tour.

The JJA Jazz Awards is the only broad-based, independent, international celebration of jazz excellence. Begun in 1997 as a collaboration between the Jazz Journalists Association and Michael Dorf (then executive director of the Knitting Factory, now Founder and CEO of City Winery), it has been produced annually since 1999 by the JJA as part of its effort to increase awareness of jazz worldwide through writing, photography, audio/video and new media productions.

JJA Jazz Awards are presented 39 categories encompassing jazz music, presentation and documentation. The JJA ' s "Jazz Heroes" are activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact on their immediate locales. The 2011 "Jazz Heroes" are:

●      Omrao Brown, managing partner of Bohemian Caverns, who has helped stimulate new jazz activities in  Washington ,  D.C.

●      Peggy Cafritz, supporting founder of the  Duke   Ellington   School  of the Arts in Washington ,  D.C.

●      John Gilbreath, executive director of Earshot Jazz, Seattle.

●      Dr. Maiterya Padukone, dentist affiliated with the Jazz Foundation of America, treating musicians in  New York City .

●      Don Z. Miller, jazz impresario of  Arizona ,  Mexico  and  Europe .

●      Ed Reed, 82-year-old singer and substance abuse counselor,  Richmond , California .

●      Mike Reed, drummer, bandleader, music series and festival presenter, Chicago.

●      Roger Spencer and Lori Mechem, directors of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, Nashville .

●      Elynor Walcott and her sons, proprietors of Wally ' s Jazz Café, longtime venue for youthful and emerging jazz in  Boston .

The Jazz Awards gala raises funds for JJA educational efforts and activities aimed at developing new audiences for jazz.  These include the eyeJAZZ video training program, audience enrichment programs at jazz festivals and educational institutions, initiatives using social media to activate under-addressed segments of the potential jazz audience and establishment of online platforms for jazz journalists.

To see all nominees for the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards and to purchase tickets for the gala, go towww.JJAJazzAwards.org. For further information, contact President@JazzJournalists.org.

Wallace Roney earned the admiration and respect of his colleagues....

by Ron Wynn
Wallace Roney's dilemma recalls that of Sonny Stitt in the '50s and '60s: his trumpet tone, timbre, approach, phrasing, and sound so closely mirror that of Miles Davis in his pre-jazz/rock phase that he's been savaged in many places for being a clone and unrepentant imitator. Stitt stopped playing alto for years because of his disdain of being labeled a Charlie Parker clone; Roney, on the other hand, played many of Miles Davis' parts on the 1992 tribute to the Birth of the Cool sessions, which was issued in 1993 as Miles Davis and Quincy Jones at Montreaux.

Roney even addressed the situation in the publication Jazz Times in 1993, blasting what he saw as unfair critical obsession with his stylistic similarity to Davis. It's a classic no-win situation; he does sound tremendously like Davis and can't be completely absolved from critical charges of imitation. But he's also a fine, evocative player on ballads and can be fiery and explosive on up-tempo tunes. Roney put in his stint in one of the last editions of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

He began recording as a leader in the late '80s with several sessions for Muse in primarily a hard bop mode, many pairing him with equally energized saxophonists Gary Thomas or Kenny Garrett. In 2000, Roney took a creative turn toward funk and experimental post-bop with the album No Room for Argument, a direction he has stuck with through several albums, including 2004's Prototype and 2005's Mystikal. He released Jazz in 2007.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fyxql5ldae~T1

Here's what the publicist says:
Wallace Roney earned the admiration and respect of his colleagues and his elders since age 16. He has been an integral part of the band with Tony Williams, Ornette Coleman, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Walter Davis Jr., Herbie Hancock, Jay McShann, David Murray, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Curtis Fuller, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Dizzy Gillespie to name a few. He was one of the few musicians in his generation who learned and perfected his craft directly from alliances with Jazz Masters. But his most important and meaningful relationship was with Miles Davis.

Wallace was mentored by Miles Davis after Miles heard him in 1983 at his birthday gala performance in Carnegie Hall. Their association peaked when Miles chose Wallace to share the stage at his historic performance in Montreux in 1991. After Davis died, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Roney banded together and toured the world in tribute.
My goal is to make the best music I can. Although I like all types of music I am first and foremost a jazz musician, Black African American classical music.

Influences:
Who Else? MILES!!! Also: Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Coles, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Booker Little, Clark Terry, Harry Sweets Edison, Eddie Harris, Lee Morgan, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Dorham.