When two-time Grammy Award- winning jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney performs at the 35th Annual Detroit Jazz Festival that runs over the Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 29 to Sept. 1) in downtown Detroit, it won’t be his first visit to this free world-class Motor City jazz venue.
However, it will perhaps be his most historic, as Roney will perform never-heard-before music, written by the iconic jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter 47 years ago for Miles Davis. He never got the opportunity to play or record Shorter’s compositions.
Shorter first recorded with Davis on the 1965 Columbia album titled “E.S.P.” and played on subsequent Davis recordings until 1970, when Shorter left join in the formation of the cutting-edge jazz ensemble Weather Report featuring pianist Joe Zawinul.
“This is music that Wayne gave me that he wrote for Miles,” said Roney. “The music will be performed by the Wallace Roney orchestra. The music was written when Wayne was a young man (he is 71 now) and had all the optimism of a young man, but it is also futuristic, as if he wrote it today.”
Roney will perform the music at the festival, billed as, To Miles, From Wayne: Wallace Roney’s Orchestra, featuring Wayne Shorter’s Universe, Legend, and Rarely Heard Large Jazz Works.
The orchestra will include Lenny White (drums), Buster Williams (bass), Vince Solomon (saxophone), and René McLean (alto saxophone).
“Playing with Vince and René, Jackie McLean’s son, is like playing with Trane (John Coltrane) and Jackie,” Roney said. “All of these talented musicians will help me bring Wayne’s music for Miles to life, even though Wayne will not be appearing with me in Detroit.”
Roney explained that Shorter wrote the music in 1967 and put it away. Miles passed in 1991.
“Wayne later came to me and said that he had this music that he wrote for Miles and felt that I was the only trumpet player in the world that could truly play the compositions that way he (Shorter) had envisioned for Miles to play.”
Shorter’s choice to entrust this special music to Roney has great significance. Roney was a protégé of Davis.
“Miles was my hero,” said Roney. “I met him in 1983 at a Radio City concert. Promoters were putting together a retrospective tribute to Miles Davis’ life. A lot of alumni from his previous bands were invited. There were such artists there as Philly Joe Jones, George Coleman, Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes, Walter Bishop and J.J. Johnson. There were even pop and R&B artists there to honor Miles, like Angela Bofill and Peabo Bryson.”
The promoter wanted many trumpet players to play a fanfare that would bring Miles on stage.
The trumpet players chosen included Jon Faddis, Randy Brecker, Jimmy Owens, Art Farmer, Maynard Ferguson and Roney, the new kid on the block.
The rhythm session for the trumpeters included Herbie Hancock (piano), Tony Williams (drums) and Ron Carter (bass).
Roney recalled that of all the trumpet players that performed that day, Hancock and the group really responded, musically, to him. After the performance was over, Roney remembered that Hancock, Williams and Carter individually told him how great he sounded.
Following the concert tribute, which also featured Miles Davis and his band, Roney said that Art Farmer told him that Miles wanted to meet him.
“I went upstairs and met my hero,” saidRoney. “Miles said he heard me play and gave me his phone number.”
After calling Miles, Roney, who was then 23 years old, was taken under Miles’ wing and was taught a lot about playing, composing, arranging and leading a band. Roney was so close to the jazz icon that Miles gave Roney four of his priceless trumpets.
Being close to Miles had other consequences, as jazz lovers, especially the jazz reporters, always asked Roney countless Miles’ questions. In fairness, Roney sounds extraordinarily close to how Miles sounded. Some jazz critics have called him a clone, which if one must be a clone, being one associated with the greatest trumpet player, ever, isn’t bad.
Like Miles, Roney can play jazz ballads, almost effortless, with smooth tones, but can fearlessly explode with fire on uptempo tunes. Maybe that’s what Shorter saw and heard in Roney, when the legendary saxophonist found the previously unheard and unrecorded music and realized that only Roney could bring the music alive, in place of the great Miles Davis.
“When people compare me to Miles, I take it as a great compliment,” said Roney. “He was my idol. He gave me so much advice about the music and about playing the horn with excellence. I try to carry on what he was doing, yet express my own individuality and uniqueness every time I play live or record.”
In addition to performing the new music, Roney is attempting to find a record company interested in bringing the music to the masses, worldwide. And while it would seem like a no-brainer for a record company to take on the project, Roney said that it’s been just the opposite.
“I’ve been trying to get this music recorded for over five years. Everybody is turning it down. I don’t understand,” he said.
On the upcoming Miles Davis movie that’s currently being shot, starring Don Cheadle as Miles, Roney commented, “I don’t know a thing about it. I wasn’t asked to be a consultant or anything. My relationship was with Miles, not necessarily the Miles Davis estate. I just hope the movie makers do a good job. If they do, I will be the first to love it. If they do a bad job, I will be the first to say they shouldn’t have done it.”
Among the other jazz acts who will be performing at the Detroit Jazz Festival are Pharoah Sanders, Stanley Clarke, Tom Harrell, Joshua Redman (artist in residence), Regina Carter, the duo of Randy Weston and Billy Harper, Christian McBride, Lou Donaldson, Al Foster, Ramsey Lewis, Ron Carter, Freda Payne, Gary Burton, The Halladay/Schunk Latin Experience, Barry Harris and so many more.
For a complete listing of jazz acts scheduled for the Detroit Jazz Festival, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.
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