Wallace Roney (May 25, 1960 – March 31, 2020) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

( hard bop and

post-bop Post-bop is a genre of small-combo jazz that evolved in the early to mid 1960s in the United States. Pioneers of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, crafted syntheses ...

) trumpeter. He has won 1 Grammy award and has two nominations. Roney took lessons from Clark Terry and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

and studied with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

from 1985 until the latter's death in 1991. Wallace credited Davis as having helped to challenge and shape his creative approach to life as well as being his music instructor, mentor, and friend; he was the only trumpet player Davis personally mentored.

Early life and education

Roney was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. He attended Howard University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, after graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts of the D. C. Public Schools, where he studied trumpet with Langston Fitzgerald of the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

. Found to have perfect pitch at the age of four, Wallace began his musical and trumpet studies at Philadelphia's Settlement School of Music. He studied with trumpeter Sigmund Hering of the Philadelphia Orchestra for three years. Hering regularly presented Wallace at recitals at the Settlement School, and with the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, during his studies in Philadelphia.

Career

When he entered the Duke Ellington School, Roney had already made his recording debut at age 15 with Nation and Haki R. Madhubuti, and at that time met, among others, Bill Hardman, Valery Ponomarev,

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

(who befriended him), Johnny Coles and Freddie Hubbard. He played with the

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and co ...

Quartet featuring

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, ...

, Sam Jones, and Philly Joe Jones at 16 years of age with the encouragement of his high school teacher. Roney attained distinction as a gifted local performer in the Washington, D.C area. In 1979 and 1980, Roney won the ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' Award for Best Young Jazz Musician of the Year, and in 1989 and 1990 the ''DownBeat'' Magazine's Critic's Poll for Best Trumpeter to Watch. In 1983, while taking part in a tribute to

at " The Bottom Line" in Manhattan, he met his idol. "He avisasked me what kind of trumpet I had," Roney told ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine, "and I told him none. So he gave me one of his." In 1984 and 1985, he was forced to play in Latin dance and reception bands, as the New York clubs, once a prominent part of the jazz scene, had mostly disappeared. But in 1986, he received a pair of calls, in the same month, to tour with drummers Tony Williams and

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the ...

, after which Roney became one of the most in-demand trumpet players on the professional circuit. In 1986, he succeeded Terence Blanchard in Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was an integral part of Williams's quintet. In 1991, Roney played with Davis at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

. After Davis's death that year, Roney toured in memoriam with Davis alumni

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles D ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

, Ron Carter and Tony Williams and recorded an album, ''

A Tribute to Miles ''A Tribute to Miles'' is a tribute album recorded by the then surviving members of the Miles Davis "Second Great" Quintet: pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. Taking the Miles rol ...

'', for which they won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. Roney learned his craft directly from Miles Davis. Critics have taken Roney to task for sounding too similar to his idol. Roney recorded his debut album as a leader, ''Verses'', on Muse Records in 1987. A number of albums on Muse, Warner Bros. Records and Concord Records/ Stretch Records followed, and by the time he turned 40 in 2000 Roney had been documented on over 250 audio recordings. His album titles from the 2000s include ''Mystikal'' (2005) and ''

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

'' (2007) on HighNote Records. His two most recent albums are ''A Place in Time'' (HighNote 2016) and ''Blue Dawn - Blue Nights'' (HighNote 2019), which features his nephew, drummer

Kojo Roney Kojo may refer to: * ''King Kojo'', a novel by Ruth Plumly Thompson * KOJO (company), Australian entertainment company which supported the Adelaide Film Festival#Indigenous Feature Documentary Initiative * KOJO (FM), a radio station (91.1 FM) lice ...

Personal life

Wallace Roney was the son of Wallace Roney, U.S. Marshal and President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 102, grandson of Philadelphia musician Roosevelt Sherman, and older brother of tenor and soprano saxophonist

Antoine Roney Antoine Roney (born April 1, 1963, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American tenor saxophonist, brother to trumpeter Wallace Roney.Allmusic profile/ref> He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Hartt School of Music of the Univer ...

. In 1995, Roney married pianist Geri Allen, with whom he had two daughters and a son. The marriage ended prior to Allen's death in 2017. The two artists collaborated on records on many occasions during the 1990s and 2000s, on records released under each artist's name. Earlier in his life, Roney had been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.

Death

Wallace Roney died at the age of 59 on March 31, 2020, at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

Movie credits

*2001 - ''The Visit'' - Jordan Walker-Perlman - music arrangement *1996 - ''Love Jones'' - music arrangement

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* '' Verses'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...

, 1987) * '' Intuition'' (Muse, 1988) * ''

The Standard Bearer The Standard Bearer may refer to: * ''The Standard Bearer'' (album), 1989 album by Wallace Roney * ''The Standard Bearer'' (Rembrandt, 1636) * ''The Standard Bearer'' (Lanzinger painting), portrait of Adolf Hitler * ''The Standard Bearer'' (ma ...

'' (Muse, 1989) – recorded in 1989 * '' Obsession'' (Muse, 1991) – recorded in 1990 * ''

Seth Air ''Seth Air'' is the fifth album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1991 and released on the Muse label.Munchin' ''Munchin is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1993 and released on the Muse label.Crunchin' ''Crunchin is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1993 and released on the Muse label.Mistérios ''Mistérios'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, recorded in 1994 and released on the Warner Bros. label. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Trumpeter Wallace Roney avoids the standard repertoire altogeth ...

'' ( Warner Bros., 1994) – arranged and conducted by

Gil Goldstein Gil Goldstein (born November 6, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American jazz pianist and accordionist. He has won 5 Grammy Awards and he was nominated 8 time Biography He began studying accordion at age 5 after noticing it in The Lawrence ...

* ''

'' ( Qwest/ Reprise/ Warner Bros., 1994) with

, Tony Williams, Ron Carter * ''

The Wallace Roney Quintet ''The Wallace Roney Quintet'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney which was recorded in 1995 and released on the Warner Bros. label.Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1997) – recorded in 1996 * ''

No Room for Argument ''No Room for Argument'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wallace Roney, recorded in 2000 and released on the Stretch label. Reception The AllMusic review by Paula Edelstein stated, "This CD is packed with excellent straight-ahead, avan ...

'' ( Stretch, 2000) * ''No Job Too Big or Small'' ( 32 Jazz, 2003) – compilation of Muse recordings * ''

Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

'' ( HighNote, 2004) * '' Mystikal'' (HighNote, 2005) * ''

'' (HighNote, 2007) * '' If Only for One Night'' (HighNote, 2010) – recorded in 2009 * ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

'' (HighNote, 2012) – recorded in 2010 * ''

Understanding Understanding is a psychological process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to use concepts to model that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object ...

'' (HighNote, 2013) – recorded in 2012 * '' A Place in Time'' (HighNote, 2016) * ''What's New'' ( Nippon Crown, 2016) – recorded in 1989 * ''

Blue Dawn-Blue Nights ''Blue Dawn-Blue Nights'' is the final studio album by trumpeter/composer Wallace Roney which was released on the HighNote label in 2019.Geri Allen * ''

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos. ...

'' ( Blue Note, 1992) * ''

Eyes in the Back of Your Head ''Eyes in the Back of Your Head'' is an album by the pianist Geri Allen, recorded in late 1995 and early 1996 and released on the Blue Note label. Reception AllMusic stated: "The music is mostly avant-garde, but purposeful and logical in its o ...

'' (Blue Note, 1997) – recorded in 1995-96 * '' The Gathering'' (Verve, 1998) * ''

Timeless Portraits and Dreams ''Timeless Portraits and Dreams'' is an album by pianist Geri Allen recorded in 2006 and released on the Telarc label. Reception Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars, stating: "Geri Allen's musical interests prove to be quite diverse in ''Timele ...

'' ( Telarc, 2006) With

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philade ...

* '' What If?'' (Enja, 1986) With

Cindy Blackman Cindy Blackman Santana (born November 18, 1959), sometimes known as Cindy Blackman, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter ...

* '' Arcane'' (Muse, 1988) – recorded in 1987 * '' Code Red'' (Muse, 1992) – recorded in 1990 With

* '' Killer Joe'' (Union Jazz, 1982) with George Kawaguchi – recorded in 1981 * ''Art Blakey And Jazz Messengers ("San Marco Cafe", Miami, FL, January 11, 1986)'' (Arco 3, 1990) – recorded in 1986 * ''

Feeling Good "Feeling Good" (also known as "Feelin' Good") is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical ''The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd''. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Gr ...

'' (Delos, 1986) With Samuel Blaser * ''Early in the Mornin (OutNote Records, 2018) – recorded in 2017 With Donald Brown * ''Born to be Blue'' (Space Time, 2013) With

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and ma ...

* ''

Jazz Is a Spirit ''Jazz Is a Spirit'' is an album by drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. It was recorded before an audience at Master Control Studio in Burbank, California during February 2001, and was released in 2002 by the German label ACT Music. On the album, Carri ...

'' (ACT, 2002) With

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

* ''

Remembering Bud Powell ''Remembering Bud Powell'' is an album by pianist Chick Corea and Friends performing tunes by Bud Powell. It was released on Corea's Stretch label in 1997. Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow said "Rather than play revivalist bebop, ...

'' (Stretch, 1997) – recorded in 1996 * ''The Musician'' (Concord Jazz, 2017) With

Joey DeFrancesco Joey DeFrancesco (April 10, 1971August 25, 2022) was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist, and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, and recorded extensively as a sideman with such leading jazz perfo ...

* ''

Where Were You? ''Where Were You?'' is the second album led by jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco which was released on the Columbia label in 1990.Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, 1990) With

* '' Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux'' ( Warner Bros., 1993) also with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

– recorded in 1991 With

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

* ''Escape'' (Escapade Music, 1996) With

Ricky Ford Ricky Ford (born March 4, 1954) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Ford was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States,) and studied at the New England Conservatory. Ricky Ford AllMusic In 1974, he recorded with Gunther Schulle ...

* '' Interpretations'' (Muse, 1982) With

Letizia Gambi Letizia Gambi is an Italian singer-songwriter and actress. Her music is a fusion between her Italian and Neapolitan heritage and Black Jazz American roots. Gambi performs and records in English, Italian, Neapolitan and Spanish and is best known f ...

* ''

Introducing Letizia Gambi Introducing or Introducing... may refer to: Albums * ''Introducing'' (Bombay Rockers album), 2003 * '' Introducing... The Beatles'', 1964 * '' Introducing... Mari Hamada'', 1993 * '' Introducing...Rubén González'', 1997 * '' Introducing ... Tal ...

'' (Jando Music, Via Veneto Jazz, 2012) With Kenny Garrett *''Garrett 5'' (

Paddle Wheel A paddle wheel is a form of waterwheel or impeller in which a number of paddles are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several uses, of which some are: * Very low-lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than a ...

, 1989) - recorded in 1988 With

* ''

To Diz with Love ''To Diz with Love'' is a live album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with an array of guest stars recorded at the Blue Note in 1992 and released on the Telarc label.

'' (Telarc, 1992) With

Vincent Herring Vincent Dwayne Herring (born November 19, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and educator. Known for his fiery and soulful playing in the bands of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, and Nat Adderley in the earlier stages of h ...

* ''

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

'' (Landmark, 1991) – recorded in 1990 * '' Dawnbird'' (Landmark, 1993) – recorded in 1991-92 * ''

Simple Pleasure ''Simple Pleasure'' is the fourth studio album by Tindersticks. It was released in 1999 on Island Records. The album marked a major departure for the band, as it began to adapt more soul and jazz influences than on their previous recordings. Th ...

'' (HighNote, 2001) With

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording '' Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown), was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation ...

* ''Brownie-A Homage To Clifford Brown'' (Verve, 1994) With David Murray, Geri Allen, and

* ''

Perfection Perfection is a state, variously, of completeness, flawlessness, or supreme excellence. The term is used to designate a range of diverse, if often kindred, concepts. These have historically been addressed in a number of discrete disciplines, ...

'' (Motéma, 2016) With

Makoto Ozone is a Japanese jazz pianist. Career He was born in Kobe, Japan. He began playing organ at two and by seven was an improviser. He appeared on Japanese television with his father from 1968 to 1970. At twelve he switched to piano after being impre ...

* ''Three Wishes'' (Verve, 1998) With Powerhouse * ''In an Ambient Way'' (Chesky, 2015) With

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

* '' Inside'' (Elektra, 1999) With

Jarmo Savolainen Jarmo Savolainen (24 May 1961 – 11 June 2009) was a Finnish jazz pianist and composer. He was born in Iisalmi, Eastern Finland, and first studied classical piano. He later turned his attention to jazz and studied at Berklee College of Mu ...

* ''First Sight'' (Timeless, 1992) With James Spaulding * ''

Brilliant Corners ''Brilliant Corners'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records, and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen takes ...

'' (Muse, 1990) – recorded in 1988 With

Superblue Austin Lyons (born 25 May 1956), better known as Superblue, Super Blue and Blueboy, is a Trinidadian calypsonian, soca musician, and lyricist. Early life Lyons was born on 25 May 1956 in Point Fortin. His mother is a Grenadian and his fa ...

* ''Superblue 2'' (Blue Note, 1990) – recorded in 1989 With Joe Louis Walker * ''Pasa Tiempo'' (Evidence Music, 2002) With Tony Williams * ''Civilization'' (Blue Note, 1987) – recorded in 1986 * ''Angel Street'' (Blue Note, 1988) * ''Native Heart'' (Blue Note, 1990) – recorded in 1989 * ''Tokyo Live'' (Blue Note, 1993) – recorded in 1992. 2CD.

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Death

Movie credits

Discography

As leader/co-leader

References

External links