Wallace Roney: No Room For Argument

An homage to Miles, Wallace Roney’s Stretch Records debut incorporates souvenirs that encompass the varied career of the incomparable Miles Davis. From echoes of his benchmark sextet to repetitious rock beats and sampled voices, Roney documents a valuable piece of history. Furthermore, the sampled voices include those of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Deepak Chopra. Moving closer to dramatic intensity in this performance, Roney surrounds himself with artists who share his feeling of respect for what Davis was doing after 1970. “NeuBeings” paints a picture of electronic Miles without tampering with the trumpet sound. His tone remains pure and rich; the single most important element in Davis’ arsenal. The title track and “Cygroove” travel farthest from the mainstream. “Metropolis” contrasts that feeling with a dramatic, straight-ahead charge. “Midnight Blue,” as well, veers away from the rest of the program; this one a beautiful ballad. But most of Roney’s session focuses on the kinds of electronic magic that polarized the jazz world through several decades. Is it adventurous and innovative or “selling out” and unimportant? Is the use of synthesizers and other electronic instruments playfully trite, or in keeping with creative exploration? Wallace Roney doesn’t hold back. Like the late trumpeter who paved the way, Roney soars into territory that is charged with emotion and doesn’t look back to see who likes it. Recommended, No Room For Argument eschews foot-tapping swing for a surging infusion of dramatic adventure.

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