Herbie Hancock - A Tribute To Miles (1994)
Original Release Date: March 22, 1994
Label: Qwest / WEA
Audio CD: March 22, 1994
Time: 58:37
Bitrate: 320 kbps
This Miles Davis tribute album brings back four-fifths of his second classic quintet with Wallace Roney the logical choice to fill in for the late trumpeter. Roney comes across as a sideman and is not as forceful here as one would have hoped. Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams had all grown with time and this reunion has Hancock and Williams taking on more prominent leadership roles than in the earlier days. With the exception of the drummer's 'Elegy,' all of the music '( 'So What,' 'RJ,' 'Little One,' 'Pinocchio,' 'Eighty One' and 'All Blues' ) was regularly performed by the quintet back in the '60s. In general this reunion is a success even if it contains no new revelations. It is particularly nice to hear Wayne Shorter in this setting again. - AMG
Cduniverse.com:
This Grammy-winning jazz recording is as much a tribute to the trumpeter's greatest band as a testament to Miles Dewey Davis himself. But Miles was not given to sentimental gestures, and while he cherished the band’’s work during the revolutionary '60s, he rarely looked back after disbanding the unit.
But jazz fans could never let go, because Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams redefined the freedom principle of the late 1960s, and built daring new melodic structures upon a bedrock of sophisticated harmony and complex rhythmic interaction. As a result, in one form or another--usually billed as VSOP--the quintet would hit the road and recording studios with stunt doubles as notable as Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis occupying the director's chair.
However, on A TRIBUTE TO MILES the trumpeter is the young Philadelphian anointed by Miles himself after their triumphant 1991 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival--Wallace Roney ( Miles even presented him with his horn ). And on the basis of the long harmonic elisions and Davis-like ornaments Roney displays on the live renditions of Davis standards 'So What' and 'All Blues,' the elder’’s respect is more than justified.
There are many highlights throughout this set, from Carter's 'RJ,' with its brisk tempo and roaring rhythmic exchanges, through Hancock's moody waltz 'Little One' and the Spanish-tinged backbeats of 'Eighty One.' Roney particularly inspires Shorter who responds with a keening soprano solo on his classic tune 'Pinnochio,'abstracting the melody, fragmenting his line and moving up the scale until the drummer is ready to bust.
'This CD is superb quality Jazz music. The two live tracks are the gems, and the live version of All Blues is the best I've ever heard... However, at a glance, it does sound more of a tribute to the Miles Davis Quintet than to Miles himself, but take some time to appreciate the genius displayed on this disc and you know that these guys all played with Miles. Almost as if they owe what they are to him. Tony is much less energetic than what he used to be, but there's still that chemistry between him and Ron Carter, who plays absolutely terrific. Herbie and Wayne sound like real Jazz monsters, and Wallace Roney fits in almost perfectly, though he is far from being the leader of a figure Miles was. It is quite evident he's a Wynton Marsalis student, another trumpet player who owes a lot to Miles.' ~ milkman john
Personnel:
Wayne Shorter ( alto sax, tenor sax )
Wallace Roney ( trumpet )
Herbie Hancock ( piano )
Ron Carter ( bass )
Tony Williams ( drums )
Recorded at Signet and Soundworks, Los Angeles, California.
Tracks 1 & 7 recorded live at Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California on September 19, 1992.
Qwest/ Reprise W2-45059
Herbie Hancock - A Tribute To Miles ( 1994 ) Tracks:
01 So What - ( live ) ( Davis ) 10:19
02 RJ ( Carter ) 4:07
03 Little One ( Hancock ) 7:20
04 Pinocchio ( Shorter ) 5:44
05 Elegy ( Williams ) 8:42
06 Eighty One ( Carter, Davis ) 7:31
07 All Blues - ( live ) ( Davis ) 15:15
