Wallace Roney Jr. - Gangway (2023)

The surname Roney is no stranger to the world of jazz. Trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr.’s father is the late Wallace Roney, renowned trumpet player and protege of Miles Davis. His uncle is tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney, his cousin is the young drummer phenom Kojo Roney, and his mother is the late Geri Allen, a renowned pianist-composer.

Wallace is making his own name in the jazz world playing with Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Buster Williams, and the late Ornette Coleman. He also is playing with newer stars such as Emmet Cohen and Camille Thurman (he appeared at the Lake George Jazz Fest with her band). He has recently been leading his own ensembles.

As part of the Jazz Coalition series, this performance featured a commissioned composition dating from the Covid shutdown. The band opened with this composition, entitled “Gangway”. Starting with a medium tempo flurry of notes, melodic yet flowing music was floating through the air. Roney explained that the composition was inspired by the Herbie Hancock composition “Maiden Voyage”, the gangway being the pathway to a free and flowing world.