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. ~ Scott Yanow