Hancock, Shorter, Williams, Carter and Roney - A Tribute To Miles Davis

Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet (as it is dubbed in jazz history) was perhaps the most exciting and groundbreaking jazz combos ever. They are often credited as the best jazz band in music history. Consisting of Miles himself, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter, the quintet paved the way for the new modern jazz idiom. They set a new standard in performing proficiency, advanced harmonization, and out-of-mind interplay onstage and in the studio. When Miles died in 1991, they decided to pay him a tribute by recording an album and going on a tour in his honor. The hardest choice would have been to hire a ‘substitute’ for Miles Davis, but the choice was easy and logical - Wallace Roney, the only one that holds the distinction of being the only trumpet player Davis ever personally mentored. Roney himself credits Miles as having helped to challenge and shape his creative approach to life as well as being his music instructor, mentor, and friend. So there they were, almost thirty years later, together again. They recorded the album, titled simply “A Tribute To Miles,” consisting of material from their original 60’s repertoire, except for Tony Williams’ composition ‘Elegy’. The record won all five musicians the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. This was Hancock's third overall Grammy award up to that point in time.  Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams had all grown with time and this reunion saw Hancock and Williams taking on stronger leadership roles than in the earlier days. An outstanding performance, worth having in your music library. Enjoy!