Wallace Roney

b. 25 May 1960, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He began playing trumpet at the age of seven and six years later was given some informal but invaluable tuition by Clark Terry. Later he studied briefly at both Howard University and Berklee College Of Music. In 1981 he was hired by Art Blakey and during the '80s he also met Miles Davis, whom he greatly admired, but did not have the chance to play with him until 1991, a few months before Davis' death. His recording career has included appearances with Tony Williams, Dizzy Gillespie and Gerry Mulligan. From the late '80s and on into the '90s he has made several well-received albums as leader. A fluent, melodic improviser, Roney's playing consistently displays imagination and it is self-evident why his fellow musicians hold him in such high regard even though his name is not yet as widely known amongst audiences.