R.I.P. Wallace Roney (1960 - 1920).

Saturday, April 04, 2020

The Jazzmann was saddened to hear the news of the passing of American trumpeter Wallace Roney due to complications of Covid-19. A statement from his publicist, Lydia Liebman, is attached.

Lydia Liebman writes;

Concerning the Passing of Wallace Roney

Wallace Roney: May 25, 1960 - March 31, 2020

Dear friends,

I am saddened to confirm that the iconic trumpeter and jazz legend Wallace Roney passed away due to complications of COVID-19 this morning just before noon. The family is looking to have a memorial service to honor Wallace and his musical contributions once this pandemic has passed. Please respect their privacy at this time.

Working with Wallace was and will remain one of the greatest privileges of my life. It was an honor to represent him and to be part of his musical world. I cannot even begin to express how much I will miss him and his music.

Please, friends, be safe.

With love and light,
Lydia

Ian adds;

All at The Jazzmann were saddened to hear of this tragic news.

I was lucky enough to see Wallace Roney perform live back in 2009 when he appeared at that year’s Hay Festival as part of drummer Jimmy Cobb’s ‘Kind of Blue’ band, a sextet assembled by Cobb to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the seminal Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue”. Effectively Roney played the role of Miles Davis, who had been his inspiration and mentor. My account of that performance can be read as part of my Festival coverage here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/the-guardian-hay-festival-hay-on-wye-2009

I must admit to being less than familiar with Roney’s work on disc and have nothing further to add in this regard.

Roney’s passing is a tragic loss for his family, and for the jazz community as a whole. He was only fifty nine years of age, a couple of years younger than me, and his death serves as a stark and shocking reminder, as if any were needed, as to just how serious this global crisis really is.