Tribute to Trumpet Titan Spans Decades

** 1/2 VARIOUS ARTISTS

“Endless Miles: A Tribute to Miles Davis”

N2K Encoded Music

Recorded live this past May at Birdland in New York to mark the late trumpeter’s 72nd birthday, this collection of Davis-associated numbers stretching across some 40 years of his career includes an equally wide embrace of Miles’ associates: drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Gary Peacock and saxophonist George Coleman on “So What”; saxophonist Antoine Roney, bassist Buster Williams, pianist Geri Allen and drummer Lenny White cover Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti”; keyboardists Adam Holtzman and Robert Irving III, saxophonist Bob Berg and electric bassist Foley represent the last electric period with “Tutu.” Inevitably, the disc becomes a showcase for trumpeter Wallace Roney, who succeeds best when sounding like Davis. Trumpeter Randy Brecker, playing himself, makes a fresher, less self-conscious statement on “Walkin’,” his only appearance. Even at its best, “Endless Miles” always feels something less than Davis’ originals.

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