# Wallace Roney, Ellis Marsalis, Bill Withers, Bucky Pizzarelli and Mike Long: Videos, Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2020/04/06/wallace-roney-ellis-marsalis-bill-withers-bucky-pizzarelli-and-mike-long-videos-photos/
- Published: 2020-04-06T14:16:45+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**We’ve been losing some of our heroes. Their music lives on.**

**Bill Withers on _Beat Club, _1972**

Many of us, on learning of the death of Bill Withers, sought solace in his landmark
album _Live at Carnegie Hall. _Precisely six weeks after performing that concert,
Withers and his band entered a television studio in Bremen, Germany to tape a half-
hour special for the program _Beat Club. _

There’s no studio audience, and Withers was suffering a cold; he seems a little 
peeved. But I can think of no better testament to the charismatic power and bone-
deep musicality he possessed — attributes that stand apart from, yet in dialogue
with, his rare gift as a storytelling songwriter.

As on _Still Bill _and _Live at Carnegie Hall, _Withers was backed by a crew that
had until recently been part of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band: Benorce Blackmon
on guitar, Ray Jackson on keyboards, Melvin Dunlap on electric bass, and James Gadson
on drums. The simmering intensity of their groove throughout this session is nothing
short of stunning, from the funky shuffle of “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” to the
gospel-R&B strut of “Harlem.” (Three songs in, you’ll find a “Use Me” set at a vicious
tempo, a tad slower and a ton gnarlier than the one on _Live at Carnegie Hall._)
Absolute perfection.

**Wallace Roney, “Homage & Acknowledgement (Love Supreme / Filles de Kilimanjaro)”**

The forward-thinking, hard-swingin’ trumpeter Wallace Roney pulls out all the stops
on _No Room For Argument_. This album, from 2000, documents his foothold in the 
tradition and penchant for traveling the outer limits. A master at holding you captive
in a groove, Roney enlists help from the incomparable Geri Allen on piano, brother
Antoine on saxophone, Buster Williams on bass and Lenny White on drums, among others.
They cast a wide net on “Homage & Acknowledgement,” which is dedicated to John Coltrane
and Roney’s mentor Miles Davis.

**Ellis Marsalis with The Marsalis Family, “Twelve’s It”**

Wynton called him his North Star. Branford said: “He poured everything into making
us the best of what we could be.” For the rest of us, Ellis Marsalis was a giant
whose unwavering commitment to his craft and others endures. His perfection and 
elegance as a composer shine on this 2003 performance of his staple “Twelve’s It.”
At the center of this family affair is love and undeniable swing. Wynton, Branford,
Delfeayo and Jason join Ellis in a life-affirming performance.

**Bucky Pizzarelli with Joe Venuti, “String the Blues”**

Bucky Pizzarelli left a sprawling body of work on record, all of it worth absorbing.
But some sessions stand out — like the one he did in 1974 with violinist Joe Venuti
and saxophonist Zoot Sims, for an album called _Joe & Zoot & More. _“That was the
first thing I played last night,” John Pizzarelli told me the morning after his 
father’s passing. “He does ‘String the Blues,’ playing such flawless accompaniment
and beautiful chord solos. It’s so joyous; it’s just romping.”

**Mike Longo, “WBGO”**

Shortly after the passing of his longtime musical partner Dizzy Gillespie, pianist
Mike Longo assembled a formidable group of Dizzy alums for the 1995 tribute record
_I Miss You John_. The lead track is “WBGO,” an easy blues named in our station’s
honor, which once again shows Longo in true form as a soulful foundation for a trumpet
titan — in this case, Jimmy Owens — while getting his chance to shine as a leader.

![Wallace Roney at Le Poisson Rouge in 2016. He died on March 31, at 59.](https://
i0.wp.com/www.wbgo.org/sites/wbgo/files/styles/medium/public/202004/wrbb_wjf2014-
6109.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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