Prototype (Wallace Roney album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[2]
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]

On All About Jazz, John Kelman noted, "Roney has chosen a starting point for his music—that of the transitional Miles period of Nefertiti through Filles de Kilimanjaro — and steadfastly evolved the idea, incorporating contemporary technologies and rhythms, painting a picture of where Miles might have gone had he been more evolutionary than revolutionary ... Prototype continues to evolve Roney's conception of jazz, one that successfully combines inarguable roots with a more contemporary view, incorporating a diversity of influences into a blend where the fundamental notion is that of freedom, but, like Miles before him, with a clearly-defined rhythmic and harmonic basis".^[2]

In JazzTimes, Mike Shanley wrote: "Prototype has a definite modern feel, fastening 1960s Miles Davis ambience to modern R&B and technology. ... Maybe now jaded listeners will look beyond Roney’s association with Miles Davis and appreciate him for his own ideas".^[5] The Observer's Dave Gelly said, "This CD uses elements of hip hop, electronics and even turntables without sacrificing the immediacy and individuality of jazz performance. His playing has a poise and assurance that few can match, while his band supports him admirably".^[6]