Max Roach 1924-2007 !NEW!
In 1966, with his album Drums Unlimited (which includes several tracks that are entirely drum solos) he demonstrated that drums can be a solo instrument able to play theme, variations, and rhythmically cohesive phrases. Roach described his approach to music as "the creation of organized sound."[14] Roach's style has been a big influence on several jazz and rock drummers, most notably Joe Morello,[27] Tony Williams[28] Peter Erskine,[29] Billy Cobham,[30] Ginger Baker,[31] and Mitch Mitchell.[32] The track "The Drum Also Waltzes" was often quoted by John Bonham in his Moby Dick drum solo and revisited by other drummers, including Neil Peart and Steve Smith.[33][34] Bill Bruford performed a cover of the track on the 1985 album Flags.
Max Roach 1924-2007
For two extraordinary hours on May 24, 1987, Max Roach (1924-2007) made music live on the air from the Jazz 88 Performance Studio at WBGO in Newark, N.J. The drum master was wearing a grey silk suit with jacket sleeves rolled up while he played. After a solo, MC James Browne introduced Odean Pope and Tyrone Brown on tenor and bass, as well as trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater.
Today marks the 95th birthday of jazz drummer, bandleader and educator Max Roach (1924-2007). His papers are among the most heavily researched jazz archival collections in the Music Division revealing much about jazz and the intersection of modernism and the development of Black political consciousness in 20th-century music. And though the collection includes a draft of his autobiography co-written with Amiri Baraka, no one has yet written a definitive biography of this pioneering percussionist and activist. Researchers can view the finding aid to the Max Roach Papers here.
After overcoming the creative crisis brought about by the death of his trumpeter and co-leader Clifford Brown in 1956, and having disbanded his new quintet with Booker Little and George Coleman, Max Roach (1924-2007) kept his faith in the strength of hard bop, and reformed his piano-less group Max Roach Plus Four in 1959. This time he put his trust in a band of young jazzmen that included the Turrentine brothersStanley and Tommy, on tenor sax and trumpet respectively trombonist Julian Priester, bassist Bob Boswell and, occasionally, pianists Ray Bryant or Cedar Walton. This 2-CD set gathers the complete studio recordings this group made (except one issued under Tommy Turrentines name) between July 1959 and January 1960, thus giving new life to one of the least known periods in Max Roachs intense jazz career. In addition, the songs featuring Abbey Lincoln catch this exceptional singer in fine form.