Name a favorite Max Roach recording

[Peter Friedman]

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Sonny Rollins - Worktime

Max Roach Plus 4

Max Roach - Jazz In 3/4 Time

[felser]

Everything he did with Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins.

I'm a (very) amateur drummer, and I've been attempting to transcribe parts of "Pent-Up House" and "Jordu".

Max's drumming on those two tunes alone are enough for a lifetime of study.

When I have someone who is serious about wanting to get into listening to jazz, the first thing I do for them is play "Effi" from 'Members' and tell them to concentrate on how the drums play off the bass pulse and everything else plays off the drums.

[BFrank]

"Members" definitely a good one.

Also, hard to find but "The Loadstar" (w/Billy Harper) on Horo is excellent. I don't think it's ever been released on CD, either.

[AndrewHill]

A couple as a sideman:

The Magnificent Thad Jones-I think this date is especially great for Max's exceptional drumming. Just the way that he plays the ride cymbal is something that I've never heard before.

Booker Little-Out Front-Love Max's tympani drumming on this one-it makes a real impression on me!

[marcello]

Chattahoochee Red

[BeBop]

Jeez, you've hit on one of my heroes. I love all the recordings mentioned above, but how 'bout The Long March with Archie Shepp?

I'm sure I'll like this when it gets reissued. (Hurry up, Hat!) For now, I can't afford it. Or at least I can't justify the price, with a reissue promised soon.

[BFrank]

Chattahoochee Red

Yeah........that's a good one, too.

[Jim R]

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus

Sonny Rollins - Worktime

Max Roach Plus 4

Max Roach - Jazz In 3/4 Time

Jazz In 3/4 Time was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the thread title, probably because it's one of his leader dates where he didn't share top billing with Brownie, and the fact that I love jazz waltzes ("I'll Take Romance" is a favorite on that album). Anyway, just the first thing that occurred to me... with Max, it was all good. One of the most tasteful and interesting drummers in jazz to my ears, and probably my all-time favorite drum soloist.

[king ubu]

I think I'd go with "Freedom Now", but it beats me why "A Study in Brown" hasn't been mentioned. That one has Harold Land on tenor (later to be replaced by Rollins), and I think it's at least as great as was the Brown/Roach quintet with Rollins!

Land's End always gives me the goosebumps! And there's "Cherokee" and "Sandu", too...

[fomafomic65]

I love all the classic recordings Roach did with Brownie and Rollins, but for me his more personal an beautiful statements are to be found in his Impulse! "Percussion Bittersweet" with Mal Waldron and Dolphy and the Atlantic "Drums Unlimited" with Hubbard and Jimmie Merritt. Unforgivable moments of original, virtuosistic, spontaneous jet magically organized music. Quintessential jazz

[David Ayers]

It's only a matter of time on the board before somebody says the magic word 'Mosaic' so let me be the first... some of the individual LPs of the Mosaic Roach set have been mentioned and those are indeed the better part of the set, but I'd say the whole box tells a story and is really a delight - right up there alongside the Hank Mobley as the last of the great modern jazz Mosaics.

Percussion Bitter Sweet on the other hand, hard to get past the muffled sound of the GRP/Impulse CD...

[poetrylover3]

easy as pie:

Agreed. Add in also his work with Monk and all of his collaboration with Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins. Max's work was never pedestrian or dull. He seems endlessly inventive. A great musician.

[Royal Oak]

Deeds Not Words

It's Time

[king ubu]

Why does everyone think the Roach/Brown/Rollins albums are so superior to the Roach/Brown/Land ones? Really beats me! I think "Study in Brown" is quite a bit better than the one they did under Rollins' name for Prestige, for instance!

[Cliff Englewood]

It's only a matter of time on the board before somebody says the magic word 'Mosaic' so let me be the first... some of the individual LPs of the Mosaic Roach set have been mentioned and those are indeed the better part of the set, but I'd say the whole box tells a story and is really a delight - right up there alongside the Hank Mobley as the last of the great modern jazz Mosaics.

Percussion Bitter Sweet on the other hand, hard to get past the muffled sound of the GRP/Impulse CD...

You beat me to it, I was going to mention the Mosaic as one of my favorites for the reasons you mentioned, it's one that I am really glad I got before it went OOP.

This one hasn't been mentioned and I think it's really good;

No Max fan should be without it, although some may be put off by the vocals.

I would also give an honourable mention to this one, not essential but worth picking up if you see it cheap, it has Clifford Jordan, Mal Waldron and Eddie Khan;

This is also excellent;

Great idea for a thread, Max is Jazz, not to mention Jazz Druming.

Edited April 19, 2009 by Cliff Englewood

[John L]

I would also give an honourable mention to this one, not essential but worth picking up if you see it cheap, it has Clifford Jordan, Mal Waldron and Eddie Khan;

Well, I consider it to be essential, as least as a part of my own musical diet.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Money Jungle was my immediate thought, but then I read through the thread an agreed with almost everything else that was said, so...I dunno!

[robert h.]

Unfortunately the prime Max Roach has never been reissued on CD. While Percussion Bittersweet is a great record, and so is Drums Unlimited, Max was in his real prime in the mid to late 70's. On vinyl, look for Live In Tokyo Volumes 1 and 2 on Denon featuring the piano-less quartet headlined by Billy Harper. Also on vinyl with Billy Harper - on Baystate - Live In Amsterdam, and on Horo, The Loadstar. This to me was Max's best working band.

One that has been reissued on CD from Baystate is Streams of Consciousness, a duet album with Dollar Brand. Outstanding.

Edited April 20, 2009 by robert h.

[Spontooneous]

Minority opinion: "Survivors" on Soul Note. Half is an ambitious drums-and-string-quartet piece. Half is unaccompanied, unadulterated Max.

[Uncle Skid]

Any thoughts on the Braxton/Roach record?

I need to go back and listen again... it's been awhile.

[JSngry]

Any thoughts on the Braxton/Roach record?

I need to go back and listen again... it's been awhile.

There were two - one on Soul Note & then a live double album on Hat. I think they're both indispensable. The Soul Note had the WOW factor for me becuase it was first, and was therefore a big surprise (besides being truly WOW in every way), but the Hat has the distinction of having longer performances, which may or may not be an advantage depending on how you look at it, but you do get to hear the ideas stretched out more.

[Cliff Englewood]

Unfortunately the prime Max Roach has never been reissued on CD. While Percussion Bittersweet is a great record, and so is Drums Unlimited, Max was in his real prime in the mid to late 70's. On vinyl, look for Live In Tokyo Volumes 1 and 2 on Denon featuring the piano-less quartet headlined by Billy Harper. Also on vinyl with Billy Harper - on Baystate - Live In Amsterdam, and on Horo, The Loadstar. This to me was Max's best working band.

This sounds very interesting, would love to hear some of it, Live In Tokyo Volumes 1 and 2 have never been on cd?

[robert h.]

Unfortunately the prime Max Roach has never been reissued on CD. While Percussion Bittersweet is a great record, and so is Drums Unlimited, Max was in his real prime in the mid to late 70's. On vinyl, look for Live In Tokyo Volumes 1 and 2 on Denon featuring the piano-less quartet headlined by Billy Harper. Also on vinyl with Billy Harper - on Baystate - Live In Amsterdam, and on Horo, The Loadstar. This to me was Max's best working band.

This sounds very interesting, would love to hear some of it, Live In Tokyo Volumes 1 and 2 have never been on cd?

There is a Denon Japanese CD that was issued in the 1980's that contains a distillation of both volumes, but it is extremely rare.

[Hot Ptah]

I second "The Loadstar" on Horo.

[.:.impossible]

Any thoughts on the Braxton/Roach record?

I need to go back and listen again... it's been awhile.

There were two - one on Soul Note & then a live double album on Hat. I think they're both indispensable. The Soul Note had the WOW factor for me becuase it was first, and was therefore a big surprise (besides being truly WOW in every way), but the Hat has the distinction of having longer performances, which may or may not be an advantage depending on how you look at it, but you do get to hear the ideas stretched out more.

I also prefer the Soul Note, but fore the exact reason that Jim mentions. It was the one I heard first. I do actually prefer the more succinct tracks to the extended performance on Hat a lot of the time.