Max Roach is Dead

Right now I'm not particularly interested in how "great" Roach was, whether it was him or Kenny Clarke who invented bebop drumming, or when the overwhelming body count of jazz icons will be enough to bury the music for good . . .

Right now I want to watch Mr. Roach play with his brushes again.


Then maybe watch him again, with the hi-hat . . .

and once more with the whole kit.

"My technique really developed to its present level by watching old masters like Sidney Catlett, Jo Jones, Keg Johnson and O'Neal Spencer. I had a chance to check out O'Neal Spencer when he was with John Kirby's band. To me, he was a master. Today, brushes aren't used as much as they were once, but brush technique is beautiful, and some of the guys still remember these things. Lester Young's brother, Lee Young, was a fantastic brush man, too. It's almost as much of a lost technique as tap dancing now, where black people are concerned. The development of our music probably had a lot to do with it, and the attitude that musicians brought with it; sticks were more definitive, I guess. With a lot of people concentrating on volume, brushes are just out of it, unless you could wire the wire brushes in some kind of way so that they matched the sound of some of the electronics we have today."
-- Max Roach interview with Art Taylor, "Notes and Tones," 1970-71

Watch the old master, "Papa" Jo Jones, here.


Also worth seeing are two clips of Roach with Abbey Lincoln.
Finally, a few more words and some mp3s.

Max Roach, 1924-2007.