Max ROACH - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite 1960

Max ROACH - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite 1960

Jazz

"A revolution is unfurling - America's unfinished revolution. It is unfirling in lunch counters, buses, libraries and schools - wherever the dignity and potential of men are denied. Youth and idealism are unfurling. Masses of Negroes are marching onto the stage of history and demanding their freedom now!" -A Philip Randolph
What this album is saying is that FREEDOM DAY is coming in many places, and those working for it mean to make it stick. In 1937, a Negro who still remembered slavery spoke of what it was like in 1865. "Hallelujah broke out... Everyboby went wild. We all felt like heroes, and nobody had make us that way but ourselves." It's happening again.
**
James Schenck- Bass
Olatunji- Congas,Conga Drums
Max Roach- Drums
Raymond Mantillo , Tomas du Vall- Percussion 
Walter Benton- Saxophone 
Coleman Hawkins- Tenor Sax
Julian Priester- Trombone
Booker Little- Trumpet
Abbey Lincoln- Vocals
**
A1. Driva' Man 5:10
A2. Freedom Day 6:02
A3. Triptych: Prayer, Protest, Peace 7:58
B1. All Africa 7:57
B2. Tears For Johannesburg 9:36
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Max ROACH, Clifford BROWN Quintet - The Historic California Concerts 1954

Max ROACH, Clifford BROWN Quintet - The Historic California Concerts 1954

Jazz

This is Max Roach and Clifford Brown at their debut in California in April 1954 with Teddy Edwards on tenor sax, Carl Perkins at the piano, and George Bledsoe at the bass. That's interesting for those who are fond of this quintet. The other set shows the group four months later with THE quintet (Harold Land on tenor sax, George Morrow on bass and Richie Powell at the drums). Talented Jordi Pujol seems to be keen on finding new stuff from radio broadcasting, but though the sound is excellent and the work on cover design is of neat quality (photographs are superb - that makes Fresh Sound one of the most interesting labels - ), the fact that the radio broadcaster intervenes between the cuts, well, it makes this record compulsory, only for completists. Anyway, there is a cut which is tremendous. This is "I get a kick out of you". Clifford Brown is at full strength, blowing all he's got. We really had a marvellous group here. 26 months later, Clifford and Richie Powell had a car accident. They both died.
By  R. Comme Ralingue.
**
Two landmark California concerts by the legendary duo of drummer Max Roach and trumpeter Clifford Brown, using different personnel, were recorded in 1954: in Pasadena with tenorist Teddy Edwards, pianist Carl Perkins and bassist George Bledsoe; and in Los Angeles with tenorist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell and bassist George Morrow.

Enhanced by previously unreleased, unedited material, this album reveals the virtuosic give-and-take between Roach and Brown at the beginning of a relationship doomed to last only two years because of the automobile accident that took Brown’s life at 25. There are many examples of their artistic bond here, none more impressive than “Clifford’s Axe,” which Brown based on the changes to “The Man I Love,” and Duke Jordan’s “Jordu.” They reveal amazing, swinging interplay between trumpet and drums, with Roach urging Brown on and filling the trumpeter’s gaps with trademark flourishes on ride cymbal and propulsive kicks on bass drum. His solo on the latter is a remarkable course in Drumming 101, and their trading of fours on “Axe” is an advanced course in chemistry. But ballads separate the men from the boys and Brown shows his tonal warmth and mature phrasing (at 23) with “I Can’t Get Started” and “Tenderly.”
By Harvey Siders.
**
Jazz historian Robert Gordon in his book Jazz West Coast writes that there was considerable editing on the two 1954 California Concerts when they were released on record on the GNP label. This editing refers mainly to the tenor saxophone and piano solos. On comparing the original releases, we have also found an additional 35 seconds of Clifford Brown's trumpet solo on "Tenderly", which has been included here. We are also pleased to present the spoken introductions by Gene Norman and Max Roach from the first date.
Regrettably, the solos of both Teddy Edwards and Carl Perkins on "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" were originally edited to one chorus each. This is the only available example of this recording. The full version has not been located and, half a century later, may be considered lost. All of the previous releases of these recordings have the same editing on three tracks from the second concert: On "Jordu", the tenor saxophone and piano were fully edited; on "I Can't Get Started" the piano intro was shorter; and the Richie Powell solo on "I Get a Kick Out of You" was deleted. These historic concerts are now issued in their most complete versions for the first time on the present CD.
**
01. Intro by Gene Norman & Max Roach 1:01
02. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (Jermann-Kahn-Kasper) 6:18
03. Tenderly (Gross-Lawrence) 5:25
04. Sunset Eyes (Teddy Edwards) 6:40
05. Clifford's Axe (Clifford Brown) 7:15
    (Max Roach (d), Clifford Brown (tp), Teddy Edwards (ts), Carl Perkins (p), George Bledsoe (b).
    Recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium,    April 1954)

06. Jordu (Duke Jordan) 10:09
07. I Can't Get Started With You (V.Duke-I.Gershwin) 4:04
08. I Get A Kick Out Of You (Cole Porter) 8:37
09. Parisian Thoroughfare (Bud Powell) 7:45
    Max Roach (d), Clifford Brown (tp), Harold Land (ts), Richie Powell (p), George Morrow (b).
    (Recorded at the Shrine Auditorium, Hollywood, August 30, 1954)
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Max ROACH - Jazz in 3/4 Time 1957

Max ROACH - Jazz in 3/4 Time 1957

Jazz

The post-Clifford Brown quintet that drummer Max Roach led tends to get overlooked, but it actually ranked up there with the Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet in the late ’50s. With tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins becoming a stronger soloist month by month (he was arguably the top tenor in jazz at the time) and veteran trumpeter Kenny Dorham in prime form, Roach was able to stretch himself; the obscure pianist Billy Wallace and bassist George Morrowcompleted the group. On this LP, Roach explores six songs in waltz time, an innovation for the period (predating Dave Brubeck’s recording of “Take Five” by two years). Roachcontributed two originals and the group played 3/4 versions of three standards, but it was Rollins’ “Valse Hot” (which clocks in on this Mercury album at over 14 minutes in length) that was the hit of the date. These excellent performances show that jazz does not always have to be in 4/4 time in order to swing.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.
**
Max Roach- (Drums)
Kenny Dorham- (Trumpet)
Sonny Rollins- (Tenor sax)
George Morrow- (Bass)
Billy Wallace- (Piano, 1-5)
Ray Bryant- (Piano, 6)
**
01. Blues Waltz (6:33)
02. Valse Hot (14:24)
03. I'll Take Romance (4:34)
04. Little Folks (5:39)
05. Lover (5:37)
06. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (7:05)
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Max ROACH - Parisian Sketches 1960

Max ROACH - Parisian Sketches 1960
Label: Wea
Audio CD: (February 25, 2003)
Recorded March 1 (#1, 3, 4) and 2 (#2, 5) 1960 in Paris

Jazz

This is still my favorite of the Jazz in Paris series. Max Roach delivers one of his best peices on this disc, which is the title track, Parisian Sketches, a 17+ minute journey of great hard-bop jazz featuring a pretty underated cast but it still offers a very solid sound. You can always tell a Roach drum solo and theres plenty on this disc. The title track is broken up into 5 parts with each having thier own title and movement. Much like a piece of well orchestrated music. Tracks 2-5 arent as great but they stand out very well and this is the type of jazz Im most fond of. Something you can read to if you want or something you can play during dinner. Its a good mix.
By Mark.
**
In a profession star-crossed by early deaths -- especially the bebop division -- Max Roach was long a shining survivor, one of the last giants from the birth of bebop. He and Kenny Clarke instigated a revolution in jazz drumming that persisted for decades; instead of the swing approach of spelling out the pulse with the bass drum, Roach shifted the emphasis to the ride cymbal. The result was a lighter, far more flexible texture, giving drummers more freedom to explore the possibilities of their drum kits and drop random "bombs" on the snare drum, while allowing bop virtuosos on the front lines to play at faster speeds. To this base, Roach added sterling qualities of his own -- a ferocious drive, the ability to play a solo with a definite storyline, mixing up pitches and timbres, the deft use of silence, the dexterity to use the brushes as brilliantly as the sticks. He would use cymbals as gongs and play mesmerizing solos on the tom-toms, creating atmosphere as well as keeping the groove pushing forward.
By Richard S. Ginell.

Tommy Turrentine- (Trumpet)
Julian Priester- (Trombone)
Stanley Turrentine- (Tenor Sax)
Bob Boswell- (Bass)
Max Roach- (Drums)
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01. Parisian Sketches: The Tower/The Champs/The Caves/The Left … (17:13)
02. Nica (4:48)
03. Petit Déjeuner (4:06)
04. Un Nouveau Complet (3:25)
05. Liberte ((6:25)
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