Things have been hectic here... out a lot, two disparate gigs attended and some family matters to engage with, plus the hassle of trying to sort out our moving house scenario – now the resultant and boring exhaustion... but slowly catching up...
With regard to the sad death of the great Max Roach – there are many fine tributes out there – Destination Out has some nice tracks and comments plus links... WKCR is doing a week long retrospective - I found this on friday morning and spent several hours tuned in to the music. It's on now, in fact - Sarah Vaughan with Bird and Diz - and Max. Amazing stuff.
So: a few tracks in my own small salute to a giant of music. In two parts...
Early Days...
Here's Max on a Dexter Gordon session from 1946. 'Long Tall Dexter,' a riffy twelve bar from the cusp of bebop. Introduced by Max's cymbals and drums, a fascinating track where everyone is starting to define the new genre in their own ways. Lester swoops in for his solo backed by a somewhat state of the art rhythm section. Leonard Hawkins follows – some slithery rolls behind him. Bud next. Max fills in the holes nicely throughout. At this distance, the move from swing to bop seems more of a slide than a jump...
1947 – the same rhythm section, but under the leadership of the pianist for a trio date. A romping uptempo gallop through 'Indiana.' Some markers being laid down here, I suspect. And some distance travelled in a year or so. Zappy exchanges between the pianist and drummer towards the end. So much crammed into two minutes forty five seconds...
A date with Davis – 1953, a year or two before the trumpeter started his major breakthrough. Something of a forgotten session, perhaps... Miles in relaxed form on a sway through 'When lights are low.' Space will out... Brief solo from Lewis coming with both hands before the usual more spartan single line peeps out. Max's hissing cymbals slowdrive it onwards...
In the Videodrome...
Re Max: Godoggo sent this Youtube url over in a recent comment... (and a couple with Art Davis on here and
here...
I put up the second part a ways back...
And here's Max in the seventies on a ferocious session here...
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon (ts) Leonard Hawkins (t) Bud Powell (p) Curley Russell (b) Max Roach (d)
Long Tall Dexter
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Bud Powell
Bud Powell (p) Curley Russell (b) Max Roach (d)
Indiana
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Miles Davis
Miles Davis (t) John Lewis (p) Percy Heath (b) Max Roach (d)
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2 comments:
Not that it really mattera the reason for the Roach video was that it also had Davis on it. I hadn't heard about Roach yet.
this is amazing,,,,,,steady,,,
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