9. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (C) 4:43
(D. Ellington-I. Mills)
10. Blues Waltz (C) 6:34
(Max Roach)
11. Love Letters (C) 8:55
(W. Donaldson-G. Kahn)
DISC TWO
1. Little Folks (D) 5:37
(Max Roach)
2. Minor Trouble (D) 6:59
(Ray Bryant)
3. Valse Hot (D) 14:23
(Sonny Rollins)
4. Lover (E) 6:15
(R. Rodgers-L. Hart)
5. Raoul (F) 4:47
(Max Roach)
6. This Time The Dream's On Me (F) 5:18
(H. Arlen-J. Mercer)
7. Tune Up (F) 7:43
(Eddie Vinson)
8. Confirmation (G) 4:26
(Charlie Parker)
9. Au Privave (G) 4:16
(Charlie Parker)
10. Anthropology (G) 4:26
(C. Parker-D. Gillespie)
11. Yardbird Suite (G) 3:54
(Charlie Parker)
DISC THREE
1. Billie's Bounce (H) 5:35
(Charlie Parker)
2. Ko-Ko (H) 7:55
(Charlie Parker)
3. Parker's Mood (H) 8:21
(Charlie Parker)
4. Shirley (I) (stereo take) 6:30
(George Coleman)
5. My Old Flame (I) (stereo take) 3:33
(S. Coslow-A. Johnston)
6. Sporty (I) 5:47
(Bill Lee)
7. Stella by Starlight (I) 4:17
(V. Young-N. Washington)
8. Stompin' at the Savoy (I) 2:50
(Sampson-Goodman-Webb)
9. Memo: To Maurice (I) (stereo take) 7:33
(Eddie Baker)
10. Shirley (I) (mono take) 6:38
(George Coleman)
11. My Old Flame (I) (mono take) 3:38
(S. Coslow-A. Johnston)
12. Memo: To Maurice (I) (mono take) 7:44
(Eddie Baker)
13. Stompin' at the Savoy (I) (mono outchorus) :54
(Sampson-Goodman-Webb)
DISC FOUR
1. Spoken Introduction by Max Roach (J) 2:33
2. La Villa (J) 6:19
(Kenny Dorham)
3. A Night in Tunisia (J) 8:20
(D. Gillespie-F.Paparelli)
4. Deeds, Not Words (J) 4:28
(Bill Lee)
5. Minor Mode (J) 5:30
(Booker Little)
6. Tune Up (J) 5:21
(Eddie Vinson)
7. Love for Sale (J) 9:57
(Cole Porter)
8. Prelude (K) 5:06
(Consuela Lee Morehead)
9. Lepa (K) 2:08
(Muhal Richard Abrams)
10. Connie's Bounce (K) 5:19
(Bill Lee-Consuela Lee Morehead)
11. A Little Sweet (K) 3:05
(Max Roach)
12. Tympanalli (K) 4:52
(Max Roach)
13. Bemsha Swing (K) 5:26
(Thelonious Monk-Denzil Best)
14. There's No You (K) 5:41
(H. Hopper-T. Adair)
DISC FIVE
1. Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (L) 4:08
(Louis Prima)
2. The Casbah (L) 4:59
(Gigi Gryce)
3. Sleep (L) 3:19
(Earl Lebieg)
4. Figure Eights (L) 4:29
(B. Rich-M. Roach)
5. Yesterdays (L) 5:41
(J. Kern-O. Harbach)
6. Big Foot (L) 5:02
(Charlie Parker)
7. Limehouse Blues (L) 3:44
(D. Furber-P. Braham)
8. Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye (L) 3:57
(Erdman-Fio Rito-Kahn-Russo)
9. You're Mine, You (N) 2:43
(J. Green-E. Heyman)
10. Come Rain or Come Shine (N) 3:19
(H. Arlen-J. Mercer)
11. Wild Is the Wind (N) 3:17
(D. Tiomkin-N. Washington)
12. Speak Low (N) 2:50
(K. Weill-O. Nash)
13. I Concentrate on You (N) 4:52
(Cole Porter)
14. Moon-Faced and Starry-Eyed (N) 2:56
(K. Weill-L. Hughes)
15. Never Let Me Go (N) 3:04
(G. Jenkins-F. Burke)
16. Namely You (N) 2:54
(G. DePaul-J. Mercer)
17. Never Leave Me (N) 6:46
(Gordon Jenkins)
18. You're My Thrill (N) 3:41
(J. Gordon-S. Clare)
DISC SIX
1. Limehouse Blues (alternate take) (L) 3:56
(D. Furber-P. Braham)
2. The Casbah (alternate take) (L) 4:27
(Gigi Gryce)
3. Big Foot (first alternate take) (L) 5:01
(Charlie Parker)
4. Big Foot (second alternate take) (L) 5:14
(Charlie Parker)
5. Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) (alternate take) (L) 4:23
(Louis Prima)
6. Speak Low (first alternate take) (N) 2:05
(K. Weill-O. Nash)
7. Speak Low (second alternate take) (N) 2:53
(K. Weill-O. Nash)
8. Never Let Me Go (first alternate take) (N) 3:08
(G. Jenkins-F. Burke)
9. Never Let Me Go (second alternate take) (N) 3:11
(G. Jenkins-F. Burke)
10. Come Rain Or Come Shine (first alternate take) (N) 3:00
(H. Arlen-J. Mercer)
11. Come Rain Or Come Shine (second alternate take) (N) 3:10
(H. Arlen-J. Mercer)
12. Wild Is The Wind (alternate take) (N) 3:17
(D. Tiomkin-N. Washington)
13. You're Mine, You (first alternate take) (N) 3:11
(J. Green-E. Heyman)
14. You're Mine, You (second alternate take) (N) 2:47
(J. Green-E. Heyman)
15. You're Mine, You (third alternate take) (N) 2:50
(J. Green-E. Heyman)
16. I Concentrate On You (alternate take) (N) 4:49
(Cole Porter)
17. Never Leave Me (alternate take) (N) 6:44
(Gordon Jenkins)
DISC SEVEN
1. Quiet as It's Kept (M) 6:10
(Bill Lee)
2. To Lady (M) 6:06
(Leon Mitchell)
3. Lotus Blossom (M) 5:32
(Kenny Dorham)
4. As Long as You're Living (M) 5:56
(J. Priester-T. Turrentine)
5. The More I See You (M) 4:02
(H. Warren-M. Gordon)
6. Juliano (M) 5:42
(Julian Priester)
7. Parisian Sketches (O) 17:08
(Max Roach)
index 1: The Tower
index 2: The Champs
index 3: The Caves
index 4: The Left Bank
index 5: The Arch
8. Nica (O) 4:46
(Sonny Clark)
9. Petit Dejeuner (O) 4:03
(Julian Priester)
10. Un Nouveau Complet (O) 3:22
(Tommy Turrentine)
11. Liberte (O) 6:25
(Max Roach)
DISCOGRAPHY
(A) Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Ray Bryant (piano); George Morrow (bass), Max Roach (drums)
NYC, September 17, 1956
13768 Mr. X Emarcy MG36098
13769 Body And Soul -
13770-4 Just One Of Those Things -
(B) same as (A)
NYC, September 19, 1956
13764-6 Ezz-thetic Emarcy MG36098
13765 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World MG36108
13766 Woody 'N' You MG36098
13767 Dr. Free-Zee -1 -
-1 Roach overdubs tympani
(C) Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Billy Wallace (piano); George Morrow (bass), Max Roach (drums)
Capitol Studios, LA, March 18, 1957
JB1-10 I'll Take Romance Emarcy SR80002
15176-6 It Don't Mean A Thing Emarcy (J) 195J-39
15177 Blues Waltz SR80002
15178-5 Love Letters (J) 195J-39
(D) same as (C). Capitol Studios, LA, March 20, 1957
JB5-7 Little Folks Emarcy SR80002
15188-10 Minor Trouble (J) 195J-39
JB7-4 Valse Hot SR80002
(E) same as (C).
Capitol Studios, LA, March 21, 1957
JB8 Lover Emarcy SR80002
Note: The first chorus of Roach's drum exchanges with the band was edited out of the mono issue of this performance. The edited mono version has been mistakenly issued as an alternate take.
(F) Kenny Dorham (trumpet); Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); George Morrow (bass); Max Roach (drums).
Fine Recording, NYC, December 20, 1957
JB158-7 Raoul Emarcy (J)195J-39
JB159-2 This Time The Dream's On Me -
JB160-1 Tune Up -
(G) same as (F).
Fine Recording, NYC, December 23, 1957
JB161-4 Confirmation Emarcy SR80019
JB162-11 Au Privave (as Apres Vous)-1 -
JB163-6 Anthropology (J) 195J-39
JB164-2 Yardbird Suite-1 SR80019
-1 the drum introduction was omitted from the monaural issue of the LP.
(H) Kenny Dorham (trumpet); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Nelson Boyd (bass), Max Roach (drums, tympani).
Nola Recording Studio, NYC, April 11, 1958
JB229-7 Billie's Bounce EmArcy SR80019
JB230-7 Ko-Ko -
JB231-1 Parker's Mood -
(I) Booker Little (trumpet); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Eddie Baker (piano); Bob Cranshaw (bass), Max Roach (drums).
Universal Recording, Chicago, June 3, 1958
16982 Shirley (mono take) EmArcy MG36132
JB323 Shirley (stereo take) EmArcy SR 60128
16983 Memo: To Maurice (mono take) EmArcy MG36132
JB324 Memo: To Maurice (stereo take) EmArcy SR 60128
JB325 Stella By Starlight -
JB326 Sporty -
16986 My Old Flame (mono take) (omit ts) EmArcy MG36132
JB327 My Old Flame (stereo take) (omit ts) EmArcy SR 60128
JB328 Stompin' At The Savoy (omit tp) -
16987 Stompin' At The Savoy (mono outchorus) (omit tp) EmArcy MG36132
Note: Stompin' At The Savoy was assembled by splicing on an ending from a take other than the master. That edit is made in different places on the mono and stereo master tapes, so that the mono-LP edition has one brief passage (index 2 of mono outchorus) that differs from the stereo-LP edition.
(J) Booker Little (trumpet); Ray Draper (tuba); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Art Davis (bass), Max Roach (drums)
Newport Jazz Festival, Rhode Island, July 6, 1958
Spoken introduction by Max Roach previously unissued
JB343 La Villa EmArcy SR80010
JB344 A Night In Tunisia -
JB345 Deeds, Not Words Mercury (J)195J-42
JB346 Minor Mode EmArcy SR 80010
JB347 Tune Up -
JB342 Love For Sale -1 -
-1 recorded at an unknown studio in the summer of 1958
(K) Booker Little (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Art Davis (bass), Max Roach (drums).
Fine Recording, NYC, January 22, 1959
JB454-9 Lepa Mercury
SR60911
JB455-7 Connie's Bounce -
JB463-5 Prelude -1 -
JB464-11 Bemsha Swing -
JB465-5 Tympanalli -2 -
JB466-4 There's No You -3 -
JB467-7 A Little Sweet -
-1 arranged by Bill Lee
-2 Max Roach (tympani) overdubbed. Overdub take 12 was used.
-3 arranged by Booker Little
Note: It is likely that some of this music was recorded at an early February session.
(L) Max Roach Five: Tommy Turrentine (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Bob Boswell (bass); Buddy Rich Five: Willie Dennis (trombone); Phil Woods (alto saxophone); John Bunch (piano); Phil Leshin (bass); Rich (drums); Gigi Gryce (arranger, conductor).
Fine Recording, New York City, April 7 & 8, 1959
JB487-6 Yesterdays Mercury SR60133
JB488-3 Limehouse Blues (alternate take) Mercury (J) 826-987-2 (CD)
JB488-7 Limehouse Blues Mercury SR60133
JB489-6 The Casbah (alternate take) Mercury (J) 826-987-2 (CD)
JB489-8 The Casbah Mercury SR60133
JB490-2 Big Foot (first alternate take) previously unissued
JB490-3 Big Foot Mercury SR60133
JB490-7 Big Foot (second alternate take) Mercury (J) 826-987-2 (CD)
JB491-10 Sleep Mercury SR60133
JB492-2 Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye -
JB493-4 Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing) (alternate take) Mercury (J) 826-987-2 (CD)
JB493-8 Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing) Mercury SR60133
JB503-1 Figure Eights -1 -
-1 Roach, Rich (drums) only
Note: The first tune recorded at this session was "Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)". It was never issued and no tape of this tune has survived.
(M) Tommy Turrentine (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Bob Boswell (bass), Max Roach (drums).
Capitol Studios, NYC, July 21, 1959
PB2167 The More I See You (omit tp, tb) Mercury SR60170
PB2169 Lotus Blossom -
PB2170 Quiet As It's Kept -
PB2171 As Long As You're Living -
PB2173 To Lady -
PB2178 Juliano -
Note: "All The Way" was recorded at this session, but no tape of that performance has survived. This session is dated July 21 because composer Leon Mitchell remembers it being recorded on the day of Billie Holiday's funeral. However, photographer Chuck Stewart's notes show this session to be December, 1959.
(N) Tommy Turrentine-1 (trumpet); Julian Priester-2 (trombone); Stanley Turrentine-3 (tenor saxophone); Ray Bryant (piano), Bob Boswell (bass), Max Roach (drums), Abbey Lincoln-4 (vocal).
Universal Recording, Chicago, October 9 & 10, 1959
PB2673-1 Never Let Me Go -2 (first alternate take) -
PB2673-2 Never Let Me Go -2 (second alternate take) -
PB2673-7 Never Let Me Go -2 Mercury
SR60215
PB2674-2 Come Rain Or Come Shine -1 (first alternate take) previously unissued
PB2674-5 Come Rain Or Come Shine -1 (second alternate take) -
PB2674-7 Come Rain Or Come Shine -1 Mercury SR60215
PB2675-2 Namely You -3 -
PB2676-4 Moon-Faced and Starry-Eyed -
PB2677-3 Wild Is The Wind -2 (alternate take) previously unissued
PB2677-4 Wild Is The Wind -2 Mercury
SR60215
PB2678-2 You're Mine, You -3 (first alternate take) previously unissued
PB2678-4 You're Mine, You -3 Mercury
SR60215
PB2678-5 You're Mine, You -3 (second alternate take) previously unissued
PB2678-6 You're Mine, You -3 (third alternate take) -
PB2679-1 You're My Thrill -1,3 -
PB2680-2 I Concentrate On You -1,2,3,4 (alternate take) -
PB2680-4 I Concentrate On You -1,2,3,4 Mercury SR60215
PB2681-4 Never Leave Me -1,2,3,4 (alternate take) previously unissued
PB2681-6 Never Leave Me -1,2,3,4 Mercury SR60215
(O) Tommy Turrentine (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Bob Boswell (bass), Max Roach (drums).
Barclay Studios, Paris, March 1, 1960
PB3241 Petit Dejeuner Mercury
SR60760
PB3242 Un Nouveau Complet -
PB3243 Parisian Sketches -
The Tower
The Champs
The Caves
The Left Bank
The Arch
Barclay Studios, Paris, March 2, 1960
PB3239 Nica Mercury SR60760
PB3240 Liberte -
ALBUM INDEX
EmArcy MG36098 Max Roach + 4
EmArcy MG36108/SR80002 Jazz in 3/4 Time
EmArcy (Japan) 195J-39 Max Roach + 4 & More
EmArcy SR80019 Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker
EmArcy SR60128 (stereo) Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene
EmArcy MG36132 (mono) Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene
EmArcy SR80010 Max Roach + 4 at Newport
Mercury (Japan) 195J-42 Max Roach + 4 at Newport
Mercury SR60911 The Many Sides of Max
Mercury SR 60133 Rich Versus Roach
Mercury 826 987-2 (CD) Rich Versus Roach
Mercury SR60170 Quiet as It's Kept
Mercury SR60215 Moon-Faced and Starry-Eyed
Mercury SR60760 Parisian Sketches
Original sessions produced by Bob Shad (A-H), Jack Tracy (I,J & L), unknown (K), Max Roach (M,O) and Hal Mooney (N).
Reissue produced by Ben Young
Mastered by Kevin Reeves in 24-bit at Universal Music Studios-East
Research and assembled by Tom Greenwood, Carlos Kase, Bryan Koniarz and Jamie Krents
Notes edited by Peter Keepnews
Special thanks to Muhal Richard Abrams, Samantha Black, John Blanchard, Jim Gallert, Deborah Hay, Nate Herr, Michael Lang, Chuck Mitchell, George Moore, Max Roach, George Russell, Bert Stern, Ken Thomson, Kenny Washington, Mike Wilpizeski, John Wriggle, the Institute of Jazz Studies, the Manhattan School of Music, WKCR-FM, and the staff at Universal Mastering--East
This compilation (p)2000 Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings Inc., Universal City, CA 97608-U.S.A. Manufactured by Universal Music Enterprises. Warning: All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
Phone: 203-327-7111/Fax 203-323-3526/e-mail: mosrec@mindspring.com. Web site: www.mosaicrecords.com.
AFTER A DEVASTATING TRAGEDY,
MAX ROACH PICKED UP THE PIECES – AND BUILT AN HISTORIC LEGACY.
In 1956, Max Roach – one of the world’s greatest drummers -- was on top of the world.
Bebop, the new jazz that came alive after World War II, had created an expanded role for the drummer, and Roach, alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, showed drummers that they could make a major contribution to this musical revolution.
His next important group showed everyone that drummers could lead revolutions. The band Max Roach co-led with trumpeter Clifford Brown in the 1950s made glorious music – tuneful, spirited, diverse rhythmically and harmonically, -- cutting edge and appealing. It was music that paved the way for hard bop. And a collaboration that worked for the musicians and listeners equally.
But the auto accident in 1956 that claimed the lives of Brown and pianist Richie Powell was a terrible tragedy for Roach and the world of music.
A NEW BEGINNING
A lesser person might have stalled or withdrawn. Reeling from the loss of his partner, but determined to build on his art, Max Roach picked up steam.
We’ll get to his next project – and the subject of this Mosaic set – in a moment. But looking forward to the 1960s, as society began exploring its inequities and prejudices, Roach was a prime mover in making music one of the ways in which protest could be expressed. His music encompassed the jazz spectrum. He collaborated with grand masters like Coleman Hawkins, contemporaries like Mal Waldron and Clifford Jordan and explorers like Eric Dolphy.
Along the way were experiments with a double quartet (jazz and strings), with his all-percussion ensemble M'Boom, with his compositions for Broadway and the symphony, not to mention his profound influence as a teacher and lecturer. . . Musicians make the history books with a fraction of these accomplishments.
HIS OWN CONCEPT
While his body of work is staggering (don’t even ask us for a resume of all the greats with whom he has performed), the albums he made for Mercury immediately after the death of Clifford Brown are among his most impressive (and overlooked). They are the first where the leadership had passed entirely to Max Roach, where the group concept being explored was his and his alone, where his musicianship on percussion instruments began to be fully realized, and where hints of his extraordinary command of every facet of the music, and the exalted position he deserved in it, began to reveal themselves.
Always in control of every nuance of his own rhythm, dynamics, pitch and emotion, Max created a direction for the new band that allowed for personal expression from each member of the group. The group feel could be hard-hitting like the Roach/Brown organization, but with more surprises in its arrangements and even more experiments with unusual time signatures. Roach began taking longer solos, and innovated new ideas for the other musicians to comp behind the drummer. To a man, they all later spoke about how generous Roach was in letting them play what they felt when it was their turn to solo.
EVER YOUNGER
From the first Max Roach + 4 with established players such as Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone, Ray Bryant on piano and George Morrow on bass, the band evolved as Roach’s interest did. The repertoire ranged from standards to George Russell's "Ezz-thetic" and new pieces in the then-uncommon ¾ time. When Hank Mobley came in for Rollins, the piano chair was eliminated.
In 1958, Max debuted a brand new group with the spectacular young Memphis musicians Booker Little on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor saxophone. The fifth instrument in this restlessly creative and exciting quintet moved from piano to tuba to trombone.
A year later, Roach rescued the considerable talents of trumpeter Tommy and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine from their anonymous work on the R & B circuit, forming a quintet completed by trombonist Julian Priester and bassist Bob Boswell.
ROACH AND RICH, PLUS NEW FINDS
The set even features the famous summit meeting between the Max Roach Five and the Buddy Rich Five with Phil Woods, arranged by Gigi Gryce and recorded in 1959 in New York City.
An album of standards by the band with the Turrentine brothers includes quest appearances by Ray Bryant and Abbey Lincoln.
The seven CDs in Mosaic’s re-release comprise the 10 LPs originally released on the EmArcy and Mercury labels (we’ve gone back to tapes from both stereo and monaural record releases of the same dates because on some occasions, the material differed) as well as all the extra material tht has surfaced over the years on Japanese LP and CD issues. Thirteen alternate takes make their first appearnce in this set, completing the picture of this tremendously fertile period for Roach.
Our boxed set features Chuck Stewarts' photographs from the actual sessions, a complete discography, essays by Ben Young, Burt Korall and Kenny Washington, plus pages of reminiscences by musicians who played with Roach.
It’s hard to imagine another musician who has had such a long career of innovation and inspiration on his chosen instrument, or has dominated it to such an extent.
show full notes
artists The Complete Mercury Recordings of Max Roach (#201)
