BeeBop And Max Roach Rant

["" <party_man1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Scorcher's post mentioned Max Roach as a Bee Bop artist . True enough that article posted is correct but Max was (is) much more than that . He is a total drummer , and traditional Jazz being one of his forté's , getting one of his first big breaks with Duke Ellington's band in his earliest beginnings and we all know Ellington was a Traditional type Jazz stylist and also in his early years was primarily a Blues artist ( I have dozens of Duke's songs he wrote in the late 20's and early thirties , all blues ) and jumping to swing and stuff later when it hit big time . The first night Max played with Duke Ellington he sat in for Sonny Greer  , when Max sat down to the drum set that first night with the Duke he said to us ( while we were in the green room that night we played ) , " man there was no sheets , nothing for me to look at and read ! " . History proves he nailed it . He's more than great , he's fantastic .   

I had the privilege to play with Max at the hot spot night club "At My Place " in Santa Monica southern California 1991, its gone but the memories still shimmers and glimmers bright , he was sooooo tight and looose at the same time . We played  all kinds of stuff that knight , Benny Goodman's big hit "Back Home In Indiana " smoked and got me a standing ovation . We did Dixieland stuff like , When The Saints Go Marching  , Tin Pan Alley ( Hoagys stuff ) Georgia , Gospel's " Amazing Grace " with movie star / singer Janet Carol ( what a fox  together with her note for note face to face nose to nose . I almost fell in love that night again blowing my harp with her :) , so much music , I wish I had written down what we did that night . Max played it all and shared the stage with other drummers that night he was a superb gentleman that evening . It was one of my finest nights on stage . I did it all  on a diatonic set of Huang Silvertones & Star Performers and a Green Bullet into !
the super sound re-enforment  mixer system it was in a word " saaaawweeet " . We all had a super blast of a night . Can't remember if we  Bopped it , but maybe we did , it was a long night and a super exciting one for me . I met all kinds of legends and played with a few . Oh , and there were no sheets of music that night , you jumped in with both feet and played your ass off . I was a little nervous to be honest in that company till the first song , and then I was in the saddle lovin it , the drummer who had contracted my services was a friend of Max's and that's how I got in , that drummer who had hired me for other gigs as well as that night was the super heavy weight drummer from Finland " Matti Oiling " ( 6'9" 450 lb. yeah man a giant , he made his drum sticks look like Chop Sticks in his big ole meaty hands and he dwarfed the drum set ) and as graceful at the drums as a prima ballerina on a stage in a tuttu but , not as sexy , well at least to me .

Sincerely :

HR

Aka :

Party_Man1@xxxxxxxxxx




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