Max was to bebop drumming what Hendrix was to Stratocasters. The grooves here illustrate that better than anything else I could imagine. He was a virtual encyclopedia of coolness on the drums.
I remember when this concert/ clinic was available on VHS tape, thru Modern Drummer magazine and maybe Downbeat too. I also very distinctly remember seeing articles and discussion on the "tympani" 14 X 14 floor tom used by Max during this era. It was made by an Italian drum maker called Hollywood Drums at the time. It featured a foot pedal that could change the pitch of the drum, as seen in the concert video. You can see Max's right foot moving up and down and changing the pitch. Very cool drum and just another color of Max's palette of sounds and tones. I was inspired by Max Roach more than any modern drummer I can think of. I can't read music, but I clearly heard and understood the various polyrhythms he demonstrated here. Max was the drummer who "changed things" more than anyone. You can hear the beats and patterns that inspired Elvin and Tony here. What a gift this video is to all the younger drummers coming up who need to hear where so many modern beats and drum breaks came from.
I saw the Max Roach quartet when I was about 20 and learning drums. I sat a few feet away. I asked him to adopt me but he refused. I mean, c'mon. Max was the Max. For those just discovering Jazz, check out the "greatest Jazz concert" at Massey Hall.
In regard to my previous comments below, I neglected to mention that Yamaha made a very similar, almost identical tympani type floor tom. I remember seeing it featured in one of their catalogs, circa the early 1980s. It was only offered in the 14 x 14 size and was shown in a natural wood finish, made from birch I think. It is a very rare and collectible drum.
This COULD be on July 1, 1982 at the New York Sheraton Forum Room. Part of the Kool (Newport) Jazz Festival. A ticket cost a whopping $7.50. I was there.
Just one more detail of Max's drums shown here, and that it appears that his Ludwig Supraphonic snare drum has a die-cast top rim. I think this may be because Max endorsed Gretsch Drums for a long time before switching to Ludwig. I think Max may have preferred that particular tone he got from using Gretsch drums and the fact all their snares and tom-toms featured die-cast rims (hoops).
Not only that, but it's one of Ludwig's famous "Twin Channel" die cast hoops, initially developed for marching drums! They were a secret weapon of Manu Katche's as well.
Q: WHEN was this taped? I went to a Max Roach solo concert which was very similar in the late 70s at a midtown hotel in NYC - audience of only about 125 people, and also part of the Kool Jazz Festival. Any other info would be appreciated (by the way, his Special Guest was Papa Jo Jones - at that time relegated to a wheelchair).
Mid late 80s would be my guess.He switched to match grip around 1980. Was never quite as limber with the left hand after that. I saw him a lot between 1977 and 1983. Before and after the switch. He seemed to get stiffer.
@@lubben3 July 1, 1982 if this is the Solo Drums concert at the New York Sheraton Forum Room. If not, it's a similar show. I was there - cost a whopping $7.50, but tickets sold out quickly with only an audience of about 150 = 90% drummers, I am sure. Max got a standing ovation, and then said, "That ALMOST makes me proud to be an American." Today, you would be savaged on Social Media and given death threats for such a statement, but Max was pretty brave, in a reserved way. 'We Insist!"....
