Posted on August 16th, 2007 by Scraps.
Categories: Music, Musicians.
The great, groundbreaking drummer and composer is dead at 83. 83 is a good age, and I knew he was old, but it's still a shock, and makes me terribly sad. Some old jazz musicians, like some old classical composers, never stop doing great work, and any time they die feels like it's too soon. Roach is one of those.
I have no idea how many albums I have that have Roach on them. Beyond the albums that he himself led, an astonishing percentage of the jazz I love from the 1950s and 1960s features Roach. He's everywhere.
I was extraordinarily lucky to get to see the second Cecil Taylor - Max Roach concert at Town Hall in New York, and it was one of the most intense musical experiences of my life.
I am not articulate about jazz, and other people will have a lot more to say about Roach and his importance. But I didn't want to let his death pass without note.
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