LEGENDS OF JAZZ DRUMMING - MAX ROACH

Max Roach is considered one of the pioneers of bebop, that great phase in jazz where the groups were small and the tempos were blistering. Max was known for being a melodic drummer, who had tight control and a very listenable soloing style. He was also great at creating a little motif, or idea, and really running with it and developing it.

Roach was one of the first drummers to move away from the constant drone of the 4/4 groove on the bass drum, and moved that time to the ride cymbal. This allowed the other players to be a lot more flexible in their playing. Roach helped make drumming music and not just time. The drum set became a complete musical instrument, capable of  expressing the full range of human emotion.

Here's a great video showing how he creates little motifs and develops them throughout the solo. Great stuff! Enjoy almost 11 minutes of Max Roach soloing:

Tim Kurteff-Schatz

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