RIP Max Roach

It just so happened that I pulled out Sonny Rollins' Shadow Waltz LP this morning, and listened to "Freedom Suite". Now comes the sad news that Max Roach has passed away.

Roach kept company with a lot of great musicians; his quintet recordings with Clifford Brown and Rollins are among my favorite music ever. His polyrhythmic intro on "St. Thomas", on Rollins' Saxophone Colossus, alternately tumbles and gleams, propelling the song forward while retaining the easygoing sway of its island roots. It's one record that, in my experience, even non-jazz fans like.

The beat goes on. I understand he had a second career in academia, and made innovative music as long as he was physically capable. Fascinating life. RIP.