Each week our music editor Dave Randall picks an album (with a local connection) you need to hear…
Last week I briefly mentioned Max Roach Park, which got me thinking that it’s time for an album featuring the great man himself.
Max Roach was, of course, one of the most prolific jazz drummers of all time.
William P. Gottlieb/United States Library of Congress
He was playing be-bop with Charlie Parker when he was just a teenager and he continued to make groundbreaking music throughout his life.
He also used his music to advocate for civil rights and Black liberation politics.
When, in 1986, councillor Sharon Atkin persuaded Lambeth to pay tribute to Roach, he visited Brixton to officially open the park that bears his name. He also dropped into the Effra Hall Tavern to sit in behind the kit.
There are so many great Max Roach albums to listen to. I’ve chosen Percussion Bitter Sweet, from 1961. Enjoy.
