Clifford Brown & Max Roach: Cherokee

The clarity of ideas and ease of execution of Max Roachs playing warrant his reputation as one of jazzs most influential drummers. Taking Jo Jones and Kenny Clarkes landmark transitions a step forward, Max blurred barlines, interacted with soloists, and added deceptively complex ideas and polyrhythms to the bebop drummers vocabulary -- and all with impeccable cleanliness. After years of landmark recordings and performances with Bird and Diz, Maxs two-year partnership with Clifford Brown marked one of the essential collaborations in jazz. Maxs drum solo on Cherokee brilliantly represents the idea of a melodically constructed drum solo with a beginning, middle and end.