randissimo

Here's Tom Reney's account of Max's funeral; I attended Max Roach's funeral on Friday at The Riverside Church in New York City. It was scheduled from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and it more than honored Max's flawless sense of time as it began precisely at 11 and, notwithstanding numerous tributes and musical interludes, ended at 1:10. The church was filled to capacity with over 2000 in attendance and an overflow crowd outside on Riverside Drive. Speakers included Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, Congressman Charlie Rangel, Bill Cosby, Stanley Crouch, Sonia Sanchez, Phil Schaap, and the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, whose invocation suggested that Max had "modulated from time to eternity." The Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts gave the eulogy. These were interspersed with music by trios featuring Cecil Bridgewater, Billy Harper, and Reggie Workman; Gary Bartz, Harper and Workman; Cassandra Wilson, Bridgewater, and Tyrone Brown; and solos by Randy Weston, Billy Taylor, and Jimmy Heath, who played "There'll Never Be Another You" on soprano saxophone. The soprano Elvira Green sang "City Called Heaven" and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." A brief documentary of Max's tour of Israel in 2001 was screened, and a video monitor displayed a succession of photos of him. Max's drum stool and high hat were placed prominently on the altar; no other drummers played during the funeral. The speakers wove elements of humor, awe and poignance in their tributes. Maya Angelou described Max as "dedicated, disciplined, and daring." Poets Baraka and Sanchez each testified to Max's musical genius and political courage in bold, staccato verse. Baraka's poem called the names of numerous drummers who are in Max's debt, and Sanchez riffed on how beautifully he embodied the name Max. Bill Cosby has long credited Max with making him pursue a career as a comic. Initially, Cos had wanted to be a drummer. He'd spent $75 for a kit, and he gained a sense of how certain things were done from seeing Vernell Fournier (with Ahmad Jamal) and Art Blakey, but once he saw Max, he gave up in frustration. Later, when he'd become famous and finally met Max, he said, "You owe me $75!" Cosby recounted how impressed he and his homeboys from the Philly projects were with Max's sartorial elegance. When they spotted him wearing a blue blazer with a crest, one of them said, "Max must have a boat!" He also noted that "Brooks Brothers must have sold a ton of suits" once Max and Miles and other jazz icons began wearing them in the 1950's. [As you may know, Brooks now outfits Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, in addition to commissioning CD's from LCJO which they sell exclusively through their stores.] Phil Schaap talked about Max as a man of sensitivity and strength. Of the special interest that many jazz musicians have in boxing, he noted that Max related it to power. Schaap, the jazz radio legend of WKCR in New York, and a close personal friend of Max's, said that when they listened to records together in these past few years, Max would often ask Phil to put on "Strong Man," the Oscar Brown, Jr. song he recorded with Abbey Lincoln in 1959. Schaap also described the wounds that Max suffered and carried through the years, of racism and widespread Klan terror in the decade of Max's birth in North Carolina; the early death of Max's only brother; and the devastating deaths of trumpeters Clifford Brown and Booker Little, at ages 25 in 1956, and 23 in 1961, respectively. Charlie Rangel read a letter from Bill Clinton, who praised Max for inspiring future generations of artists by "aligning" his music with the civil rights movement and "promoting ideals of quality and justice." Lt. Governor Paterson placed Max in a lineage of black heroes including Harriett Tubman, Paul Robeson, and Malcolm X. The Reverend Butts invoked "The Holy Ghost" as a likely source of Max's extraordinary musicianship; a sense of "righteous indignation" as a guiding force of his activism; and voiced certainty that Max is now "in that number." Among those I saw in attendance were Sonny Rollins, Roy Haynes, Cicely Tyson, Chico Hamilton, Odeon Pope, Avery Sharpe, Fred Tillis, Yusef Lateef, Sheila Jordan, Harold Mabern, Rufus Reid, Steve Turre, and former New York Mayor David Dinkins. Tom Reney "Jazz à la Mode" Monday-Friday, 8-11 p.m. WFCR 88.5 FM NPR News and Music for Western New England Hampshire House 131 County Circle Amherst, MA 01003-9257

I've known Rick since he was a highschool student in Dearborn Hts.. He is playing better than ever! http://youtube.com/watch?v=2QQTBSecHkM

I thought that film was pretty entertaining.. Yah, ya betcha..

It was nice getting together with Joe, Mark, Chuck, and Big Al for a beer & a bite.. Enjoyed it! Great seeing you again Al.

The trail ends at the south edge of Whitehall, at White Lake Drive. It will eventually connect with the trail from Muskegon, east towards GR - but we gotta wait a while for this. I have no info about the northern extension to Ludington. Come and hang anytime. Damn, Ann and I leave on June 27th for a road trip to the Grand Canyon. We can't change the dates 'cause our son's wedding is part of the journey. We'll be gone for 2 weeks. I can't think of a gig I'd rather be at this year. Damn. Call me some time - 231 894-4088. The number in the book is always connected to this computer - haha. Chuck, you been riding much? Like to get back on the Hart-White Hall Trail.. I'm working in Pentwater on the 22nd and am thinking about incorporating a bike ride into the day's activity.

Yeah, I'm just a drummer w/ no savings, in a rental property, hustling gigs, doing drum lessons, and managing to pay monthly bills with a few bucks left over for gas, recreation, occasional dinner & wine, and of course groceries... I'm sure the yuppies in the sprawls near my place know more about the terminology you are doing really well, compared to a couple of my free-drummer friends. It's tough! I have good months and bad months.. At least one or two months I'll have to pay my rent with my plastic..

Yeah, I'm just a drummer w/ no savings, in a rental property, hustling gigs, doing drum lessons, and managing to pay monthly bills with a few bucks left over for gas, recreation, occasional dinner & wine, and of course groceries... I'm sure the yuppies in the sprawls near my place know more about the terminology

Interesting though I don't understand any of it...

wORD...

Not this time of year.. TOO HOT !!!

Hey Chewy, The band I was in was called the "Parts Of Perception".. We played Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds, Moby Grape, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix, Superfine Dandelion, early Steve Miller, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, and played none of it very well I might add.. I did make lots of trips back then to Detroit to catch not only a very young Bob Seger but also the MC5, Amboy Dukes, Mitch Ryder, and Alice Cooper who's band had moved from the west coast to Pontiac and lived in a farm house where they had set up a rehearsal studio..

Wow... I'm blown away! Great stories and photos! What a great trip! Trips like these make life so sweet and recharge our batteries...

In '67 I was in a garage band that played "Omaha".. I remember when the double lp came out I think in '69, there were a couple of cool grooves on Grape Jam and I loved the tune "Murder In My Heart For The Judge" and there was a campy tune called "Naked If I Want To"..

I had a young teen aged student who had an anal neighbor who would call the cops within 2 minutes of his practicing. This happened so frequently my student though determined became frustrated and stressed out and the family knew the whole sheriff's dept on a first name basis! The kid got so frustrated at one point he considered quitting and selling his drums! At one point I thought about getting about a dozen drummers together and havin' a LOUD JAM in front of the neighbors house! :rsmile: After I made the suggestion several times to the family, they finally looked into the ordinances in their neighborhood and township and found out he could legally practice during certain hours and the neighbor would just have to lump it..

Could?

I hope Ann is feeling better..

Thanks agin for helping us promote the events.. We have had a great time playing and the music was magic... Friday we had Mach, Mel D, & Doug Horn join us .. It was "Tenor Lunacy" ..

We start at 8:30 pm. This will be my dad's last appearance. We've had some really great gigs and have had BIG FUN hangin' out!

What is the object in your avatar? Kind of looks like part of a bicycle frame.. I used to ride a lot more off road on my mtn bike, a full suspension Giant NRS2. I recently bought a Trek road bike and have been riding a lot more on the farm roads around my house out of convenience. I average about 60 - 100 miles a week. Love riding!

Thank you! Captain Beefheart is one of my all time faves... He was the "Poet Loreate" .. One day in 1969 while trippin' on acid I memorized "The Old Fart At Play".. And I still remember the words verbatim..

Happy belated birthday Barak.. I was so busy giggin' with my pops I forgot to check the board Friday.. I hope your birthday was a great one!

Hey thanks everybody! Just got back from Ann Arbor where pops and I played last night Tonight we're celebrating my birthday with a concert at The Saugatuck Women's Club.. Ooooohhhhhh yeeeeaaaaahhhh! Come on you guyz It's just a recital hall !!!! Jeeeeeeez

Hey thanks everybody! Just got back from Ann Arbor where pops and I played last night Tonight we're celebrating my birthday with a concert at The Saugatuck Women's Club..

It would be great to see ya!