Max Roach

When, ¡n 1958, drummer Max Roach fmally overéame the two-year-long creatlve block caused by the tragic death of his brilllant trumpeter and co-leader, Cllfford Brown, he decided to créate a new quintet wlth young jazz musicians. The front line featured two outstanding new piayers from Memphis, Tennessee: 23-year-old tenor sax George Coleman and 19-year-old trumpet player Booker Little (who, unfortunately, would die ¡n 1961 of uremia). Ray Draper, an 18-year-old tuba player from New York, also jolned the quintet soon after its inception; Art Davis, double-bassist, 24, from Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) was the last componen! of what became one of the most powerful hard bop quintéis in history, the Max Roach Plus Four. This 3-CD set, originally issued on 7 LPs, gathers all the American recordings the group made between June 1958 and January 1959, and showcases one of the most overlooked periods in Roach's remarkable jazz career. It is dedicated to the memory of Max Roach and Art Davis, who died during the summer of 2007.

Max Roach "Plus Four" Sessions (1958-1959) featuring Booker Littie, George Coleman, Ray Draper, Art Davis, Bob Cranshaw, Eddie Baker, Tommy Flanagan, and Julián Priester