The previous post focussed on ‘Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting’ from Charles Mingus’ political and earthy album Blues & Roots. Today, I look at the album Members, Don’t Git Weary, released on Atlantic in 1968 by a musical contemporary of Mingus, the great Max Roach, one of the most influential drummers in the history of jazz. Roach was a bebop pioneer and changed the way drummers played jazz, elevating the drummer from accompanist to major player.
This is one of Roach’s best albums and it encapsulates both the popular sound of 60s post bop and the freer, spiritual jazz of the late 60s. Roach enlisted the talents of ‘young musical revolutionaries’, pianist Stanley Cowell, trumpeter Charles Tolliver, alto saxophonist Gary Bartz and vocalist Andy Bey. Cowell and Tolliver would go on to found the legendary Strata-East record label in 1971, well-known for the spiritual and political sound of its releases. As others have observed, the music on Members, Don’t Git Weary anticipates the music put out on Strata-East.
Roach was one of the first jazz musicians to address social and political issues through their music, most famously with his 1960 album We Insist! Freedom Now Suite. Both Roach and Mingus were active players in the civil rights movement of the 60s and as Roach famously remarked in an interview with Down Beat magazine after the release of We Insist! Freedom Now Suite: ‘I will never again play anything that does not have social significance’. For Roach, jazz and the politics were inextricably linked.
The beautiful and intense ‘Effi’ was composed by Stanley Cowell as a dedication to his wife. On this track, Bartz channels the spiritual, searching energy of Coltrane whilst Tolliver contributes strong, soulful and melodic lines. As the track progresses, intensity levels increase and the musicians soar to greater heights. Throughout, Roach’s playing has a feeling of military precision but never loses its swing.
The freer, spiritual sound of ‘Effi’ anticipates the direction Roach would take in the 70s and 80s, recording albums for labels such as Horo, Enja, Baystate, Black Saint, Soul Note and Strata-East. Always with an eye to the future, Roach was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace hip hop, recognising similarities in both genres. Producer J Dilla would later sample ‘Effi’ for his remix of the Busta Rhymes track ‘Ill Vibe’.
In the photo on the album cover, Roach stands calm and defiant, a musical, spiritual and political teacher for a new generation of jazz musicians. He highlighted how jazz is at its core a political music and argued that musicians have a responsibility to use their talents to initiate positive change in society.
Don’t forget to head over to our ‘In The Pocket’ playlist for more tracks from Roach and some of our other favourite drummers. While you’re there, why not also check out our ‘Spiritual Sounds’ playlist for a dose of deep, spiritual and independent jazz.
If you enjoyed this post and want to stay updated, make sure to subscribe to our Spotify playlist and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
