Max Roach drum cover #3 / St. Thomas - Saxophone Colossus (Sonny Rollins, 1956)

Описание: St. Thomas, the opening track of the album, is inspired by Rollins' Caribbean heritage, with the title referring to one of the Virgin Islands from which his parents originated, the typical calypso style of the region, and the melody inspired by a local nursery rhyme that his mother used to sing to him as a child. Rollins is credited as the composer on the album, but he clarifies that it was the label that insisted on this. The piece became one of the most well-known jazz standards, thanks to its simple theme that makes it accessible to everyone.

The saxophonist often drew from his Caribbean rhythmic and melodic influences throughout his career, being one of the first to introduce calypso into jazz, whether by popularizing traditional pieces or composing new songs inspired by this music. He was part of that generation of musicians born in New York with Caribbean roots, including Art Taylor, Mal Waldron, Kenny Drew, and Cecil Payne.

Roach, for his part, grew up surrounded by these communities, living in Brooklyn in neighborhoods that reflected integration. He developed a taste for this music and its percussion by meeting and listening to his Jamaican and Trinidadian neighbors. He remembers being fascinated by Cuban musicians who came to New York with four or five percussionists. He learned both academically—graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in percussion and composition—and through travel, notably to Haiti in the late 1940s to meet traditional percussionist Ti Roro.

All of this knowledge is evident in St. Thomas. The piece alternates between Latin rhythms and swing, reminiscent of Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie, one of the first standards to incorporate these rhythmic shifts. But here, the transition happens during Roach's solo. While other drummers might use the cymbal bell as a basis for their Latin rhythms, he plays exclusively on the drums, whether accompanying the theme or during the start of his solo. He develops an entire vocabulary by using his hand to mute the snare drum with no tone but also to play it, his stick against the rim for a sharper attack, and even his fingers to vary dynamics, creating a sound palette close to that of a percussionist. In the second part of his solo, which is more traditional and in swing, he skillfully unfolds his Be-Bop vocabulary. Roach demonstrates his versatility here, drawing on the knowledge he has accumulated throughout his life.

Personnel of Saxophone Colossus :

Sonny Rollins (tenor sax; composer)
Tommy Flanagan (piano)
Doug Watkins (double bass)
Max Roach (piano)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feel free to follow me here :

  / maximecharray  
  / maxime.charray.3  
  / maxime.charray  

#drums #jazz #drumcover #drumsolo #sonnyrollins #maxroach