Max Roach's Speak, Brother, Speak!

From 1962, Max Roach delivers another Black Power-oriented, civil rights album. Like the We Insist!—Freedom Now album, he also experiments with new trends in jazz represented by atonality in some free jazz. Moreover, the album’s title encapsulates the Black vernacular English, and the title track is a funky blues, another reference to African-American culture and identity while reminiscent of his earlier “Driva Man”. The band, consisting of Clifford Jordan, Mal Waldron, Eddie Khan, and Roach himself, features compositions by the band and Roach as well as two very long pieces from a live show. Because of his strong black nationalist sentiment, Roach was, for a time, ostracized from mainstream press and control of jazz, meaning he would not record in a studio again for a while. Regardless, the band get down on the extended, 25 minute long “Speak, Brother, Speak.” Unfortunately, the album lacks the powerful vocals of Abbey Lincoln, Roach’s soon-to-be wife, but the solos keep it interesting for the most part. Roach would go on to record other black nationalist albums, too, such as Lift Every Voice and Sing, the African-American national anthem, Deeds, Not Words, recorded before Speak, Brother, Speak, and Percussion Bitter Sweet. Alas, some of the solos on the title track get tiring after a while, particularly Khan on bass, though it does seem to be perfect musical accompaniment to a rally in Harlem at a rally or perhaps elsewhere, allowing each musician to offer their statement regarding the path for freedom to take.  Roach’s drum solo, fortunately, is very melodic and suggests the bluesy melody of the theme while taking the song into purely percussion. “A Variation” is where things get more interesting, while retaining the propulsive swing of Roach. Waldron’s piano solo exudes the blues. His playing for some reason reminds me of the pianist on Mingus’s “Haitian Fight Song,” Wade Legge, or, on some of Horace Silver’s work. Regardless of stylistic similarities, Waldron’s solo is soulful, fun, and avoids tediousness for the most part. Overall, a good album, and nice example of Roach's live work from the early 1960s that veers between hard bop and the new thing in jazz.