Max Roach, RIP

Max Roach died at the age of 83. He was one of the best, a musician who combined solid chops with keen ears and a brilliant mind. Drummers are generally the best listeners in a jazz ensemble, because the thing that distinguishes a solid timekeeper from a total drummer, is the ability to underscore and support structural variations and to adjust to a variety of factors: comping patterns, solos, etc. He can raise or lower the energy level, can transform a good solo into a great solo, and, if he has tympani, can even make the whole ensemble sound out of tune, should they anger him. There is a reason that the tympanist is the highest paid musician in the orchestra.

Max Roach could do all of this. In fact, you could jettison the rest of the band and he could engage an audience for a set or two just by himself.