George Coleman on Drummer Max Roach

KEEPING UP WITH MAX ROACH [:59] Now, A Jazz Moment Conversation up and under COLEMAN: It was no drummers then that could play that fast; not as fast as he could. ruffin: legendary drummer and 1994 NEA Jazz Master max roach heard a young george coleman play the sax and invited him to join his band. george coleman. COLEMAN: I had some experience in playin' fast, but when I got with him, that was the fastest I had ever wanted to play, or attempt to play. And that helped me quite a bit technically. Our repertoire was about 90 percent way up-tempo. Larry Larue hot, under THIS JAZZ MOMENT WITH 2015 nea jazz master GEORGE COLEMAN WAS PRODUCED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. Excerpt of “Conversation” composed by Max Roach and excerpt of “Larry Larue” composed by Booker Little, both performed by Roach, Little, Ray Draper, Art Davis, and George Coleman, from the album Deeds, Not Words, used by permission and courtesy of Concord Music Group (BMI).