Max Roach, in cahoots with Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey rewrote the modern jazz drumming rule book back in the 1940s. Of the three, Max Roach proved to be the most adventurous. From his early days with Charlie Parker right through to his final drum roll in 2007, age 83, Max was forever pushing the envelope. Even the tragic deaths of Clifford Brown and Richie Powell (1956) didn’t blur his vision. A prolific recording artist, he refused to become typecast offering up such original statements that included We Insist! Freedom Now Suite and The Money Jungle prior to connecting with the Italian based avant garde/improv labels Black Saint/Soul Note. There he carried out further musical explorations that had him continuing his approach to drums as both a melody and rhythmic instrument with his all-percussion unit the tantalising M’Boom. Elsewhere, he augmented his regular road band with The Uptown String Quartet before continuing with his improvised duo encounters, here first with Anthony Braxton (1978) followed by the famous live concert with Cecil Taylor, one year later. So there you have it six CDs of occasionally uneasy listening!