Max Roach – We Insist!

Max Roach – We Insist!

At a time when the civil rights movement was starting to heat up, drummer Max Roach performed and recorded a seven-part suite dealing with black history (particularly slavery) and racism (particularly South Africa) ‘Driva’ Man’ has a powerful solo by veteran tenor Coleman Hawkins, with important interjections by trumpeter Booker Little and trombonist Julian Priester, but it is the overall performance of Abbey Lincoln that is most notable. Initially nightclub singer, Lincoln really came into her own under Roach’s influence and she is a strong force throughout this intense set.