Max Roach
Drums Solo on
Gerkin For Perkin

About

Closing out the solo section, this drums improvisation spans two choruses of the 12-bar blues at an uptempo swing feel at 216 BPM. The tune's playful title and straightforward harmonic structure belie the sophistication of the improvisation it inspires. The 12-bar blues form provides a familiar harmonic framework that invites inventive melodic and rhythmic exploration. Coming after Richie Powell's piano solo, this is the final improvisation before the ensemble returns to the head.

Max Roach was 30 to 31 years old at the time.