Review Summary: Man, I really like this album…
But why’d he have to go and make it all political?
I mean sure, being released in 1961, drummer Max Roach would obviously have some very important things on his mind. This was a year of awakening for many people in the United States, a year when the calls for civil rights for all people could not just be ignored or trounced by sheer numbers. Releasing a politically-minded jazz record in 1961 was a good business decision for the time, I suppose.
If I’m speaking honestly, I don’t see how anyone can listen to this today and not immediately see it as completely dated and of-its-time. I mean, protest music? In this day and age? I’d like to think we’ve come a long way as a society, to the point where we wouldn’t even
need to protest.
Sure, the performances are all amazing: Abbey Lincoln’s booming voice could cause anyone’s spine to chill in dumbfounded awe, the drums are class (as one would expect from a legendary drummer like Max Roach), the brass + woodwind mesh perfectly capturing the feelings of strife and dejection. Yes, all these things work in the favor of the album’s very clear message and moving lyrical content. But man, what a bummer to listen to it now: in the year 2020. It truly makes me thankful we live in a better society now. All thanks to people like Mr. Roach of course, but it’s hard to disconnect myself from our current times. You’d really have to put yourself back in time to understand what a protest really was.
Speaking of protest, I’ve been meaning to ask something: what’s with that third track, “Triptych”? For those unaware, it’s a suite split into three parts: Prayer, Protest, and Peace. I get the first and third piece, but the Protest passage? This doesn’t sound like any protest I’ve ever heard! Every protest I’ve ever witnessed is a calm affair, usually lasting a few hours. People quietly sit in a still position, the police watches from a safe distance, and in the end: compromise. So what’s with all the noise, Max? Why does this passage from 1961 that's meant to sound like a civil rights protest sound so… loud? I mean, I wasn’t there of course. But I heard that the quiet, nonviolent protests of the 1960s were what really got the people out the door.
But while this album may seem outdated in our modern times, I can still enjoy how quaint this album is in hindsight. Though, I can’t help but feel that it would’ve been so much more timeless without the political overtones. You know: calls for liberation, protesting, heritage, anger.
All that.
