Roy Brooks – The Free Slave
Roy Brooks – Understanding (Excerpt)
Roy Brooks – Five For Max
I first heard Roy Brooks’ “The Free Slave” in a relatively unlikely place to discover music, at a performance of the Alvin Ailey dance troupe in Berkeley. It’s rare to hear this kind of music in clubs these days, with the lack of true rare groove, dance floor jazz spots in the US, so while it was a treat to hear something I’d never heard before, it was a true pleasure indeed to watch some of the best dancers in the world improvise and choreograph to this kind of music.
Though released in 1972, this set was recorded in front of a very engaged crowd in 1970 at the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore. What I’ve always found interesting about these live records is that you never really knew how big the crowd was, but their enthusiasm just made you think that hundreds of people were there digging this music. I’d argue it’s impossible not to be enthusiastic about a track like “The Free Slave.” It’s got a slyly funky rhythm from Brooks on drums, Cecil McBee on bass and Hugh Lawson on piano, excellent solos from Woody Shaw and George Coleman, and this great stuttering stop at various points which the crowd really vibes with. It’s one of my favorite “soul-jazz” tracks and something that I promise to myself I’ll spin out every time I hear it.
The rest of the record is very solid post-bop, very lyrical and quite lovely on “Understanding” and “Will Pan’s Walk.” The album closes with Brooks paying tribute to his mentor Max Roach on “Five For Max” with a variation on a couple of classic Roach solos, as the crowd implores him to “Do His Thing!” Part of his “thing,” according to the liner notes is what was called a “Breath-a-tone” which was some kind of Rahsaanian device that allowed Brooks to change the pitch of the drums through two breathing tubes used by the drummer. Would have loved to have seen video/film of that…
Incidentally, I got this copy over at Amoeba Hollywood for maybe $6 or $7, only because of the relative shape of the vinyl, which I’d probably say is “VG” from looking at it, but plays much better. Sometimes it pays to get a record that’s not in the best shape, because it’s so rare to find it in the original.
Cheers,
Michael