So, my wife I are on a nice Sunday drive returning from some local wineries, and I have some of the Ken Burns Jazz CDs in the changer.  Clifford Brown and Max Roach's "I Get a Kick out of You" plays and just absolutely overwhelms me.  Roach’s drumming on this track is nothing short of stunning.  The ride cymbal work, the phrasing, the solo are just breathtaking. One word kept repeating in my mind.

Master.

an AMAZING drummer, one of my favourites 

his concept of melody in the drumset was truly fantastic, his soloing was very well structured... he knew exactly when to play and when not to play. his comping abilities were, of course, excellent. and he could play bebop at incredible speed (check out his work with Clifford Brown).

at one point i was only listening to Max Roach, because he inspired me so much, i didn`t need anything else.

a TRUE modern drummer. RIP Max.