Deeds Not Words

Max Roach | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1958
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YH2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,571 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roach Does The Deed, March 11, 2001

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deeds Not Words (Audio CD)

With the tragic deaths of Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell in 1956, Max Roach's first great quintet literally lost two of its members. Kenny Dorham and Ray Bryant would replace Brown and Powell and Max's new group was called the Max Roach Plus Four, and it featured the tenor saxophone talents of none other than Sonny Rollins. By 1958 it proved too difficult to keep a band with this many individual stars together, and Roach founded a new quintet, featuring George Coleman on tenor sax and another young, immensely gifted trumpeter (who himself would die tragically in few short years) named Booker Little. This group made excellent recordings for Mercury (recently collected with other sessions as "The Complete Mercury Max Roach Plus Four Sessions on the Mosaic label), and this title "Deeds, Not Words" for Riverside. This album is a classic, solid hard bop affair led by Raoch's driving stick work, and surprisingly by Ray Draper's robust tuba! Not that Little, Coleman and bassist Art Davis (he is replaced on one track by Oscar Pettiford) aren't in great form too, because they are indeed. You can take my word that "Deeds, Not Words" is a great disc, or better yet you can do the deed yourself. Go out and buy it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars drums and melody, February 11, 2004

By 

Bernie Koenig (London, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deeds Not Words (Audio CD)

I first bought this record when it came out in 1959. I had heard of Max but had not heard him play. This record was a revelation to me in that drums are not just a time keeping instrument but interact with the front line in a musical manner.
The drum solo track shows that drums can be played melodically and that one can write compositions for drums.
This record made me a Max Roach fan.
And the rest of the band is just as great. Booker Little already was showing his greatness. George Coleman before he joined Miles working harder here and the great rhythm team of Art Davis on bass and Ray Draper on tuba. Everyone swings madly on this record. And that is largely due to the prodding and pushing---the rhythmic accompaniment---provided by Max Roach.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album:, January 1, 2011

By 

treehouse (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deeds Not Words (Audio CD)

Take note that I'm not a jazz expert by any stretch of the imagination -- that being said, I find myself continually drawn to this album. Max Roach has become one of my favorite musicians and this is my favorite work of his. It's musical, interesting, and a pleasure to listen (and think) to. This LP grabs you with 'You Stepped Out of a Dream', which is a brilliant track, keeps you interested with 'Filide', and never stops. I'm a fan of jazz like Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Clifford Brown, and others (just so you know where I'm coming from).

I'm surprised that this album isn't considered a classic by more people, maybe I'm just a RUBE!