Max Roach – Percussion Bitter Sweet

One of the earliest Impulse! records and one of Max Roach’s finest, Percussion Bitter Sweet takes on the struggles of the early ’60s civil rights movement with powerful, message-driven jazz infused with Afro-Cuban percussion, references to South Africa, and the unrelenting spirit of Max Roach. “Garvey’s Ghost” is, of course, a dedication to the great Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey, “Mama” is a composition for all the hardworking Black women, “Tender Warriors” is for the youth who will carry on in the struggle for equality, “Man from South Africa” is meant to “express the anxiety, frustration, and conflict involved in the struggle for independence by the indigenous South African man.”

Recommended – Full Listen