Max Roach Quartet - Picture In A Frame (1979) FLAC

Although drummer Max Roach has been engaged in many special projects during the past 20 years, his main group has been his regular quartet. On this Soul Note recording from 1979, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, Odean Pope (on tenor, flute and oboe) and bassist Calvin Hill (who would later be succeeded by Tyrone Brown) join Roach for concise interpretations of eight group originals (everyone contributes at least one song) along with Clifford Jordan's "Japanese Dream." Although the group would continue to grow and evolve, it was already a pretty impressive unit by 1979. As usual with Max Roach's bands, this group filled the gap between hard bop and the avant-garde.

Review by Scott Yanow