JAZZ REVIEW : Max Roach Mastery at Catalina

Max Roach, who opened Tuesday at Catalina Bar & Grill, has long been a historically significant figure in the annals of jazz drumming.

In recent years his interaction with a variety of groups, among them an all-percussion band and a string quartet, has diversified his image. But he remains generally identified with the two-horn unit he is now leading.

Both hornmen, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and Odean Pope on tenor sax, have been with him off and on for more than 20 years. Tyrone Brown, the bassist, also is a longtime associate.

The leader set a groove for the group, which continues at Catalina through Sunday, opening with a five-minute solo that managed to display--mainly on snare and bass drum with occasional cymbal accents--his mature technique, subtle timbral control, and mastery of rhythmic changes. This is nevertheless an equal-opportunity group, to which each man contributes something special and personal.

In Bridgewater’s case it is the fluency, precision of phrasing, and a lack of exhibitionism. Pope offers a powerful post-Coltrane contrast with his deep, potent sound and his mastery of the circular breathing technique.

A piano-less quartet calls for strong support from the bass. In Tyrone Brown, Roach has the ideal person for the job. Brown’s supportive beat, in every piece from Bridgewater’s “Scot Free” to Tadd Dameron’s “Good Bait” (played, surprisingly, as a waltz) was as impressive as his solos.