The Max Roach Trio

[Thelonious Nick]

I have an excellent, but odd, little album I've long wondered about. It is titled The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan. It was recorded in 1965 with Max Roach on drums, Art Davis on bass, and one Hasaan Ibn Ali on piano. The playing on the album is really remarkable, especially the piano.

What I'm interested in here is especially more information on Hasaan, if anybody can help. The liner notes have only a little biographical information on him, and note that he had never been recorded before despite having played with numerous major jazz musicians at one time or another. Did he ever record again afterwards? Have any of you perhaps ever seen Hasaan in person? Also, if anybody should happen to have this record, what do you think of it?

[Enforcer]

Thelonious,

If memory serves correctly, Hasaan Ibn Ali earned a bit of notoriety (the kind that makes you the answer to a trivia question) for making only one recording in his entire life. I believe this is it. It's a shame, isn't it? I have no idea about his biography or the circumstances surrounding the ridiculous brevity of his career.

Not much help,
Larry

[stonemonkts]

AMG REVIEW: Pianist Hasaan Ibn Ali only made one recording in his life, this trio set with drummer Max Roach and bassist Art Davis. A very advanced player whose style fell somewhere between Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor (with hints of Herbie Nichols), Hasaan actually had a rather original sound. His performances of his seven originals on this set (a straight CD reissue of a long out-of-print LP) are intense, somewhat virtuosic and rhythmic, yet often melodic in a quirky way. This is a classic of its kind and it is fortunate that it was made, but it is a tragedy that Hasaan would not record again and that he would soon sink back into obscurity. — Scott Yanow

Link to review

[Nate Dorward]

My understanding is that he made a second date for Atlantic with Odean Pope but it was unreleased. I think Chuck Nessa popped up on the Organissimo board, though, to say that a copy of it still existed? (most of Atlantic's unreleased tapes died in a vault fire in the 1970s).

[Nate Dorward]

& I forgot to say that there's an excellent tribute to Hasaan on Giorgio Pacorig's My Mind Is on the Table, a really good piano-trio disc on Splasc(h) from last year.

[hearsay]

That is a great album, Hassan is amazing. There is a solo piano recording of Hassan that a friend of mine got from Max Roach actually. I'm sure it was never released and I have no idea where it came from (possibly a radio broadcast, or extra studio time).

[Thelonious Nick]

Thanks for all the information. Too bad this is his only recording, but at least it saves me a lot of time not for looking for more that don't exist.

[Ron Thorne]

My thanks to Thelonious Nick for not asking a banal question such as "who's better, Hasaan Ibn Ali or Bill Evans?"




Believe it or not, I found this album at Wal-Mart, which seems to be a compilation, including the trio recording. Damn!

[Thelonious Nick]

Hey, Wal-Mart's getting hip. Although "collectibles" is spelled wrong on the packaging.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Thelonious Nick

Hey, Wal-Mart's getting hip. Although "collectibles" is spelled wrong on the packaging.

It's not Wal-Mart's fault that the label doesn't know how to spell its own name.

Drums Unlimited is an excellent album too. It features Freddie Hubbard and some classic Roach solo features.

But even better from that general era, and also from Atlantic, is Members Don't Git Weary, with Charles Tolliver, Gary Bartz, Stanley Cowell & Jymie Merritt, + Andy Bey on the title tune.

[Ron Thorne]

Another thing which is hip about this offering from Wall-Mart is the price ... $13.88. It's a Music DVD, which I missed last night.

They also offer ten other Max Roach albums, ranging in price from $11.88 to $13.88. Amazing! Members Don't Get Weary is available @ $11.88.

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

How do you pronounce Hasaan Ibn Ali?

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by JazzAt52ndStreet

How do you pronounce Hasaan Ibn Ali?

Which part are you having trouble with?

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

Ibn. And is the Saan part of Hasaan SANisty or inSANE

[pollo loco]

Ib (as in bib)--n (as in in). The accent is on the first syllable, I think.

[Nate Dorward]

Originally Posted by Pete C

It's not Wal-Mart's fault that the label doesn't know how to spell its own name.

It's spelled right--it's just a British spelling (it's a British record label).

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Nate Dorward

It's spelled right--it's just a British spelling (it's a British record label).

Is it a British company? The ones I have say the address is in Narberth, PA. And is that how you folks in the Commonwealth spell it?

[Nate Dorward]

Oh, you're right--it seems to be a US company. In any case, it's a kosher spelling, though my dictionary (the Concise Oxford Canadian) marks it as "esp. Brit." It's usually "collectible" in Canada.

[Tom Storer]

Webster's magnanimously allows both spellings, so it looks like "collectables" is OK.