Buddy Rich & Max Roach - Rich Versus Roach (1959)

01.Sing, Sing, Sing [Louis Prima] (Previously Unissued Alternate Take) (4:22)

02.Sing, Sing, Sing [Louis Prima] (4:08)

03.The Casbah [Gigi Gryce] (4:28)

04.The Casbah [Gigi Gryce] (Previously Unissued Alternate Take) (5:01)

05.Sleep [Earl Lebieg] (3:18)

06.Figure Eights [B. Rich & M. Roach] (4:30)

07.Yesterdays [Otto Harbach & Jerome Kern] (5:41)

08.Big Foot [Charlie Parker] (5:00)

09.Big Foot [Charlie Parker] (Previously Unissued Alternate Take)(5:14)

10.Limehouse Blues [Furber & Braham] (3:56)

11.Limehouse Blues [Furber & Braham] (Previously Unissued Alternate Take) (3:47)

12.Toot, Toot, Tootsie Goodbye [Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Dan Russo & Ted Riorito] (3:57).

Left Channel:

BUDDY RICH QUINTET

Buddy Rich - Drums

Willie Dennis - Trombone

Phil Woods - Sax (Alto)

John Bunch - Piano

Phil Leshin - Bass

Right Channel:

MAX ROACH QUINTET

Max Roach - Drums

Bobby Boswell - Bass

Julian Priester - Trombone

Tommy Turrentine - trympet

Stanley Turrentine - Sax (tenor).

The idea probably looked good on paper. Why not combine Buddy Rich's Quintet of 1959 (which consisted of altoist Phil Woods, trombonist Willie Dennis, pianist John Bunch and bassist Phil Leshin) with Max Roach's band of the time (consisting of trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, trombonist Julian Priester and bassist Bobby Boswell)? This CD reissues all of the music (including four "new" alternate takes) but the excess of drum solos and the relative brevity of space given to the horns results in a great deal of sameness from track to track. An unexpected bore. By Scott Yanow.