Roach’s spirit beats on

Volume 1, Number 50 | The Weekly Newspaper of Chelsea | Aug. 31 - Sept. 6, 2007

By Rome Neal

Max Roach is gone from this life, but still lives through his music and his deeds. I recall when he first showed up at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe to see my production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” set in Africa with one of his daughters. He liked the production so much, he came back to see the show a second time, only this time all my drummers were out gigging and I had to play drums (not one of the best drummers). So, naive me, I asked Max if he wanted to play the djembe drum with me in the show. He kindly said he didn’t play that type of drum. After the show, I asked him how did I do and he said I did well.

He came to see other shows I directed at the cafe. However, it was when he came down to see Laurence Holder’s “Monk” that he and I really hit a cord. I remember him telling me that my performance was “primo” and that he knew Monk, he played with Monk and that I was Monk up there. Needless to say, from that moment on, I had no doubts about my performance as Thelonious Monk.

Then there was the time when he invited Laurence Holder and me to his home to hear Laurence read his one-man play about him entitled “The Gospel According to Max Roach.” It was on his birthday and people like Phil Schapp were calling to wish him happy birthday and he wouldn’t answer until the reading was over and we had left.

I am sad that Max has died. However, there is a light in my heart that shines when I think of the time we shared engulfed in the art of theater. This was a man!

On Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Indian Cafe at Broadway and 107th St., award-winning actor Alvin Alexis will read Laurence Holder’s one-man play “The Gospel According to Max Roach.”