Max Roach's Song Analysis

In the year 1960, the Civil Rights Movement activity was at its highest, and it was also a pivotal concern to jazz musicians. One of the many jazz musicians that was strongly involved in the movement for integration during the African-American protest movement is Max Roach. Roach was a teacher, activist, bandleader, composer, but more importantly, one of the most influential musicians in jazz. The growing political events of 1960 were the reason that led him to respond and established many of the issues debated during the Civil Rights Movement through a jazz album released on Candid Records in 1960. The album, We Insist!, is composed of five selections concerning the Emancipation Proclamation and the increasing African Independence movements

The album “ moves from slavery to emancipation to the contemporary civil rights struggle and African independence in five moments: “ Driva’ Man”, “Freedom Day”, “Triptych: Prayer, Protest, Peace”, “All African”, and “Tears for Johannesburg (Monson).” The first song of the album, “Driva’ Man”, is a song that symbolizes the transformation of the blues form. Abbey Lincoln starts with a poem that highlights the feelings of determination during the brutality of slavery. Through the use of repetition in the song, it is able to strengthen the emotional understanding of the entire song. The climax of the album is in “ Triptych: Prayer, Protest, Peace”, which represents the cry of an oppressed people, the rage that had been constricted in fear, and Peace represents, according to how Roach explained to Abbey “ Is the feeling of relaxed exhaustion after you’ve done everything you can to assert yourself. You can rest now because you’ve worked to be free. It’s a realist feeling of peacefulness. You know what you’ve been through (Wyat).” The songs “ All Africa” and “ Tears for Johannesburg”, assisted as a signal to build a relationship between African Americans and Africans. The last song of the album, “ Tears for Johannesburg”, was a tribute to the Sharpeville massacre. This song lead to a challenge for Roach as he participated in advocating for civil rights as the album was banned in South African in 1962 because it “ could be perceived as politically dangerous across international boundaries