Max Roach has had a profound influence on my solo and compositional playing. This is dedicated to Max — the one-and-only! “Max Moon” uses a tom tom motif over a simple walking bass drum and hi-hat pattern. “Max Moon” can be heard on my drum breakbeat series, Vol.1 illy B Eats (AmuletRecords.com) or my Life On Drums DVD.

Repeat Ex. 1 as desired and proceed to Ex. 2, which is an improvised solo section. Keep both sections conversational and contrasting. This is a call-and-response–style composition

.DRUM! Notation Guide

Soloing On “Max Moon”