Members, Don’t Git Weary

You'd have to be some kind of idiot to not understand that this album is a direct reference to the Civil Rights struggle of the 50s and 60s, specifically the assassination of MLK, Jr. This album was recorded only three to four months after the leader's murder. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, but if anyone thought that was the end of the fight, they were sadly mistaken or woefully naive. This Afrofuturism-adjacent album (it's Afro, but it's not futuristic) draws upon the spiritual heritage of Black culture in America, especially the music, and especially the admonition to "keep your lamps trimmed and burning". Be always in a state of readiness. And just like the tumult of the times, Roach embraces that sense of adventure by riding the line between established modal jazz improvisations and the brand-new complexities of post-bop.

The Roach keeps on roachin' as he smacks those drums like they own him money. You can feel the intensity of the smacks and crashes, as if he's releasing all that anger onto it. The rest of the band try to follow him in his tempo, but they can't, obviously. They do well in the circumstances, but once they hear the roar and the steps slowly approaching them, they do the most sensible thing and lower their heads while the boss does his thing.