Clifford Brown and Max Roach

The 1954–56 Clifford BrownClifford Brownクリフォード・ブラウン-Max RoachMax Roachマックス・ローチ Quintet refined bebop's vocabulary to a peak of elegance. When Brownie died at 26 in 1956, the abrupt end left Rollins asking what to do next — a question that produced Saxophone ColossusSaxophone ColossusSonny Rollins · 1956.

The assumption that drums exist only to keep time behind other instruments is upended on Max Roach's 1966 album Drums Unlimited, which pairs full quintet tracks with pieces built entirely from unaccompanied drum solos — an unusual move for a mainstream jazz label at the time.