Max did it all. Now there's a career to inspire. I know I am not the only little kid to first become familiar with him when he played drums on Oscar's trash can and all over Sesame Street but he had taken a back seat for a long time in my music listening. After I picked up the first volume of 'The Long March' some months back I started to listen to him again. That first volume is one of my favorite finds of the last year. 'Birth and Rebirth' with Braxton is fantastic as well. Max just rips and flies and is rock and roll. Creative and political and working in all of the arts. Max loved music, the arts and the world. And the best part is--he gave.

It is a rough loss. He was really great, I listened to "Speak Brother, Speak", "Deeds not Words" and the duo with Braxton on Black Saint.
He was a real visionary musician.

this is the first one of these recent rash of cultural deaths that hits me with a sinking feeling in my gut.i loved max so much in so many settings. listening to him with bud powell tonight, and remember a night me and my three best friends saw him and cecil taylor live at columbia u outside play 2 and ahalf hours or so. that night was one of those this is what i want to do with my life experiences.