The Quietus - A new rock music and pop culture website

Baker's Dozen

Virtual Mentors: Arooj Aftab's Favourite Albums
Jessica Wrigglesworth , April 5th, 2023 09:52

Arooj Aftab takes Jessica Wrigglesworth through thirteen albums that have defined her life and career, from her childhood in Lahore to studying at Berklee, the "New York hustle" of her 20s to her rise to international acclaim

Aabd7_1680445859_resize_460x400

Max Roach – We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite

I was listening to a lot of Abbey Lincoln when I moved to New York after college, and then I knew of Max Roach because of drummer friends from Berklee and stuff like that. And then I found these live black and white videos of them performing this album, and it just blew my mind. And I watched and listened to that album on YouTube a lot. It was just really, really powerful, and really beautiful. It was just unbelievable what I was looking at, from the saxophone player, the bass player, Max, Abbey Lincoln – I've never experienced or felt anything so strongly like that before. And it’s effortless in a way, both in the message and in the music. So, it's definitely way up there as one of my favourite records.