A Little Bit About Master Dr. Marvin Smith & Max Roach

Steve Habib This was taken outside Max's dressing room at The Blue Note in NYC. Max didn't like the idea of Marvin hanging around and he asked me to wait for him till his set was done. He didn't want Marvin to sit in. Max loved Marvin but he knew that Marvin always wanted to play. I remember when Art Blakey was nervous about Marvin hanging around The Village Gate. Still, whenever Marvin appeared at a club that he was performing at, all the Masters were in the audience checking it out. I remember when we had the hit at Visiones in 1992, all the Cats who weren't working were there every night. The place was packed and Marvin was performing with Cecil McBee and Kirk Lightsey in his new group, THE EXPERIENCE. These are real stories that none of you would know about unless I told you, because I was there, just like I was there at most of John Coltranes hits from VanGelder Studios to The Half Note on Hudson St., to Birdland, to The Village Vanguard, to the session Trane did on 57th St. with Duke Ellington and Duke wrote a song about Stephen Daniel James, his nephew, called "STEVIE". Elvin was there with us and Steve's mother, Ruth Ellington, Duke's sister. Yeah, there are so many stories. Benny Golson's son, Reggie Golson(RIP) was with us at all these sessions and we were always around Elvin, his wife at the time, Shirley Jones and Jimmy Garrison. We used to annoy the shit out of PEE WEE, the door man and maitre d at Birdland. We were at the LIVE AT BIRDLAND SESSION with Afro Blue, Alabama, The Promise etc. We were only young tennagers at that time and Alvin Queen, who was a few years younger than us, always sat on Elvin's lap when he was playing between sets. I have some photos to post and I will make them available as I locate them, especially some at John's Huntington Long Island home where I used to go on many occasions with Elvin, Jimmy,Reggie and Johnny DeFranco an old friend of Elvin & Shirley's. The memories go on and on and THE HOLIDAY TIME helps to fuel them. I am BLESSED to have my long time friend Dr. Marvin Smith still here now during Christmas 2011 going into New Years 2012 and that fact that this LIVING LEGEND is available to the general public with his performances and over 1200 documented videos of his performances is so beautiful. Marvin will be performing at The Bull & Buddha in Poughkeepsie, NY Thursday Dec. 22nd and for his 62nd Birthday Celebration on Dec. 29th. His life story goes on "MOMENT TO MOMENT" and "BREATH TO BREATH" just like his music and his teachings. Witnessing the lives of so many Masters from John Coltrane,Elvin,Jimmy,Reggie Golson,Art Blakey,Max,Freddie,Archie Shepp and so many more, have all been such gifts for me. My efforts to present more of Dr. Marvin Smith to the younger players that never had the chance to meet and get to know other Masters, is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things that I'm doing today, in 2011 and hopefully through 2012 and beyond. I will make everyday a day to make people more aware of Marvin's contribution to The Art-Form and his efforts to bring educational TRUTH about The Music's Traditions to the general public. Love Always and Always Love...........HABIB