Editing Booker Little (section)

=== 1958-1959: First recordings with Max Roach + 4 ===
While attending a recording session with Rollins, Little met drummer [[Max Roach]] in 1955.<ref name=":1" /> Following the death of [[Clifford Brown]] the next year, Little became Roach's trumpet player in his band Max Roach Four. Being in school interfered with the quality of his performance, and he was replaced by [[Kenny Dorham]]. Following graduation, Little rejoined Roach's band, reclaiming his spot from Dorham in 1958.<ref name=":0" /> In that band, he reunited with one of his friends from Memphis, [[George Coleman]]. As trumpeter, Little made his recording debut on ''[[Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene]]'' in June. He was featured on pieces like "[[My Old Flame]]".<ref name=":0" /> Little recorded two more albums with the group, which Roach altered by replacing the piano with tuba player [[Ray Draper]]. On ''Max Roach + 4 at Newport,'' Little introduced his first composition, "Minor Mode", and on "[[A Night in Tunisia]]" he was the main soloist. On their album, ''[[Deeds, Not Words]]'',<ref name=":0" /> in the opening piece, "[[You Stepped Out of a Dream]]", Little displayed his arranging skills, where the tenor sax, trumpet and tuba share similar voicings that created tension and sophisticated musicality within the unusual piano-less group. Little had a hand in the majority of the arranging on the ''Deeds, Not Words'' album.<ref name=":1" />

In October, the group appeared on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Stars of Jazz]]'' television program. Also during October, Little recorded his first album as a leader, ''[[Booker Little 4 and Max Roach]]'' (also known as ''The Defiant Ones'') with Roach on drums, Coleman on tenor, and Davis on bass (with [[Tommy Flanagan (musician)|Tommy Flanagan]] on piano).<ref name=":0" /> On ''The Defiant Ones,'' Little played three of his original pieces, "Rounders Mode", "Dungeons Waltz", and "Jewels Tempo".<ref name=":1" /> Following his first album as leader, Little and ''Max Roach + 4'' recorded one more album before the end of 1958 titled ''[[Award-Winning Drummer]]'' under Roach's name and another titled ''Many Sides of Max Roach'' in 1959 (the second album was not released until 1964).<ref name=":0" /> ''Many Sides of Max Roach'' was the last album Booker Little recorded with Roach's group until 1960.<ref name=":0" />