Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. A pioneer of

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Clifford Brown,

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz,

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

, Eric Dolphy, and Booker Little. He also played with his daughter Maxine Roach, a Grammy nominated violist. He was inducted into the ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' Hall of Fame in 1980 and the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1992. In the mid-1950s, Roach co-led a pioneering quintet along with trumpeter Clifford Brown. In 1970, he founded the percussion ensemble

M'Boom M'Boom was an American jazz percussion group founded by drummer Max Roach in 1970. The original members were Roach, Roy Brooks, Warren Smith (jazz percussionist), Warren Smith, Joe Chambers, Omar Clay, Ray Mantilla, and Freddie Waits. All of M'B ...

Biography

Early life and career

Max Roach was born to Alphonse and Cressie Roach in the Township of Newland, Pasquotank County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, which borders the southern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp. The Township of Newland is sometimes mistaken for Newland Town in Avery County, North Carolina. Roach's family moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, when he was four years old. He grew up in a musical home with his gospel singer mother. He started to play bugle in parades at a young age. At the age of 10, he was already playing drums in some gospel bands. In 1942, as an 18-year-old recently graduated from Boys High School in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, he was called to fill in for Sonny Greer with the

Orchestra performing at the Paramount Theater in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. He started going to the jazz clubs on 52nd Street and at 78th Street & Broadway for Georgie Jay's Taproom, where he played with schoolmate Cecil Payne. His first professional recording took place in December 1943, backing

. He was one of the first drummers, along with Kenny Clarke, to play in the

style. Roach performed in bands led by

, Thelonious Monk,

, Bud Powell, and

. He played on many of Parker's most important records, including the Savoy Records November 1945 session, which marked a turning point in recorded jazz. His early brush work with Powell's trio, especially at fast tempos, has been highly praised. Roach nurtured an interest in and respect for Afro-Caribbean music and traveled to

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

in the late 1940s to study with the traditional drummer Ti Roro.

1950s

Roach studied classical percussion at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

from 1950 to 1953, working toward a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree. The school awarded him an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

in 1990. In 1952, Roach co-founded Debut Records with bassist Charles Mingus, one of the first artist-owned labels. The label released a record of a May 15, 1953, concert billed as "the greatest concert ever", which came to be known as '' Jazz at Massey Hall'', featuring Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus, and Roach. Also released on this label was the groundbreaking bass-and-drum

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

, ''Percussion Discussion''. In 1954, Roach and trumpeter Clifford Brown formed a quintet that also featured tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell (brother of Bud Powell), and bassist George Morrow. Land left the quintet the following year and was replaced by

. The group was a prime example of the hard bop style also played by Art Blakey and Horace Silver. Later that year, he relocated to the Los Angeles area, where he replaced Shelly Manne in the popular Lighthouse All Stars. Brown and Richie Powell were killed in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in June 1956. The first album Roach recorded after their deaths was '' Max Roach + 4''. After Brown and Powell's deaths, Roach continued leading a similarly configured group, with Kenny Dorham (and later Booker Little) on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, and pianist Ray Bryant. Roach expanded the standard form of hard bop using 3/4

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

rhythms and modality in 1957 with his album '' Jazz in 3/4 Time''. During this period, Roach recorded a series of other albums for EmArcy Records featuring the brothers Stanley and Tommy Turrentine. In 1955, he played drums for vocalist Dinah Washington at several live appearances and recordings. He appeared with Washington at the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

in 1958, which was filmed, and at the 1954 live studio audience recording of '' Dinah Jams'', considered to be one of the best and most overlooked vocal jazz albums of its genre.

1960s–1970s

In 1960 he composed and recorded the album '' We Insist!'' (subtitled ''Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite)'', with vocals by his then-wife Abbey Lincoln and lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr., after being invited to contribute to commemorations of the hundredth anniversary of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

. In 1962, he recorded the album '' Money Jungle'', a collaboration with Mingus and

. This is generally regarded as one of the finest trio albums ever recorded. During the 1970s, Roach formed

, a percussion orchestra. Each member composed for the ensemble and performed on multiple percussion instruments. Personnel included Fred King, Joe Chambers, Warren Smith, Freddie Waits, Roy Brooks, Omar Clay, Ray Mantilla, Francisco Mora, and Eli Fountain. Long involved in jazz education, in 1972 Roach was recruited to the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst by Chancellor Randolph Bromery. University of Massachusetts
"Randolph W. Bromery, Champion of Diversity, Du Bois and Jazz as UMass Amherst Chancellor, Dead at 87"
February 27, 2013. He taught at the university until the mid-1990s.

1980s–1990s

In the early 1980s, Roach began presenting solo concerts, demonstrating that multiple percussion instruments performed by one player could fulfill the demands of solo performance and be entirely satisfying to an audience. He created memorable compositions in these solo concerts, and a solo record was released by the Japanese jazz label Baystate. One of his solo concerts is available on a video, which also includes footage of a recording date for ''Chattahoochee Red'', featuring his working quartet, Odean Pope, Cecil Bridgewater, and Calvin Hill. Roach also embarked on a series of duet recordings. Departing from the style he was best known for, most of the music on these recordings is free improvisation, created with Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Archie Shepp, and Abdullah Ibrahim. Roach created duets with other performers, including: a recorded duet with oration of the " I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.; a duet with video artist Kit Fitzgerald, who improvised video imagery while Roach created the music; a duet with his lifelong friend and associate Gillespie; and a duet concert recording with

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

. During the 1980s Roach also wrote music for theater, including plays by Sam Shepard. He was composer and musical director for a festival of Shepard plays, called "ShepardSets", at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 1984. The festival included productions of ''Back Bog Beast Bait'', '' Angel City'', and '' Suicide in B Flat''. In 1985, George Ferencz directed "Max Roach Live at La MaMa: A Multimedia Collaboration". Roach found new contexts for performance, creating unique musical ensembles. One of these groups was "The Double Quartet", featuring his regular performing quartet with the same personnel as above, except Tyrone Brown replaced Hill. This quartet joined "The Uptown String Quartet", led by his daughter Maxine Roach and featuring Diane Monroe, Lesa Terry, and Eileen Folson. Another ensemble was the "So What Brass Quintet", a group comprising five brass instrumentalists and Roach, with no chordal instrument and no bass player. Much of the performance consisted of drums and horn duets. The ensemble consisted of two trumpets, trombone,

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

, and tuba. Personnel included Cecil Bridgewater, Frank Gordon, Eddie Henderson, Rod McGaha, Steve Turre, Delfeayo Marsalis, Robert Stewart, Tony Underwood, Marshall Sealy, Mark Taylor, and Dennis Jeter. Not content to expand on the music he was already known for, Roach spent the 1980s and 1990s finding new forms of musical expression and performance. He performed a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He wrote for and performed with the Walter White gospel choir and the John Motley Singers. He also performed with dance companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dianne McIntyre Dance Company, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He surprised his fans by performing in a hip hop concert featuring Fab Five Freddy and the New York Break Dancers. Roach expressed the insight that there was a strong kinship between the work of these young black artists and the art he had pursued all his life. Though Roach played with many types of ensembles, he always continued to play jazz. He performed with the Beijing Trio, with pianist Jon Jang and erhu player Jeibing Chen. His final recording, ''Friendship'', was with trumpeter Clark Terry. The two were longtime friends and collaborators in duet and quartet. Roach's final performance was at the 50th anniversary celebration of the original Massey Hall concert, with Roach performing solo on the hi-hat. In 1994, Roach appeared on Rush drummer

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...

's '' Burning for Buddy,'' performing "The Drum Also Waltzes" Parts 1 and 2 on Volume 1 of the 2-volume tribute album during the 1994 All-Star recording sessions.

Death

In the early 2000s, Roach became less active due to the onset of hydrocephalus-related complications. Roach died of complications related to Alzheimer's and

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

in Manhattan in the early morning of August 16, 2007. He was survived by five children: sons Daryl and Raoul, and daughters Maxine, Ayo, and Dara. More than 1,900 people attended his funeral at Riverside Church on August 24, 2007. He was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. In a funeral tribute to Roach, then-

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

David Paterson compared the musician's courage to that of Paul Robeson, Harriet Tubman, and Malcolm X, saying that "No one ever wrote a bad thing about Max Roach's music or his aura until 1960, when he and Charlie Mingus protested the practices of the

Personal life

His godson is artist, filmmaker and hip-hop pioneer, Fab Five Freddy. From 1962 to 1970 Roach was married to singer Abbey Lincoln. His daughter Maxine, a violist, appeared on several of Lincoln's albums. In February 1961, Roach and Lincoln, along with others, burst into a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to protest the murder of Patrice Lumumba, prime minister of the newly independent Congo. Roach identified himself as a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

in an early 1970s interview with Art Taylor.

Style

Roach started as a traditional grip player but favored matched grip as his career progressed. Roach's most significant innovations came in the 1940s, when he and Kenny Clarke devised a new concept of musical time. By playing the beat-by-beat pulse of standard 4/4 time on the ride cymbal instead of on the thudding

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

, Roach and Clarke developed a flexible, flowing rhythmic pattern that allowed soloists to play freely. This also created space for the drummer to insert dramatic accents on the snare drum,

crash cymbal A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to a ride cymbal. It can be mounted on a stand and played with a drum stick, or by hand in clash cymbals, pairs. One ...

, and other components of the trap set. By matching his rhythmic attack with a tune's

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

, Roach brought a newfound subtlety of expression to the drums. He often shifted the dynamic emphasis from one part of his

drum kit A drum kit or drum set (also known as a trap set, or simply drums in popular music and jazz contexts) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and sometimes other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one p ...

to another within a single phrase, creating a sense of tonal color and rhythmic surprise. Roach said of the drummer's unique positioning, "In no other society do they have one person play with all four limbs." While this is common today, when Clarke and Roach introduced the concept in the 1940s it was revolutionary. "When Max Roach's first records with Charlie Parker were released by Savoy in 1945", jazz historian Burt Korall wrote in the ''Oxford Companion to Jazz'', "drummers experienced awe and puzzlement and even fear." One of those drummers, Stan Levey, summed up Roach's importance: "I came to realize that, because of him, drumming no longer was just time, it was music." In 1966, with his album '' Drums Unlimited'' (which includes several tracks that are entirely drum solos) he demonstrated that drums can be a solo instrument able to play theme, variations, and rhythmically cohesive phrases. Roach described his approach to music as "the creation of organized sound." Roach's style has been a big influence on several jazz and rock drummers, most notably Joe Morello, Tony Williams, Peter Erskine, Billy Cobham,

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

, and Mitch Mitchell. The track "The Drum Also Waltzes" was often quoted by

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...

in his ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'' drum solo and revisited by other drummers, including

and Steve Smith. Bill Bruford performed a cover of the track on the 1985 album ''

Flags A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have ...

''.

Honors

Roach was given a MacArthur Genius Grant in 1988 and cited as a Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

in France in 1989. He was twice awarded the French Grand Prix du Disque, was elected to the International Percussive Art Society's Hall of Fame and the

Hall of Fame, and was awarded Harvard Jazz Master. In 2008, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy. He was celebrated by Aaron Davis Hall and was given eight honorary doctorate degrees, including degrees awarded by

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

, Medgar Evers College, CUNY, the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, in addition to his alma mater, the

. In 1986, the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

borough of

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

named a park in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

after Roach. Roach was able to officially open the park when he visited London in March of that year by invitation from the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. During that trip, he performed at a concert at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

along with

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian master drummer Ghanaba and others. Roach spent his later years living at the Mill Basin Sunrise assisted living home in Brooklyn, and was honored with a proclamation honoring his musical achievements by Brooklyn borough president

Marty Markowitz Martin Markowitz (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician who served as the borough president of Brooklyn, New York City. He was first elected in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator. His third and final term ended ...

. Roach was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2023, Roach was the subject of a documentary feature film '' Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes'', which premiered at South by Southwest and was nationally broadcast on the PBS series American Masters.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* 1953: '' The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley'' ( Debut, 1954) * 1956: '' Max Roach + 4'' ( EmArcy, 1956) * 1956-57: '' Jazz in 3/4 Time'' (EmArcy, 1957) * 1957-58: '' The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker'' (EmArcy, 1959) * 1957-58: ''Percussion Discussion'' with Art Blakey (Chess, 1976) LP* 1958: '' MAX'' ( Argo, 1958) * 1958: '' Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene'' ( Mercury, 1958) * 1958: '' Max Roach + 4 at Newport'' (EmArcy, 1958) – live * 1958: '' Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble'' (EmArcy, 1958) – live * 1958: '' Deeds, Not Words'' ( Riverside) – also released as ''Conversation'' (Jazzland, 1963) * 1958: '' Award-Winning Drummer'' (

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

, 1959) – also released as ''Max Roach'' (Time, 1962) * 1958: ''Max Roach/Bud Shank – Sessions'' with Bud Shank (Calliope, 1976) * 1958: '' The Defiant Ones'' with Booker Little (United Artists, 1959) * 1959: '' The Many Sides of Max'' (Mercury, 1964) * 1959: '' Rich Versus Roach'' with Buddy Rich (Mercury, 1959) * 1959: '' Quiet as It's Kept'' (Mercury, 1960) * 1959: '' Moon Faced and Starry Eyed'' with Abbey Lincoln (Mercury, 1959) * 1960: '' Long as You're Living'' ( Enja, 1984) * 1960: '' Parisian Sketches'' (Mercury, 1960) * 1960: '' We Insist!'' ( Candid, 1960) * 1961: '' Percussion Bitter Sweet'' with

( Impulse!, 1961) * 1962: '' It's Time'' with Mal Waldron (Impulse!, 1962) * 1962: '' Speak, Brother, Speak!'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

, 1963) * 1964: '' The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan'' with

Hasaan Ibn Ali Hasaan Ibn Ali (born William Henry Langford, Jr.; May 6, 1931 – 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Ibn Ali was strongly influenced by Elmo Hope, and his playing was rapid and intense, retaining a sense of rhythm even when his st ...

( Atlantic, 1965) * 1965–66: '' Drums Unlimited'' (Atlantic, 1966) * 1968: '' Members, Don't Git Weary'' (Atlantic, 1968) * 1971: '' Lift Every Voice and Sing'' with the J.C. White Singers (Atlantic, 1971) * 1976: ''Force'' with Archie Shepp (Uniteledis, 1976) LP* 1976: ''Nommo'' ( Victor, 1978) * 1977: ''Live in Tokyo'' Vol.1 & Vol.2 ( Denon, 1977) – live * 1977?: ''The Loadstar'' (Horo, 1977) LP* 1977: '' Live In Amsterdam'' ( Baystate, 1979) – live * 1977: ''Solos'' (Baystate, 1978) * 1977: ''Streams of Consciousness'' with Dollar Brand (Baystate, 1978) * 1978: ''Confirmation'' (

Fluid In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that may continuously motion, move and Deformation (physics), deform (''flow'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are M ...

, 1978) * 1978: '' Birth and Rebirth'' with Anthony Braxton ( Black Saint, 1978) * 1979: '' The Long March'' with Archie Shepp ( Hathut, 1979) – live * 1979: '' Historic Concerts'' with Cecil Taylor (Black Saint, 1984) – live * 1979: '' One in Two – Two in One'' with Anthony Braxton (Hathut, 1979) – live * 1979: '' Pictures in a Frame'' ( Soul Note9) – live * 1981?: ''Chattahoochee Red'' ( Columbia, 1981) * 1981: ''Live at Blues Alley'' ( MVD Visual, 2011) VD-Video– live * 1982: ''Swish'' with Connie Crothers ( New Artists, 1982) * 1982: '' In the Light'' (Soul Note, 1982) * 1983: '' Live at Vielharmonie'' (Soul Note, 1985) – live * 1984: '' Scott Free'' (Soul Note, 1985) * 1984: '' It's Christmas Again'' (Soul Note, 1987) * 1984: '' Survivors'' (Soul Note, 1984) * 1985: '' Easy Winners'' (Soul Note, 1985) * 1986: '' Bright Moments'' (Soul Note, 1986) * 1989: '' Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989'' with

( A&M, 1990) – live * 1991: '' To the Max!'' (Enja, 1992) * 1993, 95: ''With the New Orchestra of Boston and the So What Brass Quintet'' ( Blue Note, 1996) * 1999?: ''Beijing Trio'' with Jon Jang, Jiebing Chen ( Asian Improv, 1999) * 2002?: ''Friendship'' with Clark Terry (Columbia, 2002) Co-leader with Clifford Brown
(Originally The Max Roach All Stars featuring Clifford Brown, renamed after the death of Clifford Brown) * 1954: '' Best Coast Jazz'' ( EmArcy, 1956) * 1954: '' Clifford Brown All Stars'' (

Jam Session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

'' with Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry (EmArcy, 1954) * 1954: ''Brown and Roach Incorporated'' (EmArcy, 1955) * 1954: ''Daahoud'' ( Mainstream Records, 1973) * 1954 : '' Clifford Brown and Max Roach'' (EmArcy, 1954) * 1954: ''More Study in Brown'' (EmArcy, 1983) * 1955: '' Clifford Brown with Strings'' (EmArcy, 1955) * 1955: '' Study in Brown'' (EmArcy, 1955) * 1955: ''Raw Genius - Live at Bee Hive Chicago 1955'' Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 with Max Roach (Victor, 1977) – Japan only * 1955: ''Live at The Bee Hive'' (Columbia, 1979) LP– the same recording source * 1956: '' Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street'' (EmArcy, 1956) Co-leader with

* 1973: '' Re: Percussion'' ( Strata-East, 1973) * 1979: ''

'' ( Columbia, 1979) * 1984: ''

Collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

'' ( Soul Note, 1984) * 1992: ''Live at S.O.B.'s New York'' (Blue Moon, 1992) – live Compilation * '' Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years'' ( Verve, 1995) – rec. 1954–60

As a member

The Paris All-Stars
(with

, Hank Jones, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Stan Getz) * ''Homage to Charlie Parker'' (A&M, 1990) – rec. 1989

As sideman

With

* '' Birth of the Cool'' ( Capitol, 1949) * '' Conception'' (Prestige, 1951) With

* '' Paris Blues'' ( United Artists, 1961) * '' Money Jungle'' (United Artists, 1962) also with Charles Mingus With Stan Getz * ''Opus De Bop'' (Savoy, 1957) – Compilation rec. 1946-47 * '' Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds'' (Verve, 1957) – rec. 1953-55 With

* '' Diz and Getz'' (Verve, 1953) – with Stan Getz * '' The Bop Session'' ( Sonet, 1975) with

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

, John Lewis, Hank Jones and Percy Heath With

* '' Rainbow Mist'' (Delmark, 1992) – compilation of Apollo recordings in 1944 * ''Coleman Hawkins and His All Stars'' (1944) * '' Body and Soul'' (1946) With J.J. Johnson * ''Mad Be Bop'' (Savoy, 1978) LP– rec. 1946-54 * '' First Place'' (Columbia, 1957) With Abbey Lincoln * '' That's Him!'' (Riverside, 1957) * '' Straight Ahead'' (Riverside, 1961) With Charles Mingus * '' Mingus at the Bohemia'' (Debut, 1955); "Percussion Discussion" only *'' The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach'' (Debut, 1955) With Thelonious Monk * '' Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2'' (Blue Note, 1952) * '' Brilliant Corners'' (Riverside, 1956) With

* ''Town Hall, New York, June 22, 1945'' (1945) – also with

* ''The Complete Savoy Studio Recordings'' (1945–48) * ''Lullaby in Rhythm'' (1947) * '' Charlie Parker's Savoy and Dial sessions''/'' Complete Charlie Parker on Dial''/'' Charlie Parker on Dial'' ( Dial, 1945–48) * ''The Band that Never Was'' (1948) * ''Bird on 52nd Street'' (1948) * ''Bird at the Roost'' (1948) * ''Charlie Parker in France'' (1949) * ''Live at Rockland Palace'' (1952) * ''Yardbird: DC–53'' (1953) *''

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

'' ( Clef, 1954) * ''Charlie Parker Complete Sessions on Verve'' (Verve, 2000) – compilation With Bud Powell * ''The Bud Powell Trip'' (1947) * '' The Amazing Bud Powell'' (Blue Note, 1951) With

* '' Work Time'' (Prestige, 1955) * '' Sonny Rollins Plus 4'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Tour de Force'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Rollins Plays for Bird'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Saxophone Colossus'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Freedom Suite'' (Riverside, 1958) * ''Stuttgart 1963 Concert'' (1963) With others *

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

, ''

Witch Doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors ...

'' ( Contemporary, 1985) – rec. 1953 *

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also l ...

, ''Savoy Jam Party'' (Savoy, 1976) LP– rec. 1944–46 * Jimmy Cleveland, '' Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars'' (EmArcy, 1955) *

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...

, '' Al Cohn's Tones'' (

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

, 1956) – rec. 1953 * John Dennis, ''New Piano Expressions'' (Debut, 1957) – rec. 1955 * Kenny Dorham, '' Jazz Contrasts'' (Riverside, 1957) * Billy Eckstine, ''The Metronome All Stars'' (MGM, 1953) 0"* Maynard Ferguson, '' Jam Session featuring Maynard Ferguson'' (EmArcy, 1954) * Benny Golson, '' The Modern Touch'' (Riverside, 1957) * Johnny Griffin, '' Introducing Johnny Griffin'' (Blue Note, 1956) * Slide Hampton, '' Drum Suite'' ( Epic, 1962) * Joe Holiday, ''Mambo Jazz'' (Original Jazz Classics, 1991) – rec. 1951-54 *

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

, '' The Magnificent Thad Jones'' (Blue Note, 1956) * Booker Little, '' Out Front'' (Candid, 1961) * Howard McGhee, ''Howard McGhee All Stars'' (Blue Note, 1952) 0"* Gil Mellé, '' Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet'' (Blue Note, 1953) * Herbie Nichols, '' Herbie Nichols Trio'' (Blue Note, 1955) * Oscar Pettiford, '' Oscar Pettiford Sextet'' ( Vogue, 1954) * George Russell, '' New York, N.Y.'' (1959) * A. K. Salim, '' Pretty for the People'' (Savoy, 1957) * Hazel Scott, ''Relaxed Piano Moods'' (1955) *

, '' Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson'' (Prestige, 1956) * Stanley Turrentine, '' Stan "The Man" Turrentine'' (Time, 1963) – rec. 1960 * Tommy Turrentine, ''Tommy Turrentine'' (1960) * George Wallington, ''The George Wallington Trip and Septet'' (1951) * Dinah Washington, '' Dinah Jams'' (EmArcy, 1954) * Randy Weston, '' Uhuru Afrika'' (

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

, 1960) * Joe Wilder, ''The Music of George Gershwin: I Sing of Thee'' (1956)