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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

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, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

, 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 Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...

, Coleman Hawkins,

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 improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

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

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

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

, Abbey Lincoln,

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...

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

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to ga ...

, and Booker Little. He was inducted into the ''

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 which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Ch ...

'' Hall of Fame in 1980 and the ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' Hall of Fame in 1992. In the mid-1950s, Roach co-led a pioneering quintet along with trumpeter

. In 1970, he founded the percussion ensemble M'Boom. He made numerous musical statements relating to the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

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. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, 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 Avery County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,806. The county seat is Newland. The county seat was initially established in Elk Park when the county was first formed, but ...

. Although his

birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensui ...

lists his date of birth as January 10, 1924, Roach has been quoted by

Phil Schaap Philip van Noorden Schaap (April 8, 1951September 7, 2021) was an American radio host, who specialized in jazz as a broadcaster, historian, archivist, and producer. He began presenting jazz shows on Columbia University's WKCR in 1970, and host ...

, saying that his family believed he was actually born on January 8, 1924. Roach's family moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, when he was four years old. He grew up in a musical home with his

gospel singer Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

mother. He started to play

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

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 borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, he was called to fill in for

Sonny Greer William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, c. 1895 – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington. Biography Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States, and p ...

with the

Orchestra performing at the Paramount Theater in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

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

style. Roach performed in bands led by

, Coleman Hawkins,

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of mode ...

, and

. He played on many of Parker's most important records, including the

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

November 1945 session, which marked a turning point in recorded jazz. His early

brush A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...

work with Powell's trio, especially at fast tempos, has been highly praised. Roach nurtured an interest in and respect for

Afro-Caribbean music Afro-Caribbean music is a broad term for music styles originating in the Caribbean from the African diaspora. These types of music usually have West African/Central African influence because of the presence and history of African people and their ...

and traveled to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

in the late 1940s to study with the traditional drummer

Ti Roro Baillargau Raymond, known as Ti Roro, was a Haitian drummer known for bringing the artistry of Haitian Vodou ritual drumming and other traditional Afro-Haitian drumming styles to the stage and to recording studios. He was an international perform ...

1950s

Roach studied

classical percussion Orchestral percussion refers to the various percussion instruments used in an orchestral setting. It may also refer to the act of playing such instruments in an orchestral style. Many music schools and conservatories offer training for musicians ...

at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

from 1950 to 1953, working toward a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of pre ...

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 hono ...

in 1990. In 1952, Roach co-founded Debut Records with bassist

. 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 rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...

, ''Percussion Discussion''. In 1954, Roach and trumpeter

formed a quintet that also featured tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist

Richie Powell Richard Powell (September 5, 1931 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He was not assisted in his musical development by Bud, his older and better known brother, but both played predominantly in the bebop style. ...

(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 Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

style also played by

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the ...

and

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

. The Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet created one of the very greatest string of small-group recordings in jazz history, worthy of consideration alongside the Hot Fives and Sevens of

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

and the quintets of

and

. Over the next eight years Roach's stature grew as he recorded with a host of other emerging artists (including

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, 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 h ...

and

) and co-founded Debut, one of the first artist-owned labels, with

. Roach participated in the legendary bebop summit concert that produced the Jazz at Massey Hall recordings of 1953. 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 The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...

in June 1956. The first album Roach recorded after their deaths was ''

Max Roach + 4 Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ( ...

''. After Brown and Powell's deaths, Roach continued leading a similarly configured group, with

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

(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 and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

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 EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

featuring the brothers Stanley and Tommy Turrentine. In 1955, he played drums for vocalist

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 hir ...

in 1958, which was

filmed Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, 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. Oscar Brown Jr. (October 10, 1926May 29, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, playwright, poet, civil rights activist, and actor. Aside from his career, Brown ran unsuccessfully for office in both the Illinois state legislature and the U. ...

, after being invited to contribute to commemorations of the hundredth anniversary of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

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, Civil War. The Proclamation c ...

. In 1962, he recorded the album ''

Money Jungle ''Money Jungle'' is a studio album by pianist Duke Ellington with double bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach. It was recorded on September 17, 1962, and released in February 1963 by United Artists Jazz."Album Reviews" (February 9, 1963) ...

'', a collaboration with Mingus and

. This is generally regarded as one of the finest trio albums ever recorded. During the 1970s, Roach formed M'Boom, 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 Frederick "Freddie" Douglas Waits (April 27, 1943 – November 18, 1989) was a hard bop and post-bop drummer. Waits never officially recorded as leader, but was a prominent member and composer in Max Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble. He work ...

, Roy Brooks, Omar Clay,

Ray Mantilla Raymond Mantilla (June 22, 1934 – March 21, 2020) was an American percussionist. Discography As leader * ''Mantilla'' ( Inner City, 1978) * ''Hands of Fire'' ( Red, 1984) * ''Synergy'' (Red, 1986) * ''Dark Powers'' (Red, 1988) * ''The Next St ...

, Francisco Mora, and Eli Fountain. Long involved in jazz education, in 1972 Roach was recruited to the faculty of the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

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 Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young. Early in his career, at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater, Pope played behind a numbe ...

, 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 Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

, 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 "I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr., during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, King called ...

" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.; a duet with

video artist Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting ...

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 A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...

for a festival of Shepard plays, called "ShepardSets", at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

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 ...

, and tuba. Personnel included Cecil Bridgewater, Frank Gordon, Eddie Henderson, Rod McGaha,

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For years, Turre has be ...

, 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 typ ...

with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 18 ...

. 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 Dianne McIntyre (born July 18, 1946) is an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her notable works include ''Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Dance Adventure in Southern Blues (A Choreodrama)'', an adaptation of Zora Neal Hurston's novel '' ...

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 Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duk ...

. 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 A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

. In 1994, Roach appeared on Rush drummer Neil Peart's '' Burning For Buddy,'' performing "The Drum Also Waltzes" Parts 1 and 2 on

Volume 1 Volume One, Volume 1, Volume I or Vol. 1 may refer to: Albums * ''Volume One'' (The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band album), 1966 * ''Volume One'' (Sleep album) * ''Volume One'' (Fluff album) * ''Volume One'' (She & Him album), 2008 * ''Volum ...

of the 2-volume

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

during the 1994 All-Star recording sessions.

Death

In the early 2000s, Roach became less active due to the onset of

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurs within the brain. This typically causes increased pressure inside the skull. Older people may have headaches, double vision, poor balance, urinary i ...

-related complications. Roach died of complications related to

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

and

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

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 Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornin ...

on August 24, 2007. He was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. In a funeral tribute to Roach, then-

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a 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 governor is elected on a ticket w ...

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. A ...

compared the musician's courage to that of Paul Robeson,

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, u ...

, and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...

, 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

Two children, son Daryl Keith and daughter Maxine, were born from Roach's first marriage with Mildred Roach in 1949. In 1956, he met singer Barbara Jai (Johnson) and fathered another son, Raoul Jordu. During the period 1961–1970, Roach was married to singer Abbey Lincoln, who had performed on several of his albums. In 1971, twin daughters, Ayodele Nieyela and Dara Rashida, were born to Roach and his third wife, Janus Adams Roach. He had four grandchildren: Kyle Maxwell Roach, Kadar Elijah Roach, Maxe Samiko Hinds, and Skye Sophia Sheffield. His godson is artist, filmmaker and hip-hop pioneer, Fab Five Freddy. Roach identified himself as a

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

in an early 1970s interview with

Art Taylor Arthur S. Taylor Jr. (April 6, 1929 – February 6, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, who "helped define the sound of modern jazz drumming".Watrous, Peter (February 7, 1995)"Art Taylor, 65, Jazz Drummer Who Inspired Young Musicians" ''The Ne ...

Style

Roach started as a traditional grip player but used matched grip as well 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 much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

, 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 The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

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

melody A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), 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 combina ...

, 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 (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

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 Adolph Stanley Levey known professionally as Stan Levey (April 5, 1926 – April 19, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. He was known for working with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the early development of bebop during the 1940s, and in ...

, 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." 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, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

in his '' Moby Dick'' drum solo and revisited by other drummers, including Neil Peart and Steve Smith. Bill Bruford performed a cover of the track on the 1985 album '' Flags''.

Honors

Roach was given a

MacArthur Genius Grant The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

in 1988 and cited as a Commander of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (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 ...

in France in 1989. He was twice awarded the French

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...

, was elected to the International Percussive Art Society's Hall of Fame and the

Hall of Fame, and was awarded Harvard Jazz Master. He was celebrated by Aaron Davis Hall and was given eight honorary doctorate degrees, including degrees awarded by

Medgar Evers College Medgar Evers College is a public college in New York City. It is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), offering baccalaureate and associate degrees. It was officially established in 1970 through cooperation between educato ...

CUNY The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven prof ...

, the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in contin ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, in addition to his alma mater, the

. In 1986, the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

borough of

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area e ...

named a park in

Brixton Brixton is a district in 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 cent ...

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. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

along with

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

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. Roach was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* 1953 : '' The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley'' (

Debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Deb ...

, 1954) * 1956 : ''

'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown, ...

, 1956) * 1956-57 : '' Jazz in 3/4 Time'' (EmArcy, 1957) * 1957-58 : ''

The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker ''The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks associated with Charlie Parker recorded in late 1957 and 1958 and released on the EmArcy label.Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the ...

(Chess, 1976) LP* 1958 : '' MAX'' (

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of ...

, 1958) * 1958 : ''

Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene ''Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene'' is an album by the American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in Chicago in 1958 and released on the EmArcy label in mono; alternate versions of four tracks were released in Japan on a 1984 st ...

'' ( 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 ''Deeds, Not Words'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in 1958 and released on the Riverside label.Riverside) – also released as ''Conversation'' (Jazzland, 1963) * 1958 : '' Award-Winning Drummer'' (

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

, 1959) – also released as ''Max Roach'' (Time, 1962) * 1958 : ''Max Roach/Bud Shank – Sessions'' with

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

(Calliope, 1976) * 1958 : '' The Defiant Ones'' with Booker Little (United Artists, 1959) * 1959 : '' The Many Sides of Max'' (Mercury) * 1959 : '' Rich Versus Roach'' with

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

(Mercury) * 1959 : '' Quiet as It's Kept'' (Mercury) * 1959 : '' Moon Faced and Starry Eyed'' with Abbey Lincoln (Mercury) * 1959 : ''Max Roach'' (Time) with Booker Little * 1960 : '' Long as You're Living'' ( Enja, 1984) * 1960 : ''

Parisian Sketches ''Parisian Sketches'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in Paris in 1960 and released on the Mercury Records, Mercury label.

'' (Mercury) * 1960 : '' We Insist!'' (

Candid Candid may refer to: * Candid (app), a mobile app for anonymous discussions * Candid (organization), providing information on US nonprofit companies * Candid Records, a record label * Ilyushin Il-76, NATO reporting name ''Candid'', a Soviet aircra ...

) * 1961 : '' Percussion Bitter Sweet'' with

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

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

) * 1964 : '' The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

) – with Hasaan Ibn Ali * 1966 : '' Drums Unlimited'' (Atlantic) * 1968 : '' Members, Don't Git Weary'' (Atlantic) * 1971 : '' Lift Every Voice and Sing'' (Atlantic) – with the J.C. White Singers * 1976 : ''Force: Sweet Mao–Suid Afrika '76'' (duo with Archie Shepp) * 1976 : ''Nommo'' ( Victor) * 1977 : ''Max Roach Quartet Live in Tokyo'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company started in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur. Denon produced the first cylinder audio media in Japan and players to play them. Decades later, Denon was involved in the early stages of de ...

) * 1977 : ''The Loadstar'' (Horo) * 1977 : ''Max Roach Quartet Live In Amsterdam – It's Time'' ( Baystate) * 1977 : ''Solos'' (Baystate) * 1977 : ''Streams of Consciousness'' (Baystate) – duo with Dollar Brand * 1978 : ''Confirmation'' (

Fluid In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms (''flows'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are substances which cannot resist any shear ...

) * 1978 : '' Birth and Rebirth'' – duo with Anthony Braxton ( Black Saint) * 1979 : '' The Long March'' – duo with Archie Shepp (

Hathut Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, h ...

) * 1979 : '' Historic Concerts'' – duo with

(Black Saint) * 1979 : ''

One in Two – Two in One ''One in Two – Two in One'' is a live album by American jazz drummer Max Roach and saxophonist Anthony Braxton recorded in 1979 for the Swiss Hathut label.

'' – duo with Anthony Braxton (Hathut) * 1979 : ''

Pictures in a Frame ''Pictures in a Frame'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in 1979 for the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

) * 1980 : ''Chattahoochee Red'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

) * 1981 : ''Live at Blues Alley'' ( MVD Visual) * 1982 : ''Swish'' – duo with Connie Crothers ( New Artists) * 1982 : '' In the Light'' (Soul Note) * 1983 : ''

Live at Vielharmonie ''Live at Vielharmonie'' is a live album by American jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in 1983 in Munich for the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (Soul Note) * 1984 : '' Scott Free'' (Soul Note) * 1984 : '' It's Christmas Again'' (Soul Note) * 1984 : '' Survivors'' (Soul Note) * 1985 : '' Easy Winners'' (Soul Note) * 1986 : '' Bright Moments'' (Soul Note) * 1989 : '' Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989'' – duo with

( A&M) * 1989 : ''Homage to Charlie Parker'' (A&M) * 1991 : ''

To the Max! ''To the Max!'' is a double album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in 1990 and 1991 and released on the Enja Records, Enja label.Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. ...

) * 1999 : ''Beijing Trio'' ( Asian Improv) * 2002 : ''Friendship'' – (with

) (Columbia) Co-leader with

(Originally The Max Roach All Stars featuring Clifford Brown, renamed after the death of Clifford Brown) * 1954: '' Best Coast Jazz'' (

, 1956) * 1954: ''

Clifford Brown All Stars ''Clifford Brown All Stars'' (also released as ''Caravan'') is an album by American jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown featuring tracks recorded in 1954 but released on the EmArcy Records, EmArcy label posthumously in 1956.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 Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often serv ...

and

(EmArcy, 1954) * 1954: '' Brown and Roach Incorporated'' (EmArcy, 1955) * 1954: '' Daahoud'' (

Mainstream Records Mainstream Records was an American record company and independent record label founded by producer Bob Shad in 1964. Mainstream's early releases were reissues from Commodore Records. Its catalogue grew to include Bob Brookmeyer, Maynard Fergu ...

, 1973) * 1954 : ''

Clifford Brown and Max Roach ''Clifford Brown & Max Roach'' is a 1954 album by influential jazz musicians Clifford Brown and Max Roach as part of the Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet, described by '' The New York Times'' as "perhaps the definitive bop group until Mr. Bro ...

'' (EmArcy, 1954) * 1954: ''More Study in Brown'' (EmArcy, 1983) * 1955: ''

Clifford Brown with Strings ''Clifford Brown with Strings'' is a 1955 studio album by trumpeter Clifford Brown. Track listing # " Yesterdays" ( Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 2:59 # " Laura" ( Johnny Mercer, David Raksin) – 3:26 # " What's New?" ( Johnny Burke, Bob H ...

'' (EmArcy, 1955) * 1955: ''

Study in Brown ''Study in Brown'' ( EmArcy Records, 1955) is a Clifford Brown and Max Roach album. The album consists predominantly of originals by members of the band. The songs "Lands End", by tenor saxophonist Harold Land, and "Sandu", by Brown, have gone ...

'' (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 ''Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street'' (also known as ''At Basin Street'') is a 1956 album by the Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet, the last album the quintet officially recorded. Apart from '' Sonny Rollins Plus 4'', it was the las ...

'' (EmArcy, 1956) Co-leader with M'Boom * 1973: '' Re: Percussion'' ( Strata-East) * 1979: '' M'Boom'' (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

) * 1984: ''

Collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "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 Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...

'' (

) * 1992: ''Live at S.O.B.'s New York'' (Blue Moon)

Compilations

*'' Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years'' ( Verve, 1995) – recorded in 1954–60

As sideman

With

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'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

, 1985) – recorded in 1953 With Don Byas * ''Savoy Jam Party'' (1946) With Jimmy Cleveland * '' Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars'' (EmArcy, 1955) With

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 ''Al Cohn's Tones'' (also released as ''The Progressive Al Cohn'') is an album by saxophonist composer and arranger Al Cohn comprising two sessions, one recorded in 1950 and the other from 1953, which was released on the Savoy label in 1956.

'' (

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) 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. Sa ...

, 1956) – recorded in 1953 With

* '' Birth of the Cool'' ( Capitol, 1949) * '' Conception'' (Prestige, 1951) With John Dennis * ''New Piano Expressions'' (1955) With

* '' Jazz Contrasts'' (Riverside, 1957) With

* ''The Metronome All Stars'' (MGM, 1953) 0 inch With

* '' Paris Blues'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

, 1961) * ''

'' (United Artists, 1962) also with

With

* '' Jam Session featuring Maynard Ferguson'' (EmArcy, 1954) With

* ''Opus BeBop'' (Savoy, 1957) – Compilation recorded in 1946-47 * '' Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds'' (Verve, 1957) – recorded in 1953-55 With

* '' Diz and Getz'' (Verve, 1953) – with

* '' The Bop Session'' ( Sonet, 1975) with

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

and Percy Heath With

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/ hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before laun ...

* ''

The Modern Touch ''The Modern Touch'' is the second album by saxophonist Benny Golson featuring performances recorded in late 1957 and originally released on the Riverside label.

'' (Riverside, 1957) With Johnny Griffin * '' Introducing Johnny Griffin'' (Blue Note, 1956) With

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugel ...

* ''

Drum Suite ''Drum Suite'' is an album by drummer Art Blakey with The Jazz Messengers and the Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble, recorded in late 1956 and early 1957 and originally released on the Columbia label. It was the first of several albums recorded by ...

'' ( Epic, 1962) With Coleman Hawkins * '' Rainbow Mist'' (Delmark, 1992) – compilation of Apollo recordings in 1944 * ''Coleman Hawkins and His All Stars'' (1944) * '' Body and Soul'' (1946) With

Joe Holiday Joseph Befumo, known professionally as Joe Holiday (10 May 1925 – 9 February 2016), was an American jazz saxophonist who was born in Sicily. The father of the Befumo family played clarinet. In 1925 the family emigrated to the United States ...

* ''Mambo Jazz'' (Original Jazz Classics, 1991) – recorded in 1951-54 With J.J. Johnson * ''Mad Be Bop'' (Savoy, 1978) LP– recorded in 1946-54 * '' First Place'' (Columbia, 1957) With

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". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

* ''

The Magnificent Thad Jones ''The Magnificent Thad Jones'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Thad Jones featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1956) With Abbey Lincoln * '' That's Him!'' (Riverside, 1957) * '' Straight Ahead'' (Riverside, 1961) With Booker Little * '' Out Front'' (Candid, 1961) With Howard McGhee * ''Howard McGhee All Stars'' (Blue Note, 1952) 0 inch With

Gil Mellé Gilbert John Mellé (31 December 1931 – 28 October 2004) was an American artist, jazz musician and film composer. Life and career In the 1950s, Mellé created the cover art for albums by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. Mel ...

*'' Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet'' (Blue Note, 1953) With

* '' Mingus at the Bohemia'' (Debut, 1955); "Percussion Discussion" only *'' The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach'' (Debut, 1955) With

* '' Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2'' (Blue Note, 1952) * ''

Brilliant Corners ''Brilliant Corners'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records, and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen takes ...

'' (Riverside, 1956) With

Herbie Nichols Herbert Horatio Nichols (January 3, 1919 – April 12, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard " Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics. Li ...

* '' Herbie Nichols Trio'' (Blue Note, 1955) With

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

* ''The Complete Savoy Studio Recordings'' (1945–48) * ''Lullaby in Rhythm'' (1947) * '' Charlie Parker's Savoy and Dial sessions''/''

Complete Charlie Parker on Dial ''Complete Charlie Parker on Dial'' is a 1996 box set release of jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker's 1946–47 recordings for Dial Records. The box set, released by Jazz Classics, features 89 songs, including alternate takes and note ...

''/'' 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 Complete Sessions on Verve'' (Verve, 1949–53) * ''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 ...

'' ( Clef, 1954) With Oscar Pettiford *'' Oscar Pettiford Sextet'' (

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

, 1954) With

* ''The Bud Powell Trip'' (1947) * ''

The Amazing Bud Powell ''The Amazing Bud Powell'', also called ''The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1'', is an album by jazz pianist Bud Powell, first released on Blue Note in April 1952, as a 10" vinyl. It is part of a loosely connected series with the 1954 companion '' The ...

'' (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 George Russell * '' New York, N.Y.'' (1959) With A. K. Salim *'' Pretty for the People'' (Savoy, 1957) With Hazel Scott * ''Relaxed Piano Moods'' (1955) With

*'' Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson'' (Prestige, 1956) With

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

* '' Stan "The Man" Turrentine'' (Time, 1960 963 With Tommy Turrentine * ''Tommy Turrentine'' (1960) With

George Wallington George Wallington (October 27, 1924 – February 15, 1993) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Wallington was born Giacinto Figlia (some sources give "Giorgio") in Sicily, and then moved to the United States (New York) with ...

* ''The George Wallington Trip and Septet'' (1951) With

*'' Dinah Jams'' (EmArcy, 1954) With Randy Weston * ''

Uhuru Afrika ''Uhuru Afrika'' (subtitled/translated as ''Freedom Africa'') is an album by American jazz pianist Randy Weston recorded in 1960 and originally released on the Roulette label. The album features lyrics and liner notes by the poet Langston Hughes a ...

'' (

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

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

Biography

Early life and career

1950s

1960s–1970s

1980s–1990s

Death

Personal life

Style

Honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Compilations

As sideman

References

External links