Results for "Max Roach"

Max Roach

Born: January 10, 1925

Maxwell Lemuel Roach is a percussionist, drummer, andjazz composer. He has worked with many of the greatestjazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker,Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins. He iswidely considered to be one of the most importantdrummers in the history of jazz.

Roach was born in Newland, North Carolina, to Alphonseand Cressie Roach; his family moved to Brooklyn, NewYork when he was 4 years old. He grew up in a musicalcontext, his mother being a gospel singer, and he started toplay bugle in parade orchestras at a young age. At the ageof 10, he was already playing drums in some gospel bands.He performed his first big-time gig in New York City at theage of sixteen, substituting for Sonny Greer in aperformance with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

That's Him

By Abbey Lincoln

Label: Craft Recordings
Released: 2026
Track listing: Strong Man; Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe; My Man; Tender as a Rose; That's Him; I Must Have That Man; Porgy; When a Woman Loves a Man; Don't Explain.

Bill Bruford And Pete Roth: A One-Of-A-Kind Juxtaposition

by Mike Jacobs
October 19, 2026

When a drumming legend in the rock or jazz community retires, it's fairly big news. Such was the case in 2009 when Bill Bruford announced he was hanging up his sticks. Much celebrated for his integral and stylized drum contributions to progressive rock bands such as Yes, King Crimson, U.K., and Genesis, as well ...

Tyshawn Sorey: Members... Don't!

by Angelo Leonardi
October 5, 2026

La statura artistica di Tyshawn Sorey non s'evidenzia solo strumentalmente, con i leader più innovativi del jazz contemporaneo. Da oltre un decennio il batterista mostra nei suoi organici alte doti progettuali, interpretando in modo personale anche composizioni di altri autori. Accade anche nel recente The Susceptible Now (Pi Recordings, 2024) dove dilata e riformula in trio ...

I Love New York

by Marshall Bowden
October 1, 2002

This article first appeared on All About Jazz in October 2001. There's another reason as well. New York City is a financial and business center, certainly, and this is one reason it was marked for attack. But it is also very much our nation's cultural and arts center, the showpiece of the country that ...

Percy France: Live from the West End

by Daniel Gould
August 27, 2026

 If you know Percy France, most likely you are a fan of “greasy" organ jazz, particularly on Blue Note Records during their classic era. He was an integral part of Jimmy Smith's Home Cookin' (1959) and Freddie Roach's Down to Earth (1962). Or perhaps you came to jazz through r&b acts like the Bill Doggett combo. The ...

Happy Birthday Marcus Roberts! Also Tony Bennett, Allan Holdsworth, and more

by David W. Daniels
August 11, 2026

In addition to the artists named in the title, this edition of Exploration recognizes the classic genius of The Quintet (Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, and Max Roach), Horace Silver, and others. More new music from Joe Alterman, Doug Webb, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Birthdays recognized include Eddie Jefferson, Ravi Coltrane, and “Pops" ...

And His Name Was Max

by John Ephland
July 27, 2026

This interview was conducted during the Chicago Jazz Festival on August 31, 1990. A favorite topic: musicians who dedicate their artistic lives to the spirit of collaborations. When I was writing about Max Roach in the late 1980s, I was astounded by how many projects he seemed to be simultaneously engaged in. A giant ...

Sonny Rollins tribute, part 1: Sonny in the '50s

by Larry Slater
July 17, 2026

Sonny Rollins, the saxophone colossus, left us on May 25th 2026 at age 95. Rollins, one of the music's great improvisers, left a rich legacy of recordings. His early recordings date from 1949, when he was 19. Even at that age, he was recognized as a rare talent. In this hour, you'll ...

Ran Blake & Dominique Eade: Roots & Byways

by Troy Dostert
July 12, 2026

For a pianist whose prodigious recorded legacy goes back to the 1960s, Ran Blake has only rarely deviated from his preferred settings: solo albums and duos with vocalists. While his Short Life of Barbara Monk (Soul Note, 1987) is arguably one of the finest quartet records of the 1980s, and his Sonic Temples (GM Recordings, 2001) ...