Biography

One of the most technically gifted musicians in the history of jazz, Max Roach helped establish a new vocabulary for jazz drummers. A member of the house rhythm section at Monroe’s in New York, Roach backed all the leading practitioners of the emerging bebop scene. In 1948 he participated in Miles Davis' seminal Birth of the Cool sessions before forming his own quintet with Clifford Brown. Later, Roach’s work, most notably We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, reflected his own commitment to the civil rights movement. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Roach continued to associate with musicians of the avant garde, including Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor. In the '90s Roach was teaching at the University Of Massachusetts but continued to perform, including 1995’s M’Boom with Ginger Baker and Tony Williams.

Top Tracks

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• A New Days

• Be-bop

• C.m.

• Caravanserai

• Cherokee

• Crackle Hut

• Daahoud

• Delilah

• Din-ka Street

• Equipoise

• Ezz-thetic

• Garvey's Ghost

• Giant Steps

• Henry Street Blues

• I Get A Kick Out Of You

• In The Red

• It Don't Mean A Thing

• It's You Or No One

• J.c. Moses

• Jordu

• Joshua

• Joy Spring

• Kiss And Run

• Kujichaglia

• Let Thy People Go

• Libra

• Lotus Blossom

• Members, Don't Git Weary

• Mendacity

• Nommo

• Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah

• One In Two Two In One, Pt. 1

• Parisian Thoroughfare

• Powell's Prances

• Rumble In The Jungle

• Sandu

• South Africa Goddamn

• Speak, Brother, Speak

• Stompin' At The Savoy

• Swingin'

• The Blues Walk

• The Long March

• The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

• Twinkle Toes

• Two Bass Hit

• Valse Hot

• What Is This Thing Called Love?

• Woody 'n You

• You Stepped Out Of A Dream

Discography

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• Explorations...To the Mth Degree

  Slam

  1995

• Max Roach with the New Orchestra of Boston and the So What Brass Quintet

  Blue Note

  1995

• Max Roach, Vol. 1

  Capitol

  1989

• Plus Four and More

  Emarcy

  1985

• Jazzbuhne Berlin '84

  Repertoire

  1984

• Live at Vielharmonie Munich

  Soul Note (Italy)

  1983

• Swish

  Orchard

  1982

• Conversation

  1981

• Chattahoochee Red

  Columbia

  1981

• M'Boom Re: Percussion

  Columbia

  1980

• Again

  Get Back Records

  1980

• One in Two, Two in One

  Hatology

  1979

• Long March, Pt. 2

  Harmonia Mundi

  1979

• The Long March, Part 1

  Hat Hut Records / Document

  1979

• M'Boom

  Legacy / Columbia/Legacy

  1979

• The Long March

  Hat Hut Records / Hatology

  1979

• Streams of Consciousness

  Piadrum Records

  1977

• The Loadstar

  Horo

  1977

• Live in Tokyo

  Denon Records

  1977

• Force: Sweet Mao - Suid Africa '76

  BASF

  1976

• The Max Roach Trio, Featuring the Legendary Hasaan

  Atlantic & Atco Remasters / Atlantic

  1965

• Live in Europe: Freedom Now Suite

  magnetic

  1964

• It's Time

  Impulse!

  1962

• Percussion Bitter Sweet

  Impulse!

  1961

• Max Roach and Friends, Vol. 2

  Capitol

  1961

• Moon-Faced and Starry-Eyed

  1960

• Jazz In Paris: Parisian Sketches

  Universal Distribution

  1960

• Quiet as It's Kept

  Mercury

  1960

• Drum Conversation

  Enja

  1960

• Max Roach and Friends, Vol. 1

  Jazz View

  1960

• Max Roach [Bainbridge]

  Bainbridge

  1959

• Standard Time

  Emarcy

  1959

• Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble

  Emarcy

  1958

• Max Roach Plus Four at Newport

  Emarcy

  1958

• Max Roach Plus Four on the Chicago Scene

  Emarcy/Mercury

  1958

• Max

  Chess / GRP

  1958

• The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker

  Verve / Emarcy

  1957

• Live at Basin Street, April 1956

  Ingo

  1956

• Max Roach and Clifford Brown, Vol. 1

  GNP

  1954

• Max Roach and Clifford Brown, Vol. 2

  GNP

  1954

• The Max Roach Quartet, Featuring Hank Mobley

  Original Jazz Classics / Debut/OJC

  1953