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Max Roach Dies at 83

Star percussionist redefined the genre - more than once

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Aug 16, 2007 3:18 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Max Roach, a drummer who moved to his own beat and became a seminal figure in modern jazz, died today at 83. Roach renovated his genre's traditional instrumentation, and pioneered a layered, contrapuntal style that became the trademark of contemporary percussion. Even his recent albums defied the conventions he helped forge. "You can't write the same book twice," he once said.

Roach helped pioneer bebop and founded a bevy of ensembles and record companies. But after releasing the landmark "We Insist!" in 1960, he vowed to "never again play anything that does not have social significance." Even in 2000, when he landed a teaching job at the University of Massachusetts, he was still touring and composing.

Max Roach performs at the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 16, 2001, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats that defined bebop jazz, died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, at an undisclosed hospital in Manhattan after a long illness....
Max Roach performs at the Playboy Jazz Festival on June 16, 2001, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated...   (Associated Press)
Jazz drummer Max Roach performs during the the Newport Jazz Festival in New York on June 26, 1978. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats that defined bebop jazz, died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, at an undisclosed hospital in Manhattan after a long illness. He...
Jazz drummer Max Roach performs during the the Newport Jazz Festival in New York on June 26, 1978. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats...   (Associated Press)
President Jimmy Carter is shown with Dizzy Gillespie,center, and drummer Max Roach, right, singing a version of Gillespie's tune Salt Peanuts at the White House jazz concert on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival in Washington on June 18, 1978. Roach, a master percussionist...
President Jimmy Carter is shown with Dizzy Gillespie,center, and drummer Max Roach, right, singing a version of Gillespie's tune "Salt Peanuts" at the White House jazz concert on the occasion of the 25th...   (Associated Press)
Jazz musician Max Roach attends Ossie Davis' funeral at Riverside Church in New York on Feb. 12, 2005. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats that defined bebop jazz, died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007, at an undisclosed hospital in Manhattan after a long illness. He...
Jazz musician Max Roach attends Ossie Davis' funeral at Riverside Church in New York on Feb. 12, 2005. The master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats...   (Associated Press)
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More on Roach and his circles
Wikipedia

Columbia's radio station plays tribute to Roach all week
WKCR

 
obituary • death • jazz • Max Roach • percussion • drums • musician

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