News / Music
Jazz Innovator Max Roach Dies at 83
Max Roach, the man widely regarded as redefining jazz percussion and ushering in the bebop jazz sound, has passed away. He was 83.
From an early age Roach was surrounded by the legends of jazz. In 1940 at the age of 16 Roach was playing drums in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. By 1942 Roach was becoming a recognized name among jazz luminaries and he found himself playing with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Roach taught himself how to manage a full scale of beats while incorporating different sounds from his cymbals, tom-toms and bass drum. It was his unique blend of sounds that took percussion from a background sound to a lead role in the bebop movement.
Roach had been suffering from a long illness and passed away on Thursday.
