Max Roach (1924 - 2007)

One of the great innovators of jazz, Max Roach, died today. Roach's contributions to the music are too numerous to name, but what I always loved about his playing was that he approached the drum set as a singular instrument, not a collection of individual rhythmic devices. He didn't just keep time, he made the drums speak. To me, Roach was responsible for giving the drums an interactive voice in jazz performance, and for that, modern drumming owes this man an unfathomable debt.