Nostalgia in Grand Place : Max Roach • Tribute

If the jazz drum set is what it is today, it is largely thanks to Max Roach. After spending time with the orchestra of Duke Ellington, he became, alongside Kenny Clarke, one of the great pioneers of bebop drumming. Together, they transformed the role of the instrument: from a simple timekeeper, the drums became a central voice in the band, a true driving force behind the creative energy of bebop.

Over the years, Max Roach took part in an extraordinary number of historic recordings with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell. In the 1950s, he also co-founded one of the first emblematic hard bop groups with trumpeter Clifford Brown.

After the tragic death of Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell in a car accident in 1956, Roach continued a monumental career that lasted well into the early 21st century. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 83, leaving an immense legacy in the history of jazz.

This afternoon, as part of our Nostalgia in Grand Place series, the young Brazilian drummer Gabriel Moraes, a rising phenomenon of the instrument widely praised by his peers, will pay tribute to this major figure of jazz.