10-07-2023 1:59am

From directors, SAM POLLARD and BEN SHAPIRO 'Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes'

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

'Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes'

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes premiered on Friday, October 6 at 9 p.m. on PBS. The documentary showcases the life, career, and music of Max Roach, a pioneer of bebop and a virtuoso percussionist. Roach's aspirations were fueled by the societal injustices he faced. His music was influenced by his political consciousness, which he expressed through his groundbreaking works like "We Insist: Freedom Now Suite." He was a fierce advocate for change at a time when the United States was steeped in racism.

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes takes the viewers on a journey through the life and music of the drummer, composer, bandleader, and social activist. He had a remarkable career that was marked by numerous creative peaks, personal struggles, and reinventions. The documentary covers his life from the Jim Crow era to the Civil Rights movement and beyond, when he experimented with Hip Hop and multi-media works.

The film uses previously unseen footage shot by Sam Pollard in the 1980s-90s, including interviews, performances in the studio, and intimate scenes of Roach's life. It also includes nearly ten hours of audio interviews of Max Roach recalling his entire life story, gathered by Ben Shapiro. The film also features nearly 60 years of Max Roach's personal archives, including photographs, home movies, posters, recordings, and correspondence with people such as Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, and hip hop pioneer Fab Five Freddy.

Co-Director Sam Pollard stated that Max Roach was not only a musical trailblazer on the bandstand and in the recording studio but also on the front lines of the struggle during the Civil Rights Movement. He also added that his time spent with Roach in the late 1980s was a defining moment for him as a filmmaker and as an African-American man who loved and admired this legendary drummer, composer, and activist.

Co-director Ben Shapiro is a documentary maker working in film, radio, and podcasts whose projects have received numerous awards, including Emmys and two Peabodys. His documentary "Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters" premiered at South by Southwest, followed by international theatrical release and broadcast.

For more information, please visit www.maxroachfilm.com.

By Anita Johnson-Brown

Photo courtesy of PBS-American

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