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Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

(Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro, 2023) 

Preceded by Max Roach Live (Kit Fitzgerald, 1985)

A Black man wearing a pattered jacket and bow tie sits at a drum set, his right hand is in motion.

In conjunction with our Max Roach 100 performance, we’re excited to present this lively documentary on the legendary musician’s radical life and career.

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes is the story of a trailblazing musician who used his talents as a percussionist, pianist, and composer to challenge the status quo and inspire social change. Roach's stunningly diverse seven-decade career marked him as one of the towering figures of jazz—and a pioneering cultural activist—at a time when the nation was steeped in racism. His innovative collaborations with artists including Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis chart the history of the art form. 

The film follows Roach across a rich and complicated life, days of now-legendary achievement as well as deep personal struggle, and the price he paid for his outspoken views. His was an epic musical journey: from the revolutionary jazz of the 1940s to the Civil Rights years to experiments in hip-hop, multimedia works, and beyond. Past Wex guest Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, The League) codirects interviews with notable figures, including Harry Belafonte, Questlove, and Sonny Rollins to reveal Roach’s life, career, legacy, and enduring influence. (82 mins., DCP)

Max Roach Live is a short film by video artist Kit Fitzgerald with footage from her decades-long collaboration with Roach, highlighting Roach's influence across artistic disciplines. (8 mins., digital video)

IMAGE CAPTION
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, courtesy of The Film Collaborative.

FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY 
National Endowment for the Arts 
Ohio Humanities

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY 
Rohauer Collection Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY 
Greater Columbus Arts Council
 
The Wexner Family 
Institute of Museum and Library Services
 
Mellon Foundation 
Every Page Foundation 
Ohio Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts 
CampusParc 
Nationwide Foundation 
Lois S. and H. Roy Chope Fund of The Columbus Foundation
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme 
The Columbus Foundation 
Axium Packaging

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY 
Ohio State Energy Partners 
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection 
David Crane and Elizabeth Dang 
Melissa Gilliam and William Grobman 
Rebecca Perry Damsen and Ben Towle

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Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes