Max Roach is dead.

The greatest drummer of our time, dead at 83. He found ways to use percussion that people simply hadn’t seen before. Roach made it more than the rhythm section, he turned percussion into as much a lead instrument as anything else.

From the innovation of M’Boom his all percussion group to the early work with Fab Five Freddy when no one else would work with rappers (Roach saw an endless depth to the concept), Roach was, simply put, a musical genius.

He knew more about a drum kit than anyone else in the room, always. He taught music for a while, he explored and never stopped playing.

He was an innovator. He was a great musician. A father. A man.

An inspiration. Certainly one of mine.