Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

82 Minutes, 2023, Directed by Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro

MAX ROACH: THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES is the story of a musician whose far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him. His stunningly diverse seven-decade career marked him as one of the great musical artists of the 20th century—and a pioneering cultural activist—at times when the nation was steeped in racism.

The film follows Roach across a rich and complicated life, days of now-legendary achievement and also 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; through experiments in hip hop, multi-media works, and beyond.

FEATURING MAX ROACH, SONNY ROLLINS, QUINCY JONES, AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON, ABBEY LINCOLN, HARRY BELAFONTE, ABDULLAH IBRAHIM, SONIA SANCHEZ, RANDY WESTON, JIMMY HEATH