The Max Roach collection includes over 99,000 items….
The collection includes music manuscripts, writings, correspondence, business papers, photographs, programs, sound recordings, and other materials related to his career. It also contains a variety of materials pertaining to vocalist Abbey Lincoln and countless other jazz artists, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and Charlie Parker.
The collection is not only a comprehensive representation of Roach's music and performing career, but also a dynamic portrayal of the personalities and cultural forces behind jazz in the United States and abroad in the latter half of the twentieth century.
A paycheck from 1956 fro the Apollo Theater. Got to pay the band!
Max Roach’s contract rider refusing to perform in front of segregated audiences.
Take a tour of the Max Roach archives. This is a meeting between Max Roach and Malcolm X.
Listen to archivist, Chris Hartten, talk about the original score of Max Roach’s acclaimed, Freedom Now Suite.
The Death of Brownie
Clifford Brown was a recognized virtuoso and prodigy. When Brownie died, a part of Max died with him or so he thought. Brownie was a friend, protege and part of what Max believed was his dream band. The excerpt below is from an unpublished manuscript from Max Roach with Amiri Baraka now at the Library of Congress.
This historical document is a booklet featuring an interview with Abbey Lincoln regarding human rights. It is a snapshot of the civil rights movement. Lincoln was not only Roach’s wife and bandmate but also a renowned vocalist in her own right.
One of Roach’s dearest friends, a young Maya Angelou dancing.
A letter from Maya Angelou to Max Roach
All material courtesy of Max Roach Collection/ Library of Congress
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