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AMERICAN MASTERS: Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

Max Roach, Three Deuces, NYC, ca. October 1947.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb, public domain
Max Roach, Three Deuces, NYC, ca. October 1947.

Encore Monday, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with the PBS App

Explore the extraordinary life and musical career of the legendary drummer, composer and social activist. The film follows Max Roach's career and personal struggles and triumphs, across a series of masterful musical innovations and artistic reinventions.

AMERICAN MASTERS: Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes: Preview

His creativity and unshakable sense of mission kept him at the forefront of music and activism across seven decades—from the era of the Jim Crow south, to the Civil Rights years... from the heady days of post-war modern jazz, to the hip hop-era and beyond.

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Watch On Your Schedule:

"Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes" will be available to stream: video.kpbs.org/show/american-masters and pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS App.

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AMERICAN MASTERS: Documenting the legacy of drummer Max Roach

AMERICAN MASTERS shares the stories of political “Thought Leaders” with seven new documentaries on PBS:

As the U.S. enters a new election cycle, examine the lives and legacies of political changemakers Floyd Abrams, Bella Abzug, Jerry Brown, Max Roach, William F. Buckley Jr., Cesar Chavez and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Political discourse in the United States is shaped by audacious ideas of what a society should be. But who are the influencers and disruptors of American political thought that have paved the way for the systems that we currently have—and those still to come? Beginning in September 2023, AMERICAN MASTERS seeks to answer this question with Thought Leadersa collection of documentaries spotlighting key figures in American politics, law and music.

Films under the Thought Leaders banner include "Bella! This Woman’s Place is in the House", "Jerry Brown: The Disrupter," "Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely", "A Song for Cesar", "Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes", "Buckley" (w.t.) and "Moynihan."

Credits: A production of Max Roach Film LLC in association with American Masters Pictures and Black Public Media with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro are directors and producers.