The revolutionary jazz drummer Max Roach has died in his sleep in New York aged 83.
Famed for playing with luminaries like Miles Davis, Dizzie Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Roach is credited with co-creating the fast-paced bebop style with Kenny Clarke, a style that has since been emulated by thousands of musicians.
Indeed, before bebop, jazz was mainly swing music where the drummer's function was merely to keep the beat consistent. Roach and his contemporaries opened-up a new take on the definition of jazz, developing a style that allowed the drummer to be increasingly expressive by keeping time using the cymbals.
The self-trained star can be heard on a variety of classic recordings, perhaps most famously on Miles Davis's 'The Birth Of The Cool' sessions long-player.
Furthermore, Roach was renowned for his strong politics, having campaigned against racism in music for years, even when doing so prevented him from recording for certain labels who were nervous about his outspoken beliefs.