The people who really got me off were dealing with the musical potential of the Instrument.

Max Roach was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery Bronx NY. Although Roach's birth certificate lists his date of birth as January 10 1924 Roach has been quoted by Phil Schaap as having stated that his family believed he was born on January 8 1925. Honors
He was given a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 1988 cited as a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France (1989) twice awarded the French Grand Prix du Disque elected to the International Percussive Art Society's Hall of Fame and the Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame awarded Harvard Jazz Master celebrated by Aaron Davis Hall given eight honorary doctorate degrees including degrees awarded by Medgar Evers College CUNY the University of Bologna Italy and Columbia University.

Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach (January 10 1924 – August 16 2007) was an American jazz percussionist drummer and composer. He worked with many famous jazz musicians including Coleman Hawkins Dizzy Gillespie Charlie Parker Miles Davis Duke Ellington Thelonious Monk Charles Mingus Billy Eckstine Stan Getz Sonny Rollins Clifford Brown Eric Dolphy and Booker Little.