As a founder of bebop, the inventive bandleader made percussion a star player, melodically driving rhythms disturbed by loud bass-drum beats, sudden silences and erratic riffing. Roach, who anchored seminal recordings by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, later composed for theater, tried hip-hop and formed an acclaimed all-percussion band.
His final year as Russia's President has been his most successful yet. At home, he secured his political future. Abroad, he expanded his outsizeif not always benigninfluence on global affairs