Roger Blank

Roger Blank(born December 19, 1938, New York City) is an Americanjazzdrummer.

Blank's grandfather played saxophone and his fatherWilliam Blankwas a trumpeter who had performed withCootie Williams.Blank worked withHank Mobleyin Harlem for several years and studied underCharlie Persip.He worked withSun Rastarting in 1964 and recorded several times with him. He worked extensively on the New York jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s; he played with and was influenced byOrnette Coleman,and helped found a group called the Melodic Art-Tet in 1971 which was devoted to playing in Coleman'sharmolodicstyle. This group also includedCharles Brackeen,Ahmed Abdullah,William Parker,andRonnie Boykins.Other associations included work withBill Barron,Don Cherry,John Coltrane,Dennis Charles,Walt Dickerson,Kenny Dorham,Frank Foster,Charles Greenlee,John Hicks,Ken McIntyre,Pharoah Sanders,Archie Shepp,andCharles Tolliver.Blank appeared on the piece "Hambone" with Shepp on the 1965 live albumThe New Wave in Jazz.He relocated to Atlanta in the 1980s and led an ensemble there, but moved back to New York in the 1990s, where he lived in theWilliamsburgneighborhood.

His daughterRadha Blankis a filmmaker, writer, and actress, known for theSundance-winning filmThe 40-Year-Old Version.

Discography

As sideman

WithAlbert Ayler

• Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70)(Revenant, 2004) one track

WithEarl Cross

• Jazz of the Seventies: Sam Rivers Tuba Trio & Earl Cross Sextet(Circle, 1977)

WithWalt Dickerson

• Impressions of a Patch of Blue(MGM, 1966)

WithFrank Foster

• Shiny Stockings(Denon, 1977)

WithAndrew Hill

• Nefertiti(East Wind, 1976)

WithLeroy Jenkinsand theJazz Composer's Orchestra

• For Players Only(JCOA, 1975)

WithClifford Jordan

• The Complete Clifford Jordan Strata-East Sessions(Mosaic, 2017)

WithJimmy Lyons

• Push Pull(Hathut, 1979)

With The Melodic Art-Tet(withCharles Brackeen,Ahmed Abdullah,William Parker,and Ramadan Mumeen)

• Melodic Art–Tet(NoBusiness, 2013)

WithSam Rivers

• Crystals(Impulse!, 1974)

WithPharoah Sanders

• Tauhid(Impulse!, 1967)
• Priceless Jazz Collection(compilation) (GRP, 1997)
• Anthology: You’ve Got to Have Freedom(compilation) (Soul Brother, 2005)
• The Impulse Story(compilation) (Impulse!, 2006)

WithArchie Shepp

• The New Wave in Jazz(Impulse!, 1965) one track

WithSun Ra

• Other Planes of There(Saturn, 1966)
• The Magic City(Saturn, 1966)
• The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume Two(Saturn, 1966)
• Nothing Is(ESP-Disk, 1970)
• Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 3 (The Lost Tapes)(ESP-Disk, 2005)
• The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vols. 1-3(compilation) (ESP-Disk, 2010)
• Heliocentric Worlds 1 & 2 Revisited(compilation) (Ezz-thetics, 2020)