When Max Roach released We Insist! Freedom Now Suite: Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite in 1961, he was not merely making a jazz record, he was raising a fist. A searing blend of avant-garde jazz, piercing vocals, and unapologetic protest, it marked a turning point for music as a vehicle of civil rights activism. More than six decades later, its message echoes louder than ever.

To honor Roach’s centennial, Grammy-winning drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington has joined forces with rising vocal powerhouse Christie Dashiell to breathe new life into We Insist!, reimagining the suite for today’s struggle while staying rooted in its revolutionary spirit. Produced by Carrington and released on Candid Records, the home of Roach's original, We Insist 2025! pushes the conversation even further.

Carrington, long a torchbearer for jazz’s social conscience, brings together a new generation of artists she’s championed: Morgan Guerin, Milena Casado, Simon Moullier, Matthew Stevens, Devon Gates, and master percussionist Weedie Braimah. Dashiell steps into the formidable role once held by Abbey Lincoln, delivering vocals that honor the original’s raw emotion while forging her own path.

In a poignant full-circle moment, original We Insist! trombonist Julian Priester, now the last living member of the 1961 lineup, makes a special appearance, anchoring the project in living history.

Musically, We Insist 2025! expands Roach’s vision, weaving in threads from across the African Diaspora: gospel’s uplift, soul’s grit, Afro-Latin polyrhythms, West African traditions, funk, blues, and of course, the restless pulse of jazz itself. What remains unchanged is the urgency, rather the insistence, that this music is not background noise. It is a demand.