Joe Roland
American musician (1920-2009)
Joe Roland (May 17, 1920 – October 12, 2009) was an American jazz vibraphonist.
Roland began as a clarinetist, attending the Institute of Musical Art (later known as the Juilliard School) from 1937 to 1939. He started on xylophone in 1940 and began playing vibraphone in the middle of the decade, playing in jazz clubs in New York City. Influenced by the nascent bebop movement, Roland put together his own ensembles late in the decade, and in the 1950s he played with Oscar Pettiford (1951), George Shearing (1951–1953), Howard McGhee, and Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five (1953–1954), Freddie Redd (1955), Mat Mathews (1956), and Aaron Sachs (1956).
Roland recorded occasionally as a leader; he released on Rainbow in 1949, on Savoy (1950, 1954), Seeco (1953–1954), and Bethlehem (1955).
In the early sixties, Roland relocated from New York to Miami, Florida. He was an influential part of a thriving jazz scene in South Florida for many years. During his 13-year "gig" at Monty Trainer's Bayshore Restaurant in Coconut Grove, he was credited for having trained many young musicians from the University of Miami. He worked steadfastly throughout his life in local clubs accompanied by bassists such as Lew Berryman and Mark Trail, and singers like Sandy Patton. He died of natural causes at the age of 89 in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The public source identifies “Joe Roland” as american musician (1920-2009). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Roland, American and musician.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Joe Roland”, the useful work is to connect “american musician (1920-2009)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 15, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1691572. VIAF identifies the subject as 34648860. The Library of Congress control number is no98042461. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1920, 2009, 1937 and 1939.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Joe Roland”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Joe Roland primary sources, Joe Roland archive and Roland research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Joe Roland”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Joe Roland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.