Laroy Roosevelt (Wallace ) McMillan, born 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri From an early age McMillan had an interest in drums he started playing relatively young age 8 or 9 years old playing congas and bongos which were his first instruments. He took part in talent shows led by a popular master of ceremonies in his home town, there he became strongly attracted to the latin jazz sounds of Mongo Santamaria and Cal Tjader, influenced by these latin sounds he decided to take up the flute and studied with a member of the St. Louis Symphony. After being discharged from the Navy in 1967 where he had the opportunity to hone his musical skills he returned to St . Louis but then decided to move to Chicago around the end of that year or early 68. His first encounters with the AACM came in 1968 at the 63rd street Beachhouse summer concert series that the AACM presented, he became a member of the organization shortly thereafter. McMillan has performed with Muhal Richard Abrams Sextet the first AACM group to play the Berlin Jazz festival in 1973, Adegoke Colson/Iqua Colson´s group Unity Troupe , Douglas Ewart´s Inventions and he has been a consistant mainstay in many latin groups in Chicago both as saxophonist and percussionist.

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