Matana Roberts
Encyclopedia
Matana Roberts is a jazz
saxophonist
, composer and improviser based in New York City
. She is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM). The Jazz Journalists Association
selected Roberts as a finalist nominee for the 2008 "Up and Coming Musician of the Year" award (which Lionel Loueke
ultimately won).
Born in Chicago
, Illinois
, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side
and studied classical
clarinet
during her youth. She formed a trio, Sticks and Stones, with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor, with whom she regularly performed at the Velvet Lounge
. In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially busking
in subways and publishing a zine
, Fat Ragged, about her experiences.
Roberts is the composer of Coin Coin, a musical work-in-progress exploring themes of history, memory and ancestry. Roberts performed at the London Jazz Festival
in 2007. In 2008, Central Control released Roberts' The Chicago Project. The album, produced by Vijay Iyer
, includes performances by members of Prefuse 73 and Tortoise
along with AACM saxophonist Fred Anderson
.
In January 2010, Roberts was the guest curator at The Stone.
With Sticks and Stones -
As collaborator/side woman-
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, composer and improviser based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
(AACM). The Jazz Journalists Association
Jazz Journalists Association
The Jazz Journalists Association is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2011, it has approximately 500 members, primarily in North America but also on other continents...
selected Roberts as a finalist nominee for the 2008 "Up and Coming Musician of the Year" award (which Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke is a guitarist born in the west African country of Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art. He attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, France from 1994-1998...
ultimately won).
Born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
and studied classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
during her youth. She formed a trio, Sticks and Stones, with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor, with whom she regularly performed at the Velvet Lounge
Velvet Lounge
Located on Chicago's South Side, the Velvet Lounge is one of the city's longest-running jazz clubs. Hundreds of established modern jazz musicians have played in the club, leading to its reputation as "dusty epicenter of Midwest's free form jazz scene....
. In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
in subways and publishing a zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
, Fat Ragged, about her experiences.
Roberts is the composer of Coin Coin, a musical work-in-progress exploring themes of history, memory and ancestry. Roberts performed at the London Jazz Festival
London Jazz Festival
The London Jazz Festival is a London-wide music festival held every November. It takes place in a variety of London venues, including larger concert halls—such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall—and smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex...
in 2007. In 2008, Central Control released Roberts' The Chicago Project. The album, produced by Vijay Iyer
Vijay Iyer
Vijay Iyer is a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer based in New York City.-Biography:Born in 1971 and raised in Rochester, New York, Vijay Iyer is the son of Indian Tamil immigrants to the US. He received 15 years of Western classical training on violin...
, includes performances by members of Prefuse 73 and Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
along with AACM saxophonist Fred Anderson
Fred Anderson (musician)
Fred Anderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. With a distinctive forward-bent playing posture, Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop idioms, but also incorporated innovations from free jazz, rendering him, as critics Ron Wynn and...
.
In January 2010, Roberts was the guest curator at The Stone.
Discography
Solo/ as band leader -- Lines for Lacy (2006, self-release)
- The Calling (2007, Utech Records)
- The Chicago Project (2008, Central Control)
- Live in London (2011, Central Control)
- COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libresCOIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libresCOIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres is an album by jazz Saxophonist Matana Roberts, the first of her 12-chapter Coin Coin project...
(2011, Constellation RecordsConstellation RecordsConstellation Records is an influential Montreal, Quebec independent record label known for its contributions to experimental genres of music. It is most famous for releasing the albums of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, and Do Make Say...
)
With Sticks and Stones -
- Sticks and Stones (482 Music)
- Shed Grace (2006, Thrill Jockey)
As collaborator/side woman-
- Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Kollaps TradixionalesKollaps TradixionalesKollaps Tradixionales is the sixth full-length album by the Canadian post-rock group, Thee Silver Mt. Zion under the name Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra. The album was released in February 2010 on Constellation Records. The songs "I Built Myself a Metal Bird," "I Fed My Metal Bird the...
(Constellation Records) - Alexandre Pierrepont - Mike Ladd, Haunted House (Rogue Arts)
- Matt Bauder’s Paper Gardens (482 Music)
- Burnt SugarBurnt SugarBurnt Sugar, also known as Burnt Sugar, The Arkestra Chamber, is an American improvisational band. The band's music combines the influences of funk, jazz, rock, reggae, soul, hip hop, heavy metal, and 20th century classical music. It has been described by one critic as a...
, Making Love to the Dark Ages (TG) - Burnt Sugar, Chopped and Screwed (TG)
- Burnt Sugar, Burnt Sugar vs the Dominata (TG)
- Burnt Sugar, Making Love to the Dark Ages (TG)
- TV on the RadioTV on the RadioTV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
, Dear ScienceDear ScienceDear Science is the third album by American art rock band TV on the Radio. It was released via Interscope Records in the United States, Touch and Go Records on iTunes and was licensed through 4AD in Europe and all remaining territories. Despite the marketed release date of September 22–23, the...
(Interscope) - Burnt Sugar, Live from Minagle Falls (TG)
- Savath and Savalas, Golden Pollen (Dig records)
- Burnt Sugar, More Than Posthuman (TG)
- Matana Roberts/Savion Glover/reg e gaines, If 'Trane was (SG self release)
- Burnt Sugar, Not April In Paris (TG)
- Burnt Sugar, If You Can’t Baffle Them (TG)
- Ayelet Gottlieb, Internal/External (Genivieve records)
- Various artists, Juncture (Pi Records)
- Burnt Sugar, Black Sex and Liberation (TG)
- Ras Moshe and the Music Now Society, Schematic (Jump Arts)
- Godspeed You! Black EmperorGodspeed You! Black EmperorGodspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
, Yanqui U.X.O.Yanqui U.X.O.U.X.O. is the third studio album by the Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was produced and recorded by musician Steve Albini at the Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois in late 2001...
(Constellation Records) - Guillermo E. Brown, Handheld (Melanine Harmonique)