Matana Roberts

Matana Roberts (born 1975)[1] is an American sound experimentalist, visual artist, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, composer and improviser based in New York City.[2] She has previously been an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).[3][4] The Jazz Journalists Association selected Roberts as a finalist nominee for the 2008 "Up and Coming Musician of the Year" award.[5]

Matana Roberts
Roberts at All Tomorrow's Parties
April 2007
Background information
Born1975 (age 44–45)
OriginChicago, Illinois, United States
GenresJazz, experimental
InstrumentsSaxophone
Associated actsSticks and Stones
Websitewww.matanaroberts.com
Roberts at Moers Festival 2010
Roberts, Aarhus, Denmark, 2015
Roberts, Aarhus, Denmark, 2015

Biography

Born in 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side and studied classical clarinet during her youth.[3] She formed a trio, Sticks and Stones, with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor, with whom she regularly performed at the Velvet Lounge.[6] In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially busking in subways and publishing a zine, Fat Ragged, about her experiences.[6]

Roberts is the composer of Coin Coin, a multichapter musical work-in-progress exploring themes of history, memory and ancestry.[7][8] Roberts performed at the London Jazz Festival in 2007.[9] In 2008, Central Control released Roberts' The Chicago Project.[10] The album, produced by Vijay Iyer, includes performances by members of Prefuse 73 and Tortoise along with AACM saxophonist Fred Anderson.[11]

She has previously been an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).[3]

In January 2010, Roberts was the guest curator at The Stone.[12] Roberts was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England.[13] Roberts held a residency at the Whitney Museum of American Art in the summer of 2015, during which she produced a series of research-based sound works entitled i call america.[14] The following summer, she had a solo show at the Fridman Gallery entitled I Call America II that was presented as an expanded version of the Whitney exhibition.[15]

Awards

Discography

Solo / as band leader
  • Lines for Lacy (self-release, 2006)
  • The Calling (Utech, 2007)
  • The Chicago Project (Central Control, 2008)
  • Live in London (Central Control, 2011)
  • Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres (Constellation, 2011)
  • Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (Constellation, 2013)
  • Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (Constellation, 2015),[17] solo
  • Always (Relative Pitch, 2015), solo
  • Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (Constellation, 2019)

As collaborator / side woman
  • Sticks and Stones (482 Music, 2002)
  • Sticks and Stones, Shed Grace (Thrill Jockey, 2004)
  • DePaul University Jazz Ensemble, Bob Lark, Shade Street (Blue Birdland, 1999)
  • Ras Moshe and the Music Now Society, Schematic (Jump Arts, 2002)
  • Ayelet Gottlieb, InTernal/ExTernal (Genivieve, 2004)
  • Matt Bauder, Paper Gardens (rec. 2006; 482 Music, 2010)
  • Guillermo E. Brown, Handeheld (Melanine Harmonique, 2008)
  • Exploding Star Orchestra featuring Roscoe Mitchell (/ Rob Mazurek), Matter Anti-Matter (Rogueart, 2013)
  • Matana Roberts, Sam Shalabi, Nicolas Caloia, Feldspar (Tour de Bras, 2014)
  • Matana Roberts / Savion Glover / Reg E. Gaines, If 'Trane Was (SG self release)?

With Burnt Sugar
  • Not April in Paris (Live from Banlieus Bleues) (TruGroid, 2004)
  • If You Can’t Dazzle Them with Your Brilliance, Then Baffle Them with Your Blisluth (TruGroid, 2005)
  • More Than Posthuman – Rise of the Mojosexual Cotillion (TruGroid, 2006)
  • Making Love to the Dark Ages (LiveWired, 2009)

As guest artist

References
  1. "Matana Roberts". FoundationForContemporaryArts.org. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  2. Johnson, Martin (2008-03-11). "Chicago's Avant-Garde Musicians". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  3. Lurie, Matthew (2005-04-04). "Relative Chords". Time Out Chicago. Chicago: Time Out Group Ltd. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  4. Morgan, Frances (2011-12-12). "Matana Roberts' Genealogy of Jazz". In These Times.
  5. "Finalist nominees for the 2008 Jazz Awards". Jazzhouse.org. Jazz Journalists Association. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  6. Shteamer, Hank (2006-11-30). "Roots Radical". Time Out New York. New York: Time Out Group Ltd. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
  7. "Coin Coin". Matana Roberts. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  8. Ryshpan, David (2007). "Matana Roberts' Coin Coin (Suoni)". Panpot.ca. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  9. Flynn, Mike (2008-01-14). "Matana Roberts". Time Out London. London: Time Out Group Ltd. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  10. Reynolds, Nick (2008-02-08). "Matana Roberts Chicago Project: Review". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  11. Allegro Media (2007-11-06). "Saxophone Maven Matana Roberts Releases the Chicago Project on Central Control International February 2008". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  12. Longley, Martin (January 2010). "The Stone" (PDF). All About Jazz - New York. New York: Allaboutjazz.com (93): 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  13. "ATP curated by Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) - All Tomorrow's Parties". Atpfestival.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  14. "Matana Roberts:i call america | Whitney Museum of American Art". whitney.org. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  15. "Fridman Gallery". Fridman Gallery. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  16. "Matana Roberts". Foundationforcontemporaryarts.org. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  17. Weingarten, Christopher R. 20 Best Avant Albums of 2015 Rolling Stone. December 30, 2015
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