Matana Roberts | Artist

Matana Roberts is an American sound experimentalist, visual artist, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, composer and improviser born 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, and now based in New York City. During her youth she studied classical clarinet, and later formed a trio, Sticks and Stones, with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor. In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially busking in subways and publishing a zine "Fat Ragged", about her experiences. She was part of the NYC based jazz-fusion collective Burnt Sugar which also featured Vijay Iyer on piano. That group released several albums but remained relatively unknown. Roberts' solo career gained attention with the release of her 2008 album The Chicago Project, which was produced by Vijay Iyer, and includes performances by members of Prefuse 73 and Tortoise. In 2011 Roberts released the first part of her ambitious multi-stage project "Coin Coin" which is a commentary on black American slavery, fusing spoken words, vocalisation, and free jazz. Roberts describes her music as “panoramic sound quilting.” The four parts released to-date are Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres (2011), Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (2013), Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (2015) and Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (2019). The "Chapter One" release, which was recorded live, attracted critical accolades and many glowing reviews, including comparisons with the work of jazz legends Charles Mingus and Albert Ayler. Her most recent release "Chapter Four" is also highly recommended.

Artist Website: matanaroberts.com

Featured Albums: Matana Roberts

Related Artists: Burnt Sugar, Vijay Iyer, Josh Abrams