Matana Roberts (born 1975) is an American sound experimentalist, visual artist,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

and

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

ist, composer and improviser based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. They have previously been an active member of the

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devote ...

(AACM). The works in their multichapter ''Coin Coin'' project have received wide acclaim: '' Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres'' was named in multiple ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' 2011 Critics’ Lists; '' Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile'' was called "stunning" by both the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'' and ''

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''; and ''Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee'' was named among ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

s Best Avant Albums of 2015. '' Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis'' has garnered their greatest accolades, and was included in '' Pitchfork's'' Best Experimental Albums, Bandcamp's Best Jazz Albums, and the top ten of the

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

Jazz Critics Poll in 2019.

Anthony Fantano Anthony Fantano ( ; born October 28, 1985) is an American music critic and YouTuber who runs the YouTube channel The Needle Drop and its tie-in website. He discusses and reviews music from a variety of genres in his YouTube videos and on his we ...

of ''The Needle Drop'' called the album "one of the decade's most compelling jazz projects". The annual ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' Critics Poll has named Roberts Rising Star in both the alto saxophone and clarinet categories. Roberts received a Doris Duke Impact Award in 2014 and a Doris Duke Artist Award in 2016.

Early life and career

Born in 1975 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side and studied classical

during their youth. They formed a trio, Sticks and Stones, with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor, with whom they regularly performed at the

Velvet Lounge The Velvet Lounge was a nightclub in the South Loop of Chicago. It started as a jazz club and was called the "dusty epicenter of the Midwest's free form jazz scene." It was located at 2128 1/2 S. Indiana Avenue before moving to 67 E. Cermak when th ...

. In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

in subways and publishing a

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

, ''Fat Ragged'', about their experiences. Roberts is the composer of ''Coin Coin'', a multichapter musical work-in-progress exploring themes of history, memory and ancestry. Roberts performed at the

London Jazz Festival The London Jazz Festival is a music festival held every November. It takes place in London venues such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall and in smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and the Vortex Jazz Club. It is produced by Ser ...

in 2007. In 2008, Central Control released Roberts' ''The Chicago Project''. The album, produced by

Vijay Iyer Vijay Iyer (born October 26, 1971) is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, histori ...

, includes performances by members of

Prefuse 73 Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups Sa ...

and

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

along with AACM saxophonist Fred Anderson. They have previously been a member of the

(AACM). In January 2010, Roberts was the guest curator at The Stone. Roberts was chosen by

Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Ma ...

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

to perform at the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

festival that he curated in March 2012 in Minehead, England. Roberts held a residency at the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

in the summer of 2015, during which they produced a series of research-based sound works entitled ''i call america.'' The following summer, they had a solo show at the Fridman Gallery entitled ''I Call America II'' that was presented as an expanded version of the Whitney exhibition.

Awards

*2006: Van Lier Fellowship *2008: The

Jazz Journalists Association The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2016, it has approximately 250 members, including professional journalists, students, ind ...

"Up and Coming Musician of the Year" nominee *2013:

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award * 2014: Doris Duke Impact Award * 2016: Doris Duke Artist Award * 2017: ''

'' Critics Poll, Rising Star Alto Saxophone * 2018: ''DownBeat'' Critics Poll, Rising Star Clarinet

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 A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

, 2011) * '' Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile ''(Constellation, 2013) * '' Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee'' (Constellation, 2015), solo * ''Always'' (

Relative Pitch Relative pitch is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note by comparing it to a reference note and identifying the interval between those two notes. For example, if the note ''Do'' and ''Fa'' is played on a piano, a per ...

, 2015), solo * '' Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis'' (Constellation, 2019)

As collaborator / side musician

* Sticks and Stones'' (482 Music, 2002) * Sticks and Stones, ''Shed Grace'' (Thrill Jockey, 2004) *

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

Jazz Ensemble, Bob Lark, ''Shade Street'' (Blue Birdland, 1999) *

Ras Moshe Theodore Burnett III (born March 22, 1968, Brooklyn, New York), who performs under the name Ras Burnett, is a composer, multi-instrumentalist specializing in saxophone and flute, musicologist and educator. Ras comes from a musical family. His pate ...

and the Music Now Society, ''Schematic'' (Jump Arts, 2002) * Ayelet Gottlieb, ''InTernal/ExTernal'' (Genivieve, 2004) *

Matt Bauder Matt Bauder (born 1976) is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He is the bandleader of the jazz trio Hearing Things, the jazz quintet Day in Pictures, and the modern doo-wop group White Blue Yellow & Clouds. He is a member of t ...

, ''Paper Gardens'' (rec. 2006; 482 Music, 2010) *

Guillermo E. Brown Guillermo E. Brown (aka Pegasus Warning) is a multi-disciplinary performer whose works include ''Soul at the Hands of the Machine'', ''The Beat Kids' Open Rhythm System and Sound Magazine'', ''Black Dreams 1.0,'' ''...Is Arturo Klauft'', ''Hande ...

, ''Handeheld'' (Melanine Harmonique, 2008) * Exploding Star Orchestra featuring

Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...

(/ Rob Mazurek), ''Matter Anti-Matter'' (Rogueart, 2013) * Matana Roberts,

Sam Shalabi Shalabi Effect is a mostly instrumental band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band was originally formed in 1996 as a duo composed of Anthony Seck and Sam Shalabi. Shalabi is an Egyptian-Canadian musician who is also the founder of Swamp Circu ...

, Nicolas Caloia, ''Feldspar'' (Tour de Bras, 2014) * Matana Roberts /

Savion Glover Savion Glover (born November 19, 1973) is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. Early life The youngest of three sons, Glover was born to a white father, who left the family before he was born, and a black mother. Glover's great grand ...

/ Reg E. Gaines, ''If 'Trane Was'' (SG self release)? * Matana Roberts / Pat Thomas, ''The Truth'' ( Otoroku, 2020)

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

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located i ...

, ''

Yanqui U.X.O. '' U.X.O.'' is the third studio album by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, released on November 4, 2002 by Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago in late 20 ...

'' (Constellation, 2002), on "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls" * Various artists, ''Juncture'' ( Pi, 2004), with

: "Imperium (Peace Prize/War Crimes)" * Daniel Givens, ''Dayclear & First Dark'' (Aesthetics, 2005), on "Rolling Blackout" *

Savath and Savalas Guillermo Scott Herren is an American producer who has been based in Atlanta, Barcelona and New York City. Herren releases music under the aliases Prefuse 73, Delarosa & Asora, Ahmad Szabo, and Piano Overlord, and is also part of the groups Sa ...

, ''Golden Pollen'' (

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

, 2007), on "Te amo...¿Por que me odias?" *

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and Jale ...

, ''

Dear Science ''Dear Science'' is the third studio album by the band TV on the Radio. It was released on September 16, 2008, digitally through Touch and Go Records, with the physical release coming a week later through Interscope Records and DGC Records in Nort ...

'' (4AD/

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Musi ...

, 2008), on "Lover's Day" * Alexandre Pierrepont /

Mike Ladd Mike Ladd is an American hip hop musician from Boston, Massachusetts. He is based in Paris, France. ''The Guardian'' described him as "the king of the hip-hop concept." Early life Mike Ladd was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child, he live ...

, ''Maison Hantée'' (

RogueArt RogueArt (also written Rogueart and Rogue Art) is a French independent record label based in Paris. It was founded by record producer Michel Dorbon in 2005 and specialises in jazz and improvised music. History RogueArt was founded by record p ...

, 2008), on "Chamber 72" *

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra was a Canadian post-rock band that formed in 1999, originating from Montreal, Quebec. Variations of the name used on the band's releases include A Silver Mt. Zion, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & ...

, '' Kollaps Tradixionales'' (Constellation, 2010), on "There Is a Light" *

Deerhoof Deerhoof are an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. They currently consist of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noi ...

, ''

Mountain Moves ''Mountain Moves'' is the fourteenth studio album by Deerhoof. It was released on September 8, 2017 through Joyful Noise Recordings, Joyful Noise. Production and release Deerhoof announced ''Mountain Moves'' in June 2017. The album was produce ...

'' ( Joyful Noise, 2017), on "Mountain Moves" * Krononaut, ''Krononaut'' (Glitterbeat, 2020), on "Wealth of Nations," "Examen," and "Convocation"

References

External links

*
Interview with Christopher Stackhouse in Bomb Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Matana 1975 births Living people African-American women composers African-American jazz composers American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians American women jazz musicians American jazz alto saxophonists American women composers Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Chicago Musicians from New York City 21st-century American composers 21st-century American saxophonists Women jazz saxophonists 21st-century American women musicians Constellation Records (Canada) artists RogueArt artists 21st-century women composers 21st-century jazz composers African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women