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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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

and

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist, composer and improviser based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. They have previously been a member of the

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

(AACM), and a member of the B.R.C. Black Rock Coalition. 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'' was an American print 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 ...

'' 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 newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' and ''

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

''; 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

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 Nicholas Fantano ( ; born October 28, 1985) is an American Music journalism, music critic and internet personality who runs ''The Needle Drop'', a YouTube channel with a tie-in website and Twitch (service), Twitch streaming channel. Self ...

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

DownBeat ''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 that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' 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 Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Roberts was raised partly 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 t ...

. In 2002, Roberts moved to New York, initially

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuity, 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 performa ...

in subways and publishing a

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

, ''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 Se ...

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

Vijay Iyer Vijay Iyer (; born Vijay Raghunathan, October 26, 1971) is a composer, pianist, bandleader, producer, writer, and professor based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builde ...

, 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 S ...

and

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

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 Jeffrey Nye 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 Comp ...

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

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 as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

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 a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

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), founded in 1987, 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 journa ...

"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, 2006) * '' 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 first constellati ...

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

Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as ''O ...

'' (

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 notes ''Do'' and ''Fa'' are played on a piano, a ...

, 2015), solo * '' Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis'' (Constellation, 2019) * '' Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden'' (Constellation, 2023)

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, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

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 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 figure ...

(/ 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 Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...

'' (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 The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial cri ...

'' ( 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 collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...

, '' Yanqui U.X.O.'' (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, ''Golden Pollen'' (

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...

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

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

, ''

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 Nor ...

'' (4AD/

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, 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 ...

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

Mike Ladd Mike Ladd is an American alternative hip-hop artist. Based in Paris, France, ''The Guardian'' once described him as "the king of the hip-hop concept." Early life Mike Ladd was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child, he lived in India and Zimb ...

, ''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 pr ...

, 2008), on "Chamber 72" * Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, '' Kollaps Tradixionales'' (Constellation, 2010), on "There Is a Light" *

Deerhoof Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994. It consists of founding drummer Greg Saunier, bassist and singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band ...

, '' Mountain Moves'' ( 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 jazz composers American jazz alto saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from Chicago Musicians from New York City 21st-century American saxophonists Constellation Records (Canada) artists RogueArt artists 21st-century American jazz composers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians