Matana Roberts

Matana Roberts (* around 1978 in Chicago) is an American jazz musician (alto saxophone, clarinet, vocals), songwriter and composer of Modern Creative.

Life and work

Roberts grew up in Chicago's South Side and learned as a young classical clarinet playing. As a child, her father introduced her to the music of Sun Ra and Albert Ayler. She was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM ); Their mentors were among Von Freeman and Fred Anderson, in whose club she had first performances with her ​​trio Sticks and Stones, which she founded with bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor and with which they provided in 2002 by a first album.

In 2002 she moved to New York and worked the mid-2000s in Montreal in various experimental projects and groups such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor ( Yanqui UXO ) and A Silver Mt Zion (collapse Tradixionales ) with. They also worked with Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, Myra Melford, Jayne Cortez, Steve Lacy, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Grimes, Nicole Mitchell, Robert Barry, Joe Maneri, Miya Masaoka and Ralph Alessi and dance projects of Merce Cunningham and Savion Glover, with which was working on a tribute to John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. In 2007, she toured with her band from Josh Abrams ( bass), Jeff Parker ( guitar) and Frank Rosaly (drums) at the London Jazz Festival. 2008 her album The Chicago Project was born. On the Vijay Iyer album produced by playing with members of the post-rock bands Prefuse 73 and Tortoise as well as with Fred Anderson.

With their own multimedia project COIN COIN united them art, music and theater concepts to a representation of African American history, for which she explored the lives of seven generations of her family: " Coin Coin is a music which has become a tribute to the legendary Marie Thérèze Coincoin. She lived in southern Louisiana and was able to free himself from her in the 19th century Sklavinnendasein. For each chapter of Coin Coin Matana Roberts wrote their own music, which is interpreted by different bands. In the first chapter, entitled Gens de Couleur Libre to Matana Roberts expose with the female line of their ancestors and the music in French-speaking Louisiana. "

In 2008, she nominated the Jazz Journalists Association for the Up and Coming Musician of the Year Award. In early 2010, she worked as a curator at the New York club The Stone.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Sticks and Stones ( 481 Music, 2002)
• Shed Grace ( Thrill Jockey, 2003)
• The calling ( Utech, 2004)
• Lines for Lacy ( s / r, 2006)
• The Chicago Project ( Central Control International, 2008)
• COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres ( Constellation, 2011)
• Live in London ( Central Control International, 2011)
• COIN COIN Chapter Two: Mississippi Moon Chile ( Constellation, 2013)