Matana Roberts

Matana Roberts
Roberts at All Tomorrow's Parties April 2007
Roberts at All Tomorrow's Parties
April 2007
Background information
Born1975 (age 48–49)
OriginChicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresJazz, experimental
InstrumentSaxophone
Websitematanaroberts.com

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] They have previously been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and a member of the B.R.C. Black Rock Coalition.[3][4]

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 2011 Critics’ Lists;[5] Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile was called "stunning" by both the Chicago Reader[6] and SPIN;[7] and Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee was named among Rolling Stone's Best Avant Albums of 2015.[8] Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis has garnered their greatest accolades, and was included in Pitchfork's Best Experimental Albums,[9] Bandcamp's Best Jazz Albums,[10] and the top ten of the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll in 2019.[11] Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop called the album "one of the decade's most compelling jazz projects".[12]

The annual DownBeat Critics Poll has named Roberts Rising Star in both the alto saxophone[13] and clarinet categories.[14] Roberts received a Doris Duke Impact Award in 2014 and a Doris Duke Artist Award in 2016.[15][16]

  1. ^ "Matana Roberts". Foundation for Contemporary Arts. 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Johnson, Martin (March 11, 2008). "Chicago's Avant-Garde Musicians". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Lurie, Matthew (April 4, 2005). "Relative Chords". Time Out Chicago. Chicago: Time Out Group Ltd. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Morgan, Frances (December 12, 2011). "Matana Roberts' Genealogy of Jazz". In These Times.
  5. ^ "Critics' Lists 2011". JazzTimes. April 26, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Margasak, Peter (October 4, 2013). "Matana Roberts drops the stunning second chapter of her Coin Coin project". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Walls, Seth Colter (October 3, 2013). "Matana Roberts Weaves Stunning Avant-Jazz Tapestry on 'Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile'". SPIN. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (December 29, 2015). "20 Best Avant Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Best Experimental Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. December 16, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Sumner, Dave (December 17, 2019). "The Best Jazz Albums of 2019". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Davis, Francis (January 14, 2020). "The 2019 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll". NPR. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter Four: Memphis". The Needle Drop. November 14, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Halvorson Among Winners in DownBeat Critics Poll". DownBeat. June 26, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "DownBeat Announces Winners of the 2018 Int'l Critics Poll". DownBeat. June 25, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  15. ^ "2014 Doris Duke Impact Awards". Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "2016 Doris Duke Artist Awards". Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2021.