Jazz Articles about Matana Roberts

Matana Roberts: The Chicago Project

by Troy Collins
February 19, 2008

The Chicago Project, a tribute to saxophonist Matana Roberts' hometown, features some of the Windy City's finest players, including guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Josh Abrams, drummer Frank Rosaly and a special guest appearance by veteran tenor saxophonist and fellow AACM member Fred Anderson. Now a resident of New York City, Roberts establishes her Chicago bred lineage with this stunning, forward thinking release.

Roberts' singular style is equally informed by her AACM heritage and the fervent expressionism of the ...

Matana Roberts: The Chicago Project

by Mark F. Turner
February 19, 2008

Matana Roberts The Chicago Project Central Control International 2008 Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, saxophonist/composer Matana Roberts, sounds as if she's been here before. You can hear it in her voice, a definite tonality, a lyrical spiritual essence that recalls the voices of reed players Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy, and others--one of profound soulfulness, passion and purity. Yet the embodiment of Roberts is devoid of mimicry or pretense, ...

Matana Roberts: The Chicago Project

by Matthew Miller
January 13, 2008

Anyone who has ever seen Matana Roberts live knows the intensity and devotion that go into her music. The saxophonist rarely speaks before a Performance; the crowd enters and, from the moment the first note is sounded, a focused intensity pervades the room. This devotional quality carries over into her diverse catalogue as a leader, imbuing even the serene moments on albums like The Chicago Project with a frenetic lyricism. As one of the youngest faces in ...

Matana Roberts: Lines For Lacy and The Calling

by Tom Greenland
June 4, 2006

Matana Roberts Lines for Lacy Self-Published 2006 Matana Roberts The Calling Utech 2006

The sound of Matana Roberts' alto sax spans jazz her-story, from its roots in New Orleans, through the swinging '30s-40s, to the New Thing. Two new releases - one “soul-o sax, the other a quartet - display the ...

Matana Roberts/Josh Abrams/Chad Taylor: Sticks And Stones

by Mark Corroto
December 2, 2002

I had the disc Sticks And Stones spinning in my CD walkman for entire week before I researched the musicians that recorded this approachable session. Listeners may be familiar with the drummer Chad Taylor, a principal in all the various machinations of the Chicago Underground bands, and problably also attuned to basssit Josh Abrams work with Town & Country and Ronnie Boykins’ band. It was the 482 Music site that informed me that saxophonist Matana Roberts was a woman. While ...