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Jazz Articles about Matana Roberts
About Matana Roberts
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
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by Mark F. Turner
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, ...
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by Matthew Miller
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 ...
read moreMatana Roberts: Lines For Lacy and The Calling
by Tom Greenland
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 ...
read moreMatana Roberts/Josh Abrams/Chad Taylor: Sticks And Stones
by Mark Corroto
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 ...
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