Matana Roberts
- Type: Composer
- Country: United States
- Born: 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Active: 1978 - Present
Biography
Matana Roberts is a sound experimentalist, composer, and a leading voice in the 21st-century avant-garde. Roberts is best known for their ambitious, ongoing 'Coin Coin' project, a multi-chapter exploration of African-American history, memory, and ancestry released on the #Constellation# label. Their work is a form of 'panoramic sound quilting,' weaving together elements of free jazz, folk melodies, spoken word, and historical sound collage. Roberts's alto saxophone playing is known for its raw, visceral, and deeply emotional cry, used to explore themes of memory and social justice, collaborating with artists like *Godspeed You! Black Emperor* and *TV On The Radio*.
Genres
Matana Roberts Discography
- Sticks and Stones (2002) - Album
- The Chicago Project (2008) - Album - rated 3.71/5
- Live in London (2011) - Album
- Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres (2011) - Album - rated 4.42/5
- Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile (2013) - Album - rated 4.13/5
- Feldspar (2014) - Album
- Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (2015) - Album - rated 3.69/5
- Always. (2015) - Album
- For Standing Rock​.​.​. (2016) - EP
- Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (2019) - Album - rated 4.01/5
- Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden... (2023) - Album - rated 3.91/5
Members
- Matana Roberts - primary artist, alto saxophone
- Jim Clouse - recorded by, mixed by, mastered by
- Spl@t! - artwork
- Kevin Reilly - executive-producer
- Michael Panico - executive-producer
- Nicolas Caloia - primary artist, contrabass, mixed by
- Sam Shalabi - primary artist, guitar
- Éric Normand - producer
- Thierry Amar - recorded by
- Tom Mason - bass
- Chris Vatalaro - drums
- Shawn Joseph - mastered by
- Brett Walker - photography by
- Robert Mitchell - piano
- Jazz On 3 - recorded by
- Chad Jones - written-by
- Duke Ellington - written-by
- photography by - photos by
- Sticks And Stones - primary artist
- Benjamin Abrams - layout
- Dan Stout - mastered by
- Todd Carter - recorded by
- John McNeil - written-by
- Junior Delgado - written-by
- Lee Perry - written-by