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Matana Roberts
Matana Roberts is a dynamic saxophonist, composer and improviser, who tries to expose in her music the mystical roots and spiritual traditions of African American creative expression while at the same time reflecting on the struggles and challenges one must battle in order to be a creative woman of color in the 21st century.

A Chicago native, she was fortunate enough to be surrounded by elder musicians who showed her by distinct example the importance of listening to one's personal creative voice while at the same time using the profound and many layered traditions of the music to act only as her creative guide, not as her creative definer. By using their mentorship, she has been able to craft a voice and creative focus that truly speaks to her own true artistic individuality. She feels strongly that her music should not only reflect the many colors and moods of universal human emotions, but that it should also testify, critique, document, and respond to the many socio-economic, historical, and cultural inequalities that exist not only in this country, but all over the world.

Matana is an associate member of the A.A.C.M. and currently resides in New York City.

		New Jazz and Improvisation (2003) "...a refreshing and essential listen for anyone interested in a sound that could only come from one city." - All About Jazz
		Sticks and Stones (2002) Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground), Josh Abrams (Town and Country) and Matana Roberts (AACM ): "..the sort of transcendent musicality and versatility that has characterized the development of free jazz."

More information...

A Temperate Avant-Gardist — The New York Times, June 4, 2005

Critic's Choice — Chicago Reader, January 31, 2002

Matana Roberts Trio — Live at the Empty Bottle, March 15, 2000

Another Matana page

...and another, at Burnt Sugar