Roberts, a Chicago-raised alto player and composer who has made quite a name for herself as a conceptualist and composer. She first became known to many listeners as a member the jazz-funk/rock-led improvisation group Burnt Sugar. She is a strong leader and has a sharp, forceful tone on the horn. She also has a wide artistic palette and a desire to tell bigger stories and present multi-media shows, rather than just a collection of tunes. Roberts will hire any type of instrumentist that she believes will help her get her point across. Roberts is an independent woman who doesn’t accept limitations to her creativity. from http://burningambulance.com Matana Roberts is a jazz saxophonist, composer and improviser based in New York City. She was previously an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Roberts was nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for the 2008 “Up and Coming Artist of the Year” award, which Lionel Loueke won. Roberts was born in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up on Chicago’s South Side, and learned classical clarinet while she was a child. With Josh Abrams as bassist and Chad Taylor as drummer, she formed Sticks and Stones with Chad Taylor. They performed regularly at the Velvet Lounge. Roberts arrived in New York in 2002 to work as a busker and publish a zine called Fat Ragged about her experiences. Roberts is the composer and performer of Coin Coin, an ongoing musical project that explores themes of history, memory, and ancestry. Roberts was a performer at the London Jazz Festival 2007. The Chicago Project was released by Central Control in 2008. Vijay Iyer produced the album. It features performances by members from Prefuse 73, Tortoise, and AACM saxophonist Fred Anderson. Roberts was The Stone’s guest curator in January 2010. Jeff Mangum, of Neutral Milk Hotel, has chosen Roberts to perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival that he will host in Minehead in March 2012. From Wikipedia
