aaamusic | On 21, Feb 2011

MATANA ROBERTS
LIVE IN LONDON

Central Control CCI014CD – Release Date Feb 28th 2011

LIVE – March 4 –  Front Room at QEH, Southbank Centre, 5.30pm, free
(with Robert Mitchell piano, Tom Mason bass and Mark Sanders drums)

LIVE – March 7 – Cafe Oto (duo show with Seb Rochford) ? 8pm, £7, adv £6

“Could this be the woman to sell good, old-fashioned American avant-jazz to the masses. The first essential release of the year”.  The Times

“This soulful, wordless homage to the Windy City showcases her fiery yet fluid tone” MOJO

“Free jazz of a 1960s vintage vibrates through Roberts’ hot, vocalised tone, but her contemporaneity is apparent in crunching funk grooves and bursts of loop-repeating phrasing? The Guardian

Matana Roberts (pronounced Mah-tah-Na) is a dynamic saxophonist, composer and improviser, whose music exposes the mystical roots and spiritual traditions of African American creative expression. Exposed to the music of Albert Ayler while just five years old her music draws on the fire of sixties free jazz, but her powerful playing can be surprisingly lyrical and her music draws heavily on rock as well as jazz influences. Live in London is the follow-up to her acclaimed debut, The Chicago Project features her UK band, pianist Robert Mitchell, bassist Tom Mason and drummer Chris Vatalaro.

Recorded live at the Vortex Jazz Club in early 2009 by BBC Radio 3, Ms Roberts takes you on an autobiographical tale of her music heritage, peers and future. Beginning with a haunting 37 minute overhaul of Frankie Sparo?s ?My Sistr?, the album takes in Robert?s various influences and reinforces what is solely unique about her, having collaborated with jazz greats such as Steve Lacey, Vijay Iyer and Fred Anderson to more rock notables such as godspeed you! black emperor (who have invited Roberts to perform at their ATP UK event in December), TV on the Radio and various Thrill Jockey projects Roberts brings a distinct rock edge to her soulful free jazz. The album’s centrepiece ?Turn It Around? is almost upbeat post-Coltrane jazz; a complete 180-degree turn from the opener?s post-rock leanings.

Remarkably, and in a testament to the talent of the band Roberts assembled for this recording, they are caught here performing over an hour?s worth of superlative material they had not rehearsed; and much they had not even seen or heard before!! In front of a sold out crowd, on no rehearsal, and with recording equipment filling the last available space of the room, Roberts required the band to deliver on knife-edge tension and inspiration. And as Live In London proves they delivered in droves pooling from their wealth of soul and experience.