Matana Roberts: her moment, her art....

Photo: Owen Richards

Matana, (Mah-tah-nah) Roberts possesses a regal and quite dignity. She is also blessed with immense talent as a musician. Her musical nurturing was a part of an “elder tradition,” in which she was brought into the artistic fold in her hometown of Chicago under the tutelage of master saxophonist Fred Anderson, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18 and Earl Lavon “Von” Freeman. http://go54321.tripod.com/vf/vonfreeman.html. These two maestros of jazz cultivated her intuitive and spiritual gift of music and encouraged her growth as a performer. In Chicago, Sunday night jams sessions at the “Velvet Lounge” http://www.velvetlounge.net/ was where young artisans cut their teeth with other musicians and audiences in one of the world’s greatest jazz towns. After hearing Matana blow her sax, Anderson and Freeman knew that she was more than ready to share her talent. Training and gigging produced strong bonds within the jazz community for Matana. Even stronger bonds were cemented with Anderson and Freeman personally. To this day, the two men, now in their mid eighties; are still going strong, inspiring musicians, and holding jam sessions. “They hold a dear place in my heart,” explained Matana. She impressed me with her connectivity to those who cleared the creative path for her exceptional musical endeavors. The pleasure of listening to Matana allows you to take a peek into the cradle of jazz that produced the complex genius of Ms. Matana Roberts. Fed by the multeity of influences of blues and jazz in Chi-town and swaddled in migrated Southern heritage you quickly realize that the chance to partake of her talent is a commitment, not an occasional affair.

Ms. Roberts tries to get back to Chicago a couple of times a year when her schedule permits. Her admiration and fidelity to her roots is displayed in her musical documentary, “The Chicago Project.” Rich with melodic images of the aura and essence of Chicago, Matana has superbly woven the notes together within the threads of her own journey. Listening to the tracks took me back to my own visits to “the windy city” and the many moods it conveyed and the multifarious sides of Chicago. One can almost feel the stilted movements of an elevated train and the fluidity of busy commuters going about their daily routines.

Music was a refuge for the visionary child with a Hebrew name. It protected her and allowed her to bridge different parts of herself. Her tenacious and culturally aware parents wanted their children to have names that were not connected to the history of slavery in America. The family was steeped in the traditions and stories that were carried northward from the South where her parents and grandparents were born. Her name, which is the Hebrew word or term for “gift,” presented challenges for Matana. She explained that she had gone through what she called “a long love-hate relationship” with her name. At times, it caused her a lot of tension with other children. Children while mostly innocent have this incredible trait of blunt honesty without context. As she grew older, she came to a moment of acceptance because, as she told me, “If that’s your given name, you should embrace it.” The realization that loving and embracing yourself in the moment gives you a couple of choices; The one that Matana chose was self reflection, acceptance and joy, and the unique individualism that separates true artistry from compromise. For what it is worth, I believe that Matana is not one to compromise her core. The music, the stories, and the completed and unfinished chapters of her works showcase those facts above all else.

Ms. Roberts has had her share of being misunderstood and boxed in like many artists of color. Her love has always been jazz, but her quest has been to expand the boundaries of jazz and to not linger in the newly minted predictability of the genre. Her exploration of jazz through her roots inspired her to create her work on “Coin-Coin,” http://matanaroberts.com/live/ which traces the historical path of her ancestors, centering on Coin-Coin who was a remarkable Southern Louisiana woman; slave, a concubine, a woman of means, and a property owner. She was also a slave owner. Her natural origins of course go much deeper, but that is most certainly the point; a relevant point; and all at once, besides the point. Therein holds the complexities of people of color. The stories still ripe to be tapped are ones that Matana is continually writing and refining. The compositions of Coin-Coin are a musical biography in 12 chapters that were commissioned by the Roulette in 2006. Matana has been continuing to perform, develop and honing each chapter of her more than impressive work with her ensemble and at times and delving intensely into new structures of sound . You simply must take that ride with her…www.youtube.com/watch

The origins of her work on Coin-Coin began while she was working on what she called “a horrible office job.” She began searching the internet and ran across a site (Mormon in nature) that allowed its visitors to do a “family search” with limited historical family knowledge. She had much information due to the generational storytelling adventures of her family and so she couldn’t resist. She began tracking ancestors based upon the stories that had been shared with her over the years. She was able to trace info from the research site back to the late 1800’s. The fruitful experiences passed down from generation to generation were deliciously rich, and the irresistible story of Coin-Coin had to be further explored. There was definitely a spiritual connection with the experiences of such a resourceful woman. A child of West African decent, Coin-Coin's heritage was thought to be of royalty and was most probably was sold out by rival tribes. Coin-Coin became a mother of 15; 10 by a French man in whom she had apparently had a relationship with. Certainly that relationship was one that should be explored. This woman was able to navigate her way through the brutality, misogyny and poverty that still plagues many women of color today. Matana has managed to reconstruct a deep history in several chapters while bringing meticulous eye awakening logic and knowledge to the documented truth. Matana Roberts continues to choose art and expression and to share her gifts through musical mutations while seeking understanding. She can’t be the mouthpiece or the symbol for an entire race of people, nor should she be. But her contribution to awareness can't be underestimated at a time when awareness is so desperately needed. Her abounding work with Coin-Coin is continuing to be crafted as an ongoing tribute to the reality that was and continues to be the cascading layers of ethnic womanhood. Thankfully, Matana continues to share the work as she introduces new chapters to audiences in the U.S. and abroad. We are fortunate to be a part of the living and breathing reality of her work. Any chapter of the piece should be savored because the intricacies that come with these relationships might be better explored through sound.

Performing her work outside of the United States has been widely received and acclaimed, but even outside of the U.S. there are challenges that an artist of color must face. While being interviewed in Europe, a journalist interviewed her regarding her second chapter of Coin-Coin which infuses threads of a classical texture. Unfortunately, the journalist asked her, “What does opera have to do with your Black American experience?” Matana gasped because she could not believe the audacity and ignorance of the question. After catching her breath, she composed herself enough to answer his question with grace and the extraordinary ability to turn the table on him and inquire as to the reasons he felt so comfortable in asking such an ill conceived question. Of course, there was no good answer, but hopefully she was able to provoke enough reflection that the journalist might actually do his homework on the historic significance of people of color in the arts in America and around the world. Every aspect in one way or another has been touched and influenced by people of color. 

There is no doubt that people of color in particular and other artists in general face a willing ignorance by the public in terms of what being an artist truly means. People of color are always under more pressure to explain not only the work that they do, but how they earn a living doing it. Another story that is common among artists and was shared with me by Matana is the awareness that while trying to pursue her work as an artist full time, a college loan officer became indignant as the officer asked her what she was contributing to society. When she replied that she was playing in a band and honing her skills as a musician, she was told that she should be ashamed of herself for not having a “real job,” and that she was in fact insulting every musician that had to work a regular job by supposedly not following the exact same path those musicians in that particular office were. In other words, the contributions of song and art were somehow to be diminished as hobbies and not the hard work that others must toil. In many great countries, the work of an artist is considered a “real job” because their work contributes greatly to society. Today, music therapy is even pivotal in the healing process of thousands of patients and families who need to keep things positive through healing. In an era of war and upheaval, music may be the only language that will allow for peaceful dialogue. Why is it that we devalue a craft that has rallied countries in solidarity?

The works that Matana has inspired along with many other artists should be appreciated not only for their artistic value, but also for the needs of the mind, body and soul. Great movements have been launched through peaceful protest and song. Matana is a diverse musical force who is successfully blazing a trail for female artists and being innovative on her own terms.

These days Matana Roberts is developing and experimenting with sound and breaking down barriers. She is weaving musical patterns comparable to quilting Look forward to this exciting new concept. This fall, she will be working as an artist in residence as well as performing new chapters of Coin-Coin.
To relax, she has taken up boxing and power yoga. She told me “there’s something so cathartic about punching that bag!” She’s been pleasantly surprised by how many women are boxing at the gym she attends. In my mind, it’s just one more way that Matana Roberts is expanding her world. Her fans will continue to be thrilled and surprised by Matana. I can say from the honesty of our interview that she is genuinely a “gift” that keeps on delivering, crashing and breaking down walls, and most assuredly exploring the layers of jazz, layering sound through narration, and focusing in on universal truths. Please, join her on her historic and futuristic journey…

More of my work can be seen on my Examiner pagewww.examiner.com/x-15042-NY-Jazz-Music-Examiner