Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee flac album

Matana Roberts is one of the most acclaimed, socio-politically conscious and aesthetically intrepid avant-jazz practitioners of the 21st century. The critical accolades for her multi-chapter Coin Coin work place her at the vanguard of stylistic innovation and radicalization, while confirming the deep substance and soul that guides her compositional agenda

Recorded and mixed June 3-5, 2014. Sound samples from a scaled-down field recording weave of Roberts' 25-day ramble in wintered e/Louisiana USA and a touch of a very chaotic New York City 21st century. Also samples from: Malcom X, "Confronting White Oppression", Feb 14 1965, Ford Auditorium, Detroit, MI.

Recorded and mixed June 3-5, 2014.

From its first mesmerizing sounds (bells, wind, birdsong, humming, meandering saxophone) pierced by these two orienting words, COIN COIN Chapter Three: river run thee, Matana Roberts’s latest record in her sweeping 12-album series on America’s expressive roots, calls into question this approach that frames criticism as a neat, balanced conversation, while through its specific historical context paradoxically incites a greater. dialogue that transcends context on its own, both sonically and socially.

The third chapter in her Coin Coin series finds Roberts implementing this metaphor most explicitly, constructing a sound art tapestry from field recordings, loop and effects pedals, and spoken word recitations, alongside her saxophone and singing voices. Coin Coin Chapter Three: river run thee could arguably be considered first and foremost a vocal work, and notwithstanding its experimental and esoteric structure, a deeply narrative work as well. After Coin Coin Chapters One and Two I was really looking forward to the third chapter (I am informed that the plan is for 12). Compared to the first two this was a real disappointment on first hearing, especially in jazz terms.

Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee.

Matana Roberts is a jazz saxophonist, composer and improviser based in New York City, United States. She is a past member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The Jazz Journalists Association selected Roberts as a finalist nominee for the 2008 Up and Coming Musician of the Year award (which Lionel Loueke ultimately won). Born in Chicago, United States, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side and studied classical clarinet during her youth. Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee.