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Matana Roberts Biography

Musician

Matana Roberts, born in 1975, is a talented musician known for her unique musical style that blends jazz, classical, and African music elements. She is recognized for her innovative composition techniques and individualistic approach to music.

World Feels Bigs Spirit Interest Spirit World

Author:Matana Roberts

“I'm a history geek and I love American history. It's so bizarre and so problematic and I love the many conundrums that it represents. You can go down so many black holes.”

Black Holes American History Bizarre Geek Black Hole Conundrums

Author:Matana Roberts

“I love working with my hands. The computer has taken over my life in a way that makes me really uncomfortable. I'm trying to find a happy medium that gives me freedom but also still goes back to the idea of craft.”

Way Giving Trying Stills Ideas Hands Taken Computer Give Me Mediums Crafts Uncomfortable

Author:Matana Roberts

“A lot of my video work is super lo-fi on purpose. I'm not trying to become technically super proficient. The only thing I'm interested in becoming technically proficient on is my alto saxophone.”

Trying Purpose Becoming Video Saxophone

Author:Matana Roberts

“When you read enough stories about people who have been through different levels of trauma, and it doesn't matter what the history is, trauma is trauma, there's always this freeing of the spirit.”

People Has Beens Different Matter Enough Stories Spirit Levels Trauma Different Levels

Author:Matana Roberts

“Someone can do anything they want to you on the outside, but whatever they do to me they cannot destroy what's on my inside. Mentally that cannot be taken away from me, no matter what someone does.”

Want Doe Matter Can Do Taken No Matter What

Author:Matana Roberts

“It's important to interrogate history, it's important to document history, because as a society we need constant reminders of the things that we've done in the past in the hope we can stop repeating these horrible lessons.”

Needs Important Done Past Lessons Constant Horrible Documents Reminders

Author:Matana Roberts

“Listening to the birds tells you different things about a place. I heard bird sounds I'd never heard before. I heard street sounds and country sounds and city sounds that are very different from what it is I'm used to and I get very fascinated about how that marks a place.”

Different Country Used Sound Cities Heard Streets Listening Bird Mark Different Things Fascinated

Author:Matana Roberts

“New York is beautiful, but [the South] makes it look like a wasteland.”

Looks Beautiful New York South Wasteland

Author:Matana Roberts

“It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind of separates me from the common man in a way that I don't wish to be, so craftsperson makes me feel a bit more connected.”

People Men Way Feels Kind I Can Artist Wish Bits Common Nice Connected Call Me Common Man

Author:Matana Roberts

“I love making people sing. I love group singing, sacred harp singing, choral singing, recordings of people singing sea shanties, work songs, prison songs - how people just sang to get through things.”

People Song Groups Sea Singing Sacred Prison Love Making Harps

Author:Matana Roberts

“The saxophone was created to mimic the human voice and I think that's why I gravitated toward the saxophone eventually. I'd loved the clarinet, but there's something about the saxophone that just grabs you.”

Thinking Humans Voice Saxophone Human Voice Clarinet

Author:Matana Roberts

“Leading a band is fun, but it's not always something I want to continually focus on. I have my toes in a lot of different things.”

Want Different Fun Focus Band Different Things Toes

Author:Matana Roberts

About the Author

Born: 1975
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 13

Books & Sources

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