Matana Roberts announces new album

Composer, improviser, saxophonist, bandleader and visual artist, Matana Roberts, has announced details of the forthcoming chapter in their Coin Coin series.

Following 2019’s acclaimed LP, Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden… is set for release on September 29 via Constellation. The release will follow Roberts’ performance at this year’s Supersonic Festival in Birmingham.

Today Roberts releases the first three tracks from the album, we said / different rings / unbeknownst, which you can listen to below.

Weaving together elements of jazz, avant-garde composition, folk and spoken word, Roberts tells the story of a woman in their ancestral line, who died following complications from an illegal abortion. At a time when reproductive rights are under attack, her story takes on new resonance. Talking about Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden…, Roberts says, “I wanted to talk about this issue, but in a way where she gets some sense of liberation.”

While this new chapter of Coin Coin focusses on a female-identified protagonist, others haven’t (Chapter Three being from the perspective of a male ancestor) mainly, and Roberts intends for future chapters to continue to cover the breadth of the gender spectrum, as well as their Native American heritage. “I’m proud that people say that the Coin Coin work speaks of a woman’s story. But I want to make sure that it retains its inclusivity, because what we look like is not always what you see”. This reflects Roberts’ own experiences as a queer person of colour. For the remaining chapters of Coin Coin, Roberts will continue exploring identity and ancestry. “Expect it to keep heading towards a liberation of the human spirit.”

Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden… was produced by TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone, who also contributes synths. Roberts is also joined by fellow alto saxophonist Darius Jones, violinist Mazz Swift (Silkroad Ensemble, D’Angelo), bass clarinettist Stuart Bogie (TV On The Radio, Antibalas), alto clarinettist Matt Lavelle (Eye Contact, Sumari), pianist Cory Smythe (Ingrid Laubrock, Anthony Braxton), vocalist/actor Gitanjali Jain and percussionists Ryan Sawyer (Thurston Moore, Nate Wooley) and Mike Pride (Pulverize The Sound, MDC). The late, great trumpeter jaimie branch, who was due to play on the album, receives a credit for “courage”.