| Always | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2015 | |||
| Recorded | May 6, 2014 | |||
| Studio | Park West Studios, Brookyln, New York | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Length | 43:19 | |||
| Label | Relative Pitch RPR1036 | |||
| Matana Roberts chronology | ||||
| ||||
Always is a solo album by saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts. Consisting of an untitled 33 minute track, followed by a 10-minute encore, it was recorded on May 6, 2014, at Park West Studios in Brookyln, New York, and was released in 2015 by Relative Pitch Records. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [3] |
| The Free Jazz Collective | [4] |
In a review for The Wire , Andy Hamilton called the album "an intimate affair," and wrote: "The pieces have a softness and slowness to them... The feeling of being at peace - a prevailing calm even when dealing with the music's own natural tensions flows throughout." [5]
Mark Corroto of All About Jazz stated: "Listening to a virtuoso saxophonist like Matana Roberts, one hears more than just breath through a reed instrument. Her solo recording Always, travels beyond voice, to mind, body, and spirit... Underlying all is the corporeal substance of her being. That essence of her spirit's expression that shines throughout this recording." [3]
The editors of The Free Jazz Collective awarded the album a full 5 stars, and reviewer Martin Schray commented: "As in a stream of consciousness Roberts seems to look for a topic, a recurrent theme, a plan she wants to follow... She wanders through the history of great black music, standing on the shoulders of giants... You can recognize bebop licks, blues riffs, staccato rhythms, free jazz runs and balladesque craving. It's a communication with herself, a masterful private meditation, it's about looking for an original sound." [4]
Writing for The Quietus , Stewart Smith noted that Roberts is "quite simply one of the most important living artists in any field," and remarked: "Solo saxophone albums can be a hard sell, but this seemingly modest effort is a beautiful thing... her playing really is poetic, as she calmly moves from long lyrical lines to tight runs of complex harmony." [6]
Bruce Lee Gallanter of the Downtown Music Gallery described the album as "superb... one of tastiest gems of the year." He wrote: "Ms. Roberts closed her eyes and dug deep within to provide us with some sublime, heartfelt sonic medicine... this music is like a candle burning which can't be easily extinguished. In the center of the flame is hope for a better day." [7]
Composed by Matana Roberts.
Matana Roberts is an American sound experimentalist, visual artist, jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, composer and improviser based in New York City. They have previously been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and a member of the B.R.C. Black Rock Coalition.
Live at Okuden is a live double album by avant-garde jazz trio Jungle, featuring alto saxophonist Mat Walerian, pianist Matthew Shipp and drummer Hamid Drake. It was recorded in 2012 at the Okuden Music Concert Series, and was released in 2016 on the Brooklyn-based avant-garde record label ESP-Disk'.
Ljubljana is an album by saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and pianist Craig Taborn. It was recorded in concert in 2015 and released two years later by Clean Feed Records.
Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile is a studio album by Matana Roberts. It is the second installment of the 12-part Coin Coin series. It was released by Constellation Records October 1, 2013.
Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis is the ninth solo studio album by American jazz musician Matana Roberts. It was released via Constellation on October 18, 2019, as CST145. The album is the fourth installment in the proposed 12-part Coin Coin and was preceded by Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (2015).
Relative Pitch Records is an American independent record label specializing in free jazz and avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, and experimental music. Run by Kevin Reilly, Relative Pitch has been ranked among the top jazz record labels in The New York City Jazz Record and DownBeat year-end lists, and praised by publications and organizations including The Guardian, NPR Music, The Brooklyn Rail, and in Bandcamp Daily's label profile, "Relative Pitch is Built on Enthusiasm for Experimental Music".
Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee is the seventh solo studio album by American jazz musician Matana Roberts. It was released via Constellation on February 2, 2015. The album is the third installment in the proposed 12-part Coin Coin album series, in which it was preceded by Mississippi Moonchile (2013) and followed by Memphis (2019). The series, named after Marie Thérèse Coincoin, is an exploration of African-American history, the Civil rights movement, the roots of American slavery, Roberts' familial ancestry, and more.
Irreversible Entanglements is an American free jazz collective formed in 2015. The improvising quintet consists of vocalist Camae Ayewa, drummer Tcheser Holmes, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart. Their albums have been celebrated as among the best in new music by The Wire, The Quietus, Magnet, NPR Music, and Stereogum.
Culmination is an album by multi-instrumentalist and composer Sam Rivers. It was recorded during September 1998 at Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York, at the same sessions that yielded the album Inspiration, and was released in 1999 by BMG France. On the album, Rivers is joined by members of the Rivbea All-star Orchestra: saxophonists Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Chico Freeman, Gary Thomas, and Hamiet Bluiett, trumpeters Baikida Carroll, James Zollar, Ralph Alessi, and Ravi Best, trombonists Art Baron, Joseph Bowie, and Ray Anderson, baritone horn player Joseph Daley, tubist Bob Stewart, bassist Doug Mathews, and drummer Anthony Cole.
Cosmic Nickelodeon is an album by saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and bassist Hilliard Greene. It was recorded on December 12, 2015, at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 2016 by Relative Pitch Records.
Live at Maya Recordings Festival is a live album by saxophonist Evan Parker, double bassist Barry Guy, and drummer Paul Lytton. It was recorded during September 23–25, 2011, at the Theater am Gleis in Winterthur, Switzerland, and was released on both vinyl and CD in 2013 by NoBusiness Records.
Irvin's Comet is a live solo double bass album by Barry Guy. It was recorded on October 29, 2019, at the "Improdimensija" (Improdimension) concert series held at MAMAstudios in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was released on vinyl in 2020 by NoBusiness Records.
Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden is the tenth solo studio album by American jazz saxophonist Matana Roberts. The album was released on September 29, 2023, by Constellation Records, and is the fifth in Roberts' ongoing Coin Coin album series. The album's narrative centers an ancestor of Roberts who died from an illegal abortion.
Lost & Found is a live solo album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. It was recorded on July 14, 2006, at Kampenjazz in Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen in Nickelsdorf, Austria, and was released in 2009 by the FMP label.
Memories of a Tunicate is an album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and cellist and electronic musician Fred Lonberg-Holm. Featuring seven free improvisations named after various types of tunicate, it was recorded on June 12, 2019, at GSI Studios in New York City, and was released in 2020 by Relative Pitch Records.
Live in London is a live album by saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts. It was recorded during 2009 at the Vortex Jazz Club in London, and was released in 2011 by Central Control International. On the album, Roberts is joined by pianist Robert Mitchell, double bassist Tom Mason, and drummer Chris Vatalaro.
Feldspar is an album by saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts, electric guitarist Sam Shalabi, and double bassist Nicolas Caloia. Consisting of seven improvised tracks named after minerals, it was recorded on December 8, 2011, at Studio Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Canada, and was released in 2014 by the Canadian Tour de Bras label.
The Chicago Project is an album by saxophonist and composer Matana Roberts. Produced by Vijay Iyer and engineered by John McEntire, it was recorded at Soma Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and was released on CD and vinyl in 2008 by Central Control International. The album pays homage to Roberts's home town, and features guitarist Jeff Parker, double bassist Josh Abrams, and drummer Frank Rosaly, with guest saxophonist Fred Anderson appearing on three tracks for which he shares writing credits with Roberts.
Shed Grace is the second album by the collaborative free jazz trio Sticks and Stones, featuring saxophonist Matana Roberts, double bassist Josh Abrams, and drummer Chad Taylor. It was recorded during 2003, with no overdubs or edits, at Semaphore Recording in Chicago, Illinois, and was released in 2004 by the Thrill Jockey label. The music consists of original compositions by each player, plus three covers.
The Truth is a live album by saxophonist Matana Roberts and pianist Pat Thomas. Consisting of four improvised tracks, it was recorded on December 8, 2018, at Cafe Oto in London, and was released on vinyl in 2020 by the Otoroku label.