new article --- the writing style makes me blush a little but its nice to be appreciated.http://www.examiner.com/x-15042-NY-Jazz-Music-Examiner~y2009m9d8-Matana-Roberts-her-moment-her-art
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In The Midst of Memory...Part 2 of sorts of my first blog ( or blob as saxophonist extraordinaire Andrew D'angelo likes to call it--much more descriptive in my opinion) on my COIN COIN project-- Shadows of a People... I killed it last year because frankly I was a bit worn down....Still doing my 'zine because i enjoy it more..... but blog/blob writing is helpful 4 fleshing some of that process out 2, so I'm glad to be back in some ways... Lots of new developments in the project and my general artsy process since last time, so it should be a good ride...not sure how long it will go on, i suspect until i burn myself out again, but in the meantime please check it out.
When people ask me how i (really) learned how to play the saxophone i try to sum it up with this: I attended elder statesman saxophonist Fred Anderson's University of the Velvet Lounge on Sunday nights and audited his colleague Von Freeman's New Apartment Lounge seminar on Tuesday nights....When I first got to new york some 7 plus years ago i was living in a seriously broke down, crammed, totally illegal apartment with 4 other crazy people in queens near the airport( read: unheard of cheeeeeap...tho it took so long to get out there I might as well of lived in jersey..... fiddled around with doing music journalism, partly because i was already doing a 'zine...thought it would be a fun extension.....not realizing that the lives of the journalist and musician are intertwined in the same busted lifestyle ghetto-- managed to publish a few interviews of musicians i admired for the publication All About Jazz--those musicians being pianist Hank Jones and pianist Ran Blake..... the last one i did, but didn't publish, before i threw in the towel on leaving journalism to the real journalists was with Vonski... he and Fred have been holding down the hometown front like serioulsy dedicated soldiers. I will always be extremely greatful to both.Check out the interview.