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| 5.301 Ft
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| 1. | Turning the Mark -mp3
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| 2. | Equally Strong
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| 3. | Lose My Number
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| 4. | Suhasani -mp3
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| 5. | End of the Game
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| 6. | Usetosay
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| 7. | Sons of Slaves
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| 8. | Hannibul
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| 9. | Spaces
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| 10. | Salvador
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| 11. | Spicer
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Jazz / Modern Creative, Avant-Garde Jazz
Matana Roberts (sax)
Josh Abrams (double bass)
Chad Taylor (drums)
"Matana Roberts plays the saxophone with full-bodied tonality. On Sticks and Stones, she and her associates, bassist Josh Abrams and drummer Chad Taylor (also of the Chicago Underground Duo) play a series of original tunes where the improvised music has a significant degree of warmth to match its unstructured character. Each of the trio (and two other composers) contributed tunes for the set. The music has pulsating motivation and flowing spirituality to go along with its improvised nature. Roberts spins out rounds of freely constructed phases that are underwritten by the throbbing bass lines of Abrams and the intricate percussive patterns of Taylor. She goes on extended journeys into the core of the tunes, building the selections into vibrant and commanding statements on free expression. Roberts shows a mellow tone on the ballads and an authoritative voice on the faster paced tunes. Her strength is in her ability to spring off the loosely constructed songs and soar on high with freewheeling improvised but logical sequences. She has considerable command over her horn, and the music she produces is as alluring as it is elusive.
"The foundation established by Abrams and Taylor is fundamental to the success of this recording. Abrams keeps a foothold on terra firma but emits enough momentum to convey the movement of a space traveler through his diverse bowing and strumming. Taylor is all over his drum kit, pounding out a rhythmic base that moves off the line into abstract territory. He uses alternate percussion effects on "Sons of Slaves" to turn the rhythms into shimmering echoes. This backdrop from Abrams and Taylor allows Roberts to take wing and fly consistently. She brings elements of many of the great saxophone players to the table, but without question, she has a unique tone and way of phrasing that is devoid of rough edges or imitativeness. Her solos seem to roll off her tongue effortlessly, but they contain depth, fluidity, and character.
"Roberts is a new voice for me, but her draw and appeal was immediate. This is a recording that needs broad exposure."
- Frank Rubolino, One Final Note
"#2 Jazz Album of 2002"
---Magnet
"Perhaps it's because they all hail from the same hometown or maybe they just share a strong spiritual link, but the improvisation-oriented music on this recording is solid. Sensitive to the delicacy of a trio, each player brings a strong yet malleable voice to the ensemble. Definitely the sort of transcendent musicality and versatility that has characterized the development of free jazz." ---New Music Box
Sticks and Stones is a collaborative trio featuring alto saxophonist Matana Roberts, bassist Josh Abrams, and drummer Chad Taylor. All have their roots in the Chicago avant-garde -- Roberts with the AACM, Abrams with Town and Country, Taylor with the Chicago Underground. They each contribute three tunes to this debut disc, and also make room for inspired readings of "Lose My Number," by the revered trumpeter and jazz educator John McNeil, and "Sons of Slaves," by reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry. As befits edgy, spontaneous music like this, the recording is pure and unvarnished. The group's loose but purposeful interplay veers in and out of tempo, ranging from the funky, bass-driven grooves of "Equally Strong" and "Spaces" to the freebop swing of "Usetosay" to the quite abstract terrain of "Hannibul." The reggae cover features electronically modified drum sounds and just a hint of wah on the sax. Taylor's creativity comes to the fore on "Turning the Mark" and "Spicer," respectively the first and last cuts -- both of which feature highly active drumming that contrasts starkly with the sparse, almost mournful moods established by alto and bass. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide
Sticks and Stones is a Chicago-born trio featuring alto saxophonist Matana Roberts, bassist Joshua Abrams, and drummer Chad Taylor. The group first came together as members of the Sunday night house band at Chicago's Velvet Lounge.
"I think we all realized, just from playing together a few times, that something was there that really could not be explained," remembers Roberts. "It was a comfort so automatic that we could just grow from that point. Our sound is really a collective thing and what you hear on the disc is honest music that was recorded the same way. Honest is my favorite word to describe Sticks and Stones because we're continuing the Chicago tradition of crafting one's own sound."
Although most of the trio's membership no longer resides in Chicago, Sticks and Stones is very proud of its hometown and the lineage of the city's many independent-minded musicians. Roberts is a member of the historic Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and both Abrams and Taylor perform with some of Chicago's most innovative new ensembles. Abrams, who has demonstrated his musical versatility as a founding member of the hip-hop inspired group, The Roots, and on his own eclectic 2002 solo release, Busride Interview, performs regularly with Town and Country and David Boykin's Expanse/Outet. Taylor is the drummer for the acclaimed Chicago Underground ensembles, and has performed with revered leaders Joe McPhee, Roscoe Mitchell, William Parker, Peter Brotzmann, among many others. The trio's collective debut features three original compositions from each member, along with covers of John McNeil's "Lose My Number" and Lee Perry's "Sons of Slaves."
"A lot of the music I play with Sticks and Stones I could not play with other people because I find that I write for them and I feel like they do the same," says Roberts. "Whenever I play with other bass players, I have to stop myself from comparing because I'm so used to hearing Josh's beautiful sound. And, Chad is one of the most creative drummers I've ever played with. The things he can do with time and sound and groove is so solid that he just feels like a rock. The most exciting thing to me is that, even with our great comfort level, our process is still evolving."
Matana Roberts , an associate member of the AACM, has performed with Vijay Iyer, Tom Abbs, Ralph Alessi, Nicole Mitchell, Ravi Coltrane, Taylor Ho Bynum, Fred Anderson, Tatsuya Nakatani, Don Byron, David Boykins, Joe Maneri, Steve Swell, Steve Lacy, Eugene Chadbourne and Butch Morris among many others. Besides her collaboration with Sticks and Stones, Matana is an avid freelancer. She performs regularly with Ras Moshe's Music Now Collective and is a member of Greg Tate's Afro Funk Orchestra Burnt Sugar. She is currently working on material for her first large ensemble'Project X. Matana is also a faculty member for the School for Improvisational Music in New York City.
Josh Abrams is best known for his work with Town and Country; he has released one solo album and plays also with the David Boykin Expanse/Outet; and has worked with Brokeback, Sam Prekop, Bobby Broom, and Tortoise .
Chad Taylor is one half of the Chicago Underground Duo (and therefore key member of the Trio/Quartet/Orchestra); he has played with with Malachi Favors, Ernest Dawkins, Joe McPhee, Peter Brotzman, Roscoe Mitchell, Jameel Moondoc, Fred Anderson, William Parker, and Hamid Drake, among many others.
Sticks and Stones
Formed: 1998
Originated From: Chicago, IL
Decades Active: 1990,2000
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Creative
Moods: Freewheeling, Passionate, Cathartic, Cerebral, Complex, Searching, Uncompromising
Featuring chicago jazz mainstays Matana Roberts, Joshua Abrams, and Chad Taylor, Sticks & Stones is a collective that first came together as members of the Sunday-night house band at the Velvet Lounge. They grew a substantial following in the Windy City and recorded their eponymous debut in 2002 for 482 Music. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide |
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