albums of 2008 pt 2

matana roberts - chicago project
strangely my love for this record was given a huge boost by a stunningly ill informed and wrongheaded review which brought into focus just why it's so good. ms roberts is an alto saxophonist and member of the legendary AACM who's managed to evolve a supple, open and beautifully crafted music that owes much to certain jazz traditions but doen't just ape them. neither though does it feel the need for novelty that screws up so much so much contemporary 'jazz', particularly as far as the rhythm section are concerned. when there are so few female jazz players about it's always tempting to read their music in gender terms, but i'm going to resist that. the music resists it too.