Matana Roberts is a jazz saxophonist, composer and improviser based in New York City, United States. She is a past member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The Jazz Journalists Association selected Roberts as a finalist nominee for the 2008 Up and Coming Musician of the Year award (which Lionel Loueke ultimately won). Born in Chicago, United States, Roberts was raised on the city's South Side and studied classical clarinet during her youth.