Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden...

Reviewed by Josue Arevalo
Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the garden… is the fifth installment in composer, improviser, saxophonist, and visual artist Matana Roberts’ visionary project exploring African-American history through ancestry, archive and place. The album is mainly jazz with a few tracks containing spoken word poems. She repeats this phrase all throughout the album “My name is your name, our name is their name. We are named, we remember, they forget.” The album talks about women’s struggles with birth rights.
Genre : Jazz
FCC CLEAN!
Recommended Tracks: 4, 11, 12, 13
1. 03:30 we said - Opens with a combination of metal clanging and transitions to a drum instrumental with a whistle with a spoken word in the background.
2. 01:26 different rings - Continuation of first song with same spoken word poem in the background except a saxophone is introduced as well.
3. 04:43 unbeknownst - Half of the track is a spoken word poem over an instrumental and finishes off with the same instrumental.
4. *** 04:47 predestined confessions - Saxophone accompanied by other wind instruments. Starts off as a very mellow and relaxing track then transitions into a more upbeat style of jazz.
5. 02:55 how prophetic - Spoken word poem over a more upbeat style of jazz.
6. 06:03 a caged dance - Very ominous sounding saxophone solo throughout the whole song.
7. 01:58 i have long been fascinated - Another very ominous sounding track with saxophone along with violin. There are some vocals towards the end adding to the ominous feeling.
8. 03:55 enthralled not by her curious blend - Spoken word over a videogame sounding track.
9. 01:15 no way chastened - Obscure blend of different wind instruments adding to the ominous feeling.
10. 01:16 but i never heard a sound so long - Many voices singing in unison what appears to sound like an older song.
11. *** 03:19 the promise - Many voices singing in unison what appears to sound like an older song.
12. *** 04:03 shake my bones - Obscure saxophone accompanied by drums and keys, very mellow, and relaxed.
13. *** 05:54 a(way) is not an option - Spoken word poem over an upbeat instrumental and transitions into vocals with a very relaxing background.
14. 06:55 for they do not know - Spoken word poem over a whimsical background transitioning to a saxophone, clapping, and whispering of the same repeated phrase.
15. 01:21 buy track others each - Obscure jazz track with various different wind instruments all playing different notes. Sounds like controlled chaos in a sense.
16. 04:41 ...ain't i. ...your mystery is our history - Starts the same way as the first song and sounds like various clarinets all played different things at a very high pitch. Different languages in the background towards the end repeating the phrase seen through the entire album.