TROY ROBERTS

Hailing from the remote location of Perth, West Australia, saxophonist Troy Roberts has received numerous accolades including 3 DownBeat Jazz Soloist SM Awards, 2 Grammy Nominations, recorded on 6 Grammy Nominated albums, was the winner of the 2001 James Morrison Jazz Scholarship, was a semi-finalist in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, and was selected as a finalist in the National Jazz Awards to perform at The 2016 Wangaratta Jazz Festival, where he won 2nd place.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Music at the young age of 19, Roberts has gone on to record and perform around Europe and the US extensively with artists such as Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Joey DeFrancesco, James Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Sammy Figueroa, Orrin Evans and Kurt Elling to name a few, and also completed a Masters Degree at The University of Miami.

In 2012, he shared the stage in an international septet comprised of jazz giants Wayne Shorter, Richard Bona, Vinnie Colaiuta and Zakir Hussein for Herbie Hancock’s launch of International Jazz Day at The UN, NYC. He was also part of Hancock’s 2014 International Jazz Day held in Osaka, Japan performing with jazz luminaries such as Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spaulding and John Scofield.

As a long-time New York City resident, Troy maintains a busy recording and touring schedule around the globe with some of the greatest jazz artists of today, and is currently celebrating his 14th release as a leader, ‘NU-JIVE: Nations United’.

"Tales & Tones" is abound with impeccable delivery and inspired performances within a very melodious and challenging group environment. Tenor and soprano saxophonist Troy Roberts possesses a robust flexibility and dexterity that serves as a very convincing sonic calling card. He has successfully managed to forge a stunning and a most personal approach on every selection and is propelled even deeper into the soul of the compositions by a relentless and driven sense of purpose. This project summarizes Troy's potential with a stunning projection of all that is possible, given a proper supporting cast and a clear artistic vision.

- Greg Osby

“Roberts is a boisterous and effusive player, conversant but not busy. ‘Secret Rhymes’ has a bounce to it and Roberts excels here as a leader, with an awesomely arranged album with just a touch more arch than one can legally call straight-ahead.”

- DownBeat Magazine

“Whilst it’s not common to display virtuosity, it’s even rarer to be wonderfully creative while doing so. But the rarest of all gifts is to have a unique voice; a sound that is unmistakably your own, Troy Roberts has this gift. He amply demonstrates that it’s possible to pay homage to the great tenor players of jazz and still create a fresh approach that leaves the listener always in anticipation of what he’ll come up with next.”

- James Morrison

“While jazz is so strongly identified as swing, it is nice to see the next gen carving out their sound and ideas. Roberts, along with his well-equipped ensemble, is certainly up to the task - creating a jazz record that employs great playing and abundant ideas. Roberts, though young in age, certainly has an arsenal of abilities under his belt, and has the makings and foundation of a lasting great saxophonist. Versatile in style, with a strong grasp of yesterday and today, he is a force to be reckoned with no matter the setting. He is more than one to watch, he is one to follow closely.”

- JazzTimes Magazine

“…Substance and style will triumph over pretentiousness and ego every time. Roberts has a resume that will certainly make one sit up and take notice having shared the stage with such luminaries as Nicholas Payton, Orrin Evans and John Clayton. Nu-Jive 5 is Roberts fifth release as a leader and is brimming with vitality and that certain pop of originality that separates the "artist" from the "musician…"

- Critical Jazz