Hank Roberts

For over four decades, Hank Roberts has forged a critically acclaimed distinctive voice in the world of improvised music — a cellist, composer, and vocalist whose playing moves fluidly between jazz, abstract improvisation, soulful folk melody, and vigorous rock songcraft. Based in Ithaca, NY since 1989, he currently leads the Hank Roberts Trio with drummer Ashley Ickes and pianist Chad Lieberman, whose debut recording, Wildflowers, was released in 2026.

Roberts made his name on the legendary New York Downtown scene of the 1980s, working alongside frequent collaborators like Tim Berne, who he has maintained a working relationship with through touring and recording since 1978, and Bill Frisell, whose friendship and musical partnership dates back to 1975. He remains a member of Frisell’s ‘Harmony’, ‘858’, and ‘In My Dreams’ groups, and has appeared on numerous recordings and world tours with him, including the recent Blue Note release, ‘In My Dreams’, and the Grammy-winning ‘Unspeakable’.

Roberts has recorded more than a dozen albums as a leader, along with countless recordings as a collaborator and sideman. His 2008 release Green, with Jim Black and Marc Ducret, won that year’s German Recording Critics’ Award in the Jazz category — the New York Times’ Ben Ratliff wrote that “there’s a wisdom and patience and catholicity in this record… it’s all one song, goes the hip musician’s cliché, but Mr. Roberts walks that walk.” In 2022, Roberts won DownBeat Magazine’s Critics’ Award for Rising Star in the Miscellaneous Instrument (cello) category.

“There’s a wisdom and patience and catholicity in this record (‘Green’). ‘It’s all one song,’ goes the hip musician’s cliché, but Mr. Roberts walks that walk.” –Ben Ratliff, NY Times

Today, Roberts’ focus is close to home: composing for and performing with his trio around the Finger Lakes region, and finding a place in the world for Wildflowers, an album he considers among the most personal recordings of his career.