Matthew Shipp

Matthew Shipp is the American Piano Jazz Mature Secret

In the shadow of Cecil Taylor and Keith Jarrett, he has played out his individuality through three decades. He can be described as a cross between the two giants, but he exceeds both, with its ownership of the blues and the free expression's inherent possibilities. - Arild R. Andersen,

The Conduct of Jazzrelease date, October 23^rd

Artist's Choice: Matthew Shipp on Third Stream Piano

By Matthew Shipp
Third Stream was an inevitable movement in jazz. All music is synthesis, including jazz, but it seems like an even more conscious attempt to combine European practices with Afro-American music had to occur sooner or later, hence the Third Stream movement. Whatever one’s take on Third Stream, it generated a lot of interesting plots and subplots and put the information out there that allows a more natural combination of the idioms to occur with improvisers today.

Matthew Shipp: Photo Peter Gannushkin

“Beresith”
Dennis Sandole Project
Michael Grossman, piano
A Sandole Trilogy (Cadence Jazz, 1995)
Dennis Sandole—a jazz guitarist, composer, theorist and teacher who taught John Coltrane, among others—never belonged to any school or movement. But he composed rigorous music, and this polytonal panharmonic solo piano piece has the ring of a 20th-century masterpiece.

“Chromatic Universe, Part 2”
George Russell and His Orchestra
Paul Bley, Bill Evans; piano
Jazz in the Space Age (Decca, 1960)
Composer George Russell was a cohort of Gunther Schuller, the composer and theorist credited with organizing the Third Stream movement, and the duo of Paul Bley and Bill Evans is a Third Stream piano dream.

“Variants on a Theme of John Lewis:
Variant 1”
Composed by Gunther Schuller
Bill Evans, piano
John Lewis Presents Contemporary Music: Jazz
Abstractions (Atlantic, 1960)
John Lewis Presents Contemporary Music: Jazz Abstractions, regarded as a quintessential Third Stream album, primarily features music composed by Gunther Schuller, performed by players including Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Jim Hall, Scott LaFaro and Bill Evans. “Variant 1” is here because of the overall effect, in which the piano just adds color.

“Off Minor”
Ran Blake
Epistrophy (Soul Note, 1992)
Ran Blake is another pianist indelibly connected to Third Stream. He studied with Gunther Schuller and went on to become founding chair of the Third Stream department at New England Conservatory. Here is Blake interpreting his major influence—Monk—in a pointillistic way.

Read more: http://jazztimes.com/articles/71865-artist-s-choice-matthew-shipp-on-third-stream-piano

Matthew Shipp On Piano Jazz

by ALFRED TURNER

Critics and fans have used a host of words to describe the compositions of this week's guest, composer/pianist Matthew Shipp. The Wilmington, Del., native's music has been called inventive, free, challenging, rich, tapestry-like and playful. But the most common descriptor is "unique" — a great word to describe this session of Piano Jazz.

At the beginning of the session he tells Marian McPartland, "I like to be felt. If I'm successful ... it hits people on many different levels."

There are many different emotional strands in Shipp's music, and one can hear his roots quite clearly, ranging from his interest in the organ music played at the Episcopal Church of his youth, to the classical lessons he began at age five, the diverse jazz recordings his parents collected (which Shipp started devouring when he was 12) and his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music.

The session features three of Shipp's compositions. He solos on "Module," as well as "Patmos," a tune that paints a very clear scene for McPartland: "I actually get a picture of some people in a forest, walking through the trees." Their duet on "Gamma Ray" is something of a departure from Shipp's often dramatic style, with its playfulness andThelonius Monk-like angularity.

When Shipp plays the standards he offers startling revelations. "Angel Eyes" expands with thick chords and rumbling arpeggios, creating dramatic tension and release. He inspires McPartland to take a page from his notebook when she plays Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley," her solid left hand often providing counterpoint to the melodic inventions she hangs on what Shipp calls Ellington's "rock-solid backbone."

McPartland's "Portrait of Matthew" also incorporates some of Shipp's style, painting a complex and thoughtful portrait of him. Afterwards, she tells him, "It's inspiring to hear someone like you play, because it does make me sort of think differently."

McPartland and Shipp play three other duets, including the Gershwin classic "Summertime," which transforms into a classically-inspired fantasia, as well as John Coltrane's "Naima." They close with an inspired "C-Jam Blues," an almost baroque, bluesy fugue that alternately walks, skips, strolls and struts.

Originally recorded March 7, 2006.
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/13/112931672/matthew-shipp-on-piano-jazz

Exclusive Album Preview: Matthew Shipp’s The Art of the Improviser

Matthew Shipp
Art of the Improviser
Thirsty Ear : 2011

MS, piano.

Our mini-festival around pianist and composer Matthew Shipp continues with a preview of his upcoming albumArt of the Improviser. This wonderful double-disc set marks Shipp’s 50th birthday and serves as a sort of career summation. Comprised of two live discs — one with a new acoustic trio and another solo — it features such early compositions as “Circular Temple,” alongside favorite standards including “Take the A Train,” and newer compositions like “4D.”

Shipp has released a prodigious number of albums in a remarkable variety of contexts. It can be daunting to keep up with him. For those who are new to his music or haven’t checked in for a while, Art of the Improviserpromises to be a revelation. It’s both a good introduction and an ideal place to reconnect with his work. Over the past decade, Shipp’s music has undergone a quiet and profound metamorphosis — boldly incorporating elements of groove, repetition, and melody in surprising new configurations.

track attributes. “Wholetone” is a striking new composition that’s daring in its use of insistent repetition, deceptively simple riffs, almost classical textures, and sly dissonance. The opening bass vamp grounds the tune and demands attention, while the rest of the performance deploys various strategies to wonderfully complicate the tune’s dramatic refrain. Forgive the abrupt ending — on the disc, it segues directly into the next track.

From: http://destination-out.com/?p=2290

Matthew Shipp....

Critics and fans have used a host of words to describe the compositions of this week's guest, composer/pianist Matthew Shipp. The Wilmington, Del., native's music has been called inventive, free, challenging, rich, tapestry-like and playful. But the most common descriptor is "unique" — a great word to describe this session of Piano Jazz.

At the beginning of the session he tells Marian McPartland, "I like to be felt. If I'm successful ... it hits people on many different levels."

There are many different emotional strands in Shipp's music, and one can hear his roots quite clearly, ranging from his interest in the organ music played at the Episcopal Church of his youth, to the classical lessons he began at age five, the diverse jazz recordings his parents collected (which Shipp started devouring when he was 12) and his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. The session features three of Shipp's compositions. He solos on "Module," as well as "Patmos," a tune that paints a very clear scene for McPartland: "I actually get a picture of some people in a forest, walking through the trees." Their duet on "Gamma Ray" is something of a departure from Shipp's often dramatic style, with its playfulness and Thelonius Monk-like angularity. When Shipp plays the standards he offers startling revelations. "Angel Eyes" expands with thick chords and rumbling arpeggios, creating dramatic tension and release. He inspires McPartland to take a page from his notebook when she plays Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley," her solid left hand often providing counterpoint to the melodic inventions she hangs on what Shipp calls Ellington's "rock-solid backbone."

McPartland's "Portrait of Matthew" also incorporates some of Shipp's style, painting a complex and thoughtful portrait of him. Afterwards, she tells him, "It's inspiring to hear someone like you play, because it does make me sort of think differently." McPartland and Shipp play three other duets, including the Gershwin classic "Summertime," which transforms into a classically-inspired fantasia, as well as John Coltrane's "Naima." They close with an inspired "C-Jam Blues," an almost baroque, bluesy fugue that alternately walks, skips, strolls and struts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112931672&ft=1&f=10002

Matthew Shipp Quartet

Matthew Shipp: piano
Daniel Carter: sax
William Parker: bass
Gerald Cleaver: drums