Jazz Articles about Matthew Shipp
About Matthew Shipp
Instrument: Piano
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar ArtistsMatthew Shipp: Invisible Light - Live São Paulo
by Mark Corroto
Think About seeing someone perform with what looks to you like effortless joy. It may be how they glide across a stage, evenly cutting carrots, or nonchalantly pocket a foul ball. I hope you have noticed Matthew Shipp's studied casualness these past thirty-plus years of music making. His entire oeuvre of recordings and performances have set about achieving the goal of what the Chinese call wu-wei, which translates metaphorically into “not trying" or “not doing." In sports, when a shooter ...
read moreMatthew Shipp Trio: World Construct
by Karl Ackermann
Throughout his long and prolific career, Matthew Shipp has presented several different and impressive trio formations. Among the featured members have been bassists William Parker, and Joe Morris, and drummers Guillermo E. Brown, Whit Dickey, and Susie Ibarra. In 2015, two other premier players, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker stepped in as the rhythm section on The Conduct of Jazz (Thirsty Ear). Their fourth album as a unit, World Construct makes the group the most enduring of ...
read moreMy Conversation with Matthew Shipp
by AAJ Staff
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in June 1999. Society as a rule, in the nineties, has become so accustomed to being spoon-fed their opinions and their ideas that if Rosie or Oprah doesn't recommend it or some guy fails to give it a thumbs up, it is immediately dismissed. It seems individuality and creative thinking has gone out of fashion. So it is not surprising to me that you have artists ...
read moreMatthew Shipp: Codebreaker
by Karl Ackermann
An intrinsic value in Matthew Shipp's music is his insight into the language of his chosen profession. The processes that have led to one hundred years of change in jazz are embedded in his compositions and improvisations. More than a dozen solo piano albums into his thirty-five-year recording career, Codebreaker, Shipp's latest such effort, furthers his exceptional amalgam of spontaneous improvisation and historical authenticity. More concise than many of the pianist's projects, the compact pieces serve to highlight the expressive ...
read moreMatthew Shipp: Codebreaker
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Matthew Shipp has a habit of putting out piano solo and piano trio CDs in quick succession. In 2020, it was the solo set Piano Equation (Tao Forms) and the trio outing The Unidentifiable (ESP Disk). In 2021 he offers up Village Mothership (Tao Forms), a trio offering, and the solo set—and the subject of this review—Codebreaker. Shipp, at one point deep into a long career, threatened to fade off into retirement. That hasn't happened. In fact, ...
read moreThe Tao Of Matthew Shipp
by Mark Corroto
To borrow a line from Mark Twain, the reports of Matthew Shipp's retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Some years back, the pianist announced his retirement from recording, only to make a comeback. The second time he reiterated that statement, he told us that be would only be touring and playing solo concerts. Not quite “The Boy Who Cried Wolf" from Aesop's Fables, Shipp has backtracked from his earlier declarations. Maybe it was the pandemic and his inability to move about ...
read moreMatthew Shipp: Leonine Aspects
by Mark Corroto
Without exception, every time you encounter Leonine Aspects, you come away with a different experience. 'Encounter' not 'listen.' The word 'encounter' signifies both an engagement and a chance happening. Let's back up a bit. This duo between saxophonist Evan Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp was captured from a live performance on August 22, 2017 at Théatre de la Sinne in Mulhouse, France at the Festival Méréo. While the pair have performed together in differing settings, this is only their third ...
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