The Musings of Matthew Shipp: Black Mystery School Pianists And Other Writings

Black Mystery School Pianists And Other Writings
Matthew Shipp
93 Pages
ISBN: # 978-1-57027-435-0
Automedia
2025

Whether you own one Matthew Shipp album or 250, his music inevitably raises the question: Where does his artistic vision originate? Understanding any artist is complex, but with someone as innovative as Shipp, deciphering his musical DNA is an especially intriguing pursuit.

Anyone who has followed Shipp on social media knows he is an outspoken critic—not just of American conservative politics but also of conservatism within jazz itself. To say he is unfiltered would be an understatement. In interviews, he has never hesitated to critique presidents, "neo-con" musicians, and the institutions that uphold the status quo.

This slim volume collects Shipp's writings, along with a transcript of his 2017 lecture at John Zorn's performance space, The Stone. The introduction, written by poet Yuko Otomo (partner of the late Steve Dalachinsky), sets the stage by recalling her first encounter with Shipp as a 23-year-old pianist in New York's East Village in 1983. She paints a vivid picture of the creative energy that defined the city's Lower East Side in the 1980s and '90s—a time of post-punk music, street art, affordable rents, and a vibrant club and dance scene. It was also home to a thriving community of avant-garde musicians, including William Parker, John Zorn, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, and Jemeel Moondoc.

Shipp arrived in this artistic crucible with a background in classical training and a deep love of jazz, instilled by his parents. His mother, a friend of Clifford Brown (a fellow Wilmington, Delaware native), introduced him to the music early on. Though he studied at the University of Delaware and the New England Conservatory, he ultimately chose to develop his craft organically. His early meeting with bassist William Parker on the Lower East Side sparked a collaboration that has lasted nearly four decades. Over the years, Shipp's name has become synonymous with groundbreaking work alongside musicians like Rob Brown, David S. Ware, Roscoe Mitchell, Ivo Perelman, Evan Parker, and Joe Morris.

Much of his career has been explored in previous books, including Logos and Language: A Post-Jazz Metaphorical Dialogue (RogueArt, 2008) by Steve Dalachinsky and Singularity Codex: Matthew Shipp on RogueArt (RogueArt, 2023) by Clifford Allen. But this collection offers something different—Shipp's thoughts in his own words.

The book features personal reflections on musicians he admires, diary-style notes from his tours, musings on the connection between boxing and jazz, life in New York, and his ongoing philosophical exploration of improvisation.

Shipp profiles a range of influential figures, including David S. Ware, Wayne Shorter, Paul Bley, Dennis Sandole, Sun Ra, Roscoe Mitchell, and Thelonious Monk. Ware is an obvious inclusion, as Shipp spent 16 years in his quartet alongside Parker and a rotating cast of drummers. That experience was pivotal in shaping Shipp's artistic path, reinforcing the lineage between jazz's forebears and his own creative explorations. Sandole, Shipp's former teacher and mentor, also guided John Coltrane and Shipp's contemporary Rob Brown. His admiration for Shorter, Bley, Mitchell, Monk, and Ra is clear—all of them, like Shipp, are instantly recognizable after just a few notes.

In the title essay, Shipp expands on his philosophy, writing, "Mystery School pianists have developed profound ways of generating sound out of the instrument, grounded in a technique they invented—one that cannot be taught in school." Though his music is now studied in academic settings, he designates Monk as the spiritual father of this lineage. His list of Mystery School pianists includes eight core members, with a few tentative additions. Interestingly, his definition excludes most free jazz pianists but does include Cecil Taylor and, at times, Dave Burrell—depending on the context. It's an argument that provides ample material for debate.

The book's remaining essays and the Zero Lecture delve into Shipp's search for the deeper mysteries of improvisation. He draws on a broad spectrum of influences—Christian and non-Christian spirituality, science, and mathematics. Between allusions to angels and DNA, he hints at a discovery that transcends known dimensions. His concept of "Zero" parallels the way the Sumerians first defined the numeral in ancient Babylon—something seemingly nonexistent to the Greeks before them. In this metaphor, Shipp's music, like zero, is both nowhere and everywhere, waiting to be uncovered.