Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bobby Kapp / Matthew Shipp: Cactus

8

Bobby Kapp / Matthew Shipp: Cactus

By

View read count
Bobby Kapp / Matthew Shipp: Cactus
Drummer Bobby Kapp, free jazz spirit in New York in the mid-sixties, relocated to Mexico City, to the Artists' colony San Miguel de Allede. But he gets around, and on a return to New York he joined pianist Matthew Shipp to record a terrific set of duo improvisations called Cactus.

Shipp, the better-known half of the team, plays with a vehemence that parallels his public persona—a prickly, chip-on-the-shoulder, in-your-face approach, a sort of Randy Weston meets Cecil Taylor to and rub elbows with Bud Powell—if Powell had played with serious attitude. Kapp, for his part, rumbles and rolls, he whispers and shuffles. He rat-ta-tats to make you break into a dance step, and sometimes he stomps, and he may be the most simpatico band mate Shipp has ever worked with.

Shipp is prolific. His Wikipedia page list five releases in 2015, and they probably missed a couple. Kapp has available recordings with his Fine Wine Trio, a collaboration with free jazz saxophonist Noah Howard, and his 2015 offering, Cilia Sin Embargo (Self Produced).

Cactus opens with the eight and half minute "Overture," a frenetic improvisation full of angles, and a momentum that waxes and wanes. Shipp leaves more space than he normally does. He seems to search, discover, then explore new tangents. His normal percussive approach is leaner, crisper, as Kapp lays down a tight weave of textures. "Before" sounds composed. Shipp's left hands plays walking bass to Kapp's bright cymbal splashes. Kapp—like Billy Mintz and the late Paul Motian—is a rare drum kit poet. His melodic intro to "Money" is a divinely masterful ninety seconds, leading into Shipp's discombobulation of notes that gels into a compelling, light-stepping beauty.

Everything meshed on this set. Cactus proves itself cohesive CD full of unpretentious, adventurous, improvised beauty.

Track Listing

Overture; Before; During; Money; Cactus;After; Good Wood; Snow Storm Coming; Drum-a-Phone; The 3rd Sound.

Personnel

Bobby Kapp: drums; Matthew Shipp: piano

Album information

Title: Cactus | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Northern Spy

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.