The Blue Series Continuum

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The Blue Series Continuum: Sorceror Sessions

by Rex Butters
January 10, 2004

On Sorcerer Sessions, longtime fans of Matthew Shipp will recognize the dense, jagged boulder chords and conceptions that defined his musical world prior to his temporary “retirement” at 38. His music often featured thick dark dramatic playing and compositions, a main course that became a seasoning on Shipp’s recent Thirsty Ear collaborations. Now the same Shipp of large hands and aspirations comes out of retirement with this new collection. He’s joined by old friends Gerald Cleaver and William Parker, and ...

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The Blue Series Continuum: Sorceror Sessions

by Jerry D'Souza
November 25, 2003

Wave the wand, play the piano, get a violin, riff the bass, filter in some programming, add a new voice through the clarinet and its lower register bass sibling, and presto! Music that bewitches in the guile of its compositions and the spirit of its players.

The group rather vaguely known as the Blue Series Continuum features the music of Matthew Shipp on its debut, Sorceror Sessions. Shipp’s music weaves it’s customary web of enticement as his muse ...

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The Blue Series Continuum: Sorcerer Sessions

by AAJ Staff
November 5, 2003

This is the second attack of Thirsty Ear's Blue Series Continuum, and quite honestly a big step beyond the Good and Evil Sessions that preceded it. Matthew Shipp jumps into the subtitle ("Featuring the Music of...") and apparently the compositional helm as well. Instead of the brass-heavy action from last time, the Sorcerer Sessions balance things out much more evenly with violin and clarinet (Daniel Bernard Roumain and Evan Ziporyn, respectively) and a real drummer, Gerald Cleaver. FLAM, the shadow ...

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The Blue Series Continuum: Good And Evil Sessions

by AAJ Staff
October 6, 2003

It's been done before, but there's an ample amount of self-promotion involved with a group named after a record label--especially when that group only appears on that label, and when it spotlights the label's A&R man. In this particular case we're talking about Thirsty Ear's Blue Series imprint, home for its so-called Blue Series Continuum, prominently featuring Matthew Shipp. In this, its first incarnation, the group also embraces Danny Blume and Chris Kelly, two musicians collectively known as Good and ...

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The Blue Series Continuum: Good and Evil Sessions

by Farrell Lowe
July 25, 2003

Upon first listen, this disc might seem a bit lackluster and a step back from the forefront of cutting- edge jazz that Thirsty Ear has recently delved into with great success... then further investigation reveals its emotional depth and simon-pure nature.

The Good and Evil Sessions represents a collaboration between the production team of Good and Evil (Danny Blume and Chris Kelly) and the crew of usual TE suspects in Matthew Shipp, Roy Campell, and William Parker, plus trombonists Alex ...