Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Matthew Shipp: Piano Sutras
Matthew Shipp: Piano Sutras
ByAlthough at times certain nagging refrains and pounded patterns hint at other Shipp constructs, they spin off in new and unexpected combinations following their own internal logic. Taken together they form a suite like continuum, instantly recognizable due to Shipp's deeply personal synthesis of romantic shimmer, flinty undertow and rhythmic spasms. One of the pianist's enduring traits is his refusal to embrace linear narrative through the time honored sequence of theme and variations. Rather he prefers to juxtapose and contrast ideas, rarely settling into a sustained groove. While the thirteen cuts may not inspire whistling along, many of the pieces boast a particularly lyrical core. In fact the blues tinged opening figure of "Blue To A Point" may be as near to convention as Shipp gets. However few would dare belay the point as obsessively as he does at the end of "Fragment Of A Whole" when a Baroque feel gives way to flowing exposition and a dramatic pummeled ending on a single note.
Two standards break the mold, forming brief homages to the tradition. At just over a minute, there is just time for Shipp to delicately gambol twice through the theme of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," showing no inclination whatsoever to extemporize on the notoriously restless chord changes. But to focus on facility misses the point. Later in the program, Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti" fulfils a comparable function, acting as melodic milestones in a brooding compelling journey which is well worth the effort.
Track Listing
Piano Sutras; Cosmic Shuffle; Surface to Curve; Blue To A Point; Cosmic Dust; Giant Steps; Uncreated Light; Fragment Of A Whole; Space Bubble; Nefertiti; Angelic Brain Cell; Silent Cube; The Indivisible.
Personnel
Matthew Shipp
pianoMatthew Shipp: piano.
Album information
Title: Piano Sutras | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Thirsty Ear Recordings
< Previous
The Glenn Miller Orchestra: In the Mood
Next >
Alla Drommars Sang