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Matthew Shipp - Rob Brown: Then Now
The eight improvised pieces acknowledge the complexities of language that Shipp and Brown have individually developed over time but, in each case, a lyrical and accessible foundation supports the music. Rumbling turbulence often beaks the surface within individual pieces such as "Then Now #2" and "Then Now #8" but, overall, that is not the demeanor of the album. The clarity with which Brown and Shipp express their improvised ideas is prominent. Most intriguing is "Then Now #4"; Brown's impassioned alto lines resist Shipp's bifurcated clips at the keyboard before yielding to the intensity. Both players get a solo track; Shipp on the very brief "Then Now #5" and Brown on "Then Now #7."
Then Now is uncompromising; the improvisations do not resolve but ceaselessly and blissfully vacillate from one sequence of concepts to another. If there is a strategy here, and it is not at all clear there is, it could be capitalizing on Shipp's and Brown's ability to focus deeply and at length on the aggregate elements of their music without losing sight of each other. There are no premeditated tête-à-têtes between the two, but a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors, some in hushed tones, others in gasps. Then Now is strikingly difficult and melodically elegant in equal measure.
Track Listing
Then Now #1 - #8.
Personnel
Matthew Shipp
piano
Rob Brown
saxophone, altoAlbum information
Title: Then Now | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Rogue Art
About Matthew Shipp
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