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Matthew Shipp

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory before making the decision to concentrate on his own music.

Mr Shipp has reached the holy grail of jazz in that he possesses a unique style on his instrument that is all of his own- and he's one of the few in jazz that can say so.

Mr. Shipp has recorded a lot of albums with many labels but his two most enduring relationships have been with two labels. In the 1990s he recorded a number of chamber jazz albums with Hatology, a group of recordings that charted a new course for jazz that, to this day, the jazz world has not realized. In the 2000s Mr Shipp has been curator and director of the label Thirsty Ear's "Blue Series" and has also recorded for them. In this collection of recordings he has generated a whole body of work that is visionary, far reaching and many faceted.

Matthew Shipp is truly one of the leading lights of a new generation of jazz giants.

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5
Album Review

Rich Halley: Fire Within

Read "Fire Within" reviewed by Troy Dostert


The cover and title of Rich Halley's latest, Fire Within, have a menacing edge, alerting us to the incendiary qualities that are always a part of the tenor saxophonist's music. But one of the remarkable things about Halley's output is that it is never one-dimensional; there are abundant nuances and surprises to keep a listener engaged, with plenty of rhythmic fervor and lyricism even amidst the more anarchic moments. And as he is united once again on his third outing ...

8
Album Review

Frode Gjerstad with Matthew Shipp: We Speak

Read "We Speak" reviewed by John Sharpe


While the combination of reedman Frode Gjerstad--the godfather of Norwegian free jazz who dwells about as far from the so-called Nordic sound as you can get--and pianist Matthew Shipp -whose lineage can be traced back through what he terms The Black Mystery School, which takes in Thelonious Monk, Mal Waldron and Randy Weston among others--might seem unlikely, it makes perfect sense when you hear it. From the first piece “About Music" on, it is clear that this pairing is not ...

10
Album Review

Rich Halley: Fire Within

Read "Fire Within" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


The name of free form saxophonist and raconteur Rich Halley may not roll off the tongue or be a secret G7 password, but he sure kicks up a lot of dust. Put him in the same room as piano slaying Matthew Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker and rest assured all hell will break loose. And when all hell breaks loose it sounds hydrogen-charged and animated like Fire Within--a runaround Hail Mary with a post-rock punch and ...

14
Album Review

Matthew Shipp & Mark Helias: The New Syntax

Read "The New Syntax" reviewed by John Sharpe


Pianist Matthew Shipp particularly favors the duo format. Among a discography of more than 300 entries are winning combinations with partners as varied as trumpeter Nate Wooley, violist Mat Maneri, and saxophonists Darius Jones, Rob Brown and Evan Parker. But he retains a special fondness for the bass/piano twosome, accounting for multiple meetings with longtime comrade William Parker and the current occupant of the bass chair in his trio, Michael Bisio. To that illustrious roster can also be added his ...

5
Album Review

Matthew Shipp Trio: Circular Temple

Read "Circular Temple" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


On a good day it is strenuous to stay current with pianist Matthew Shipp's imposing and voluminous output. On an even better day it is a fool's hardy errand to say the least. Now with the planned re-issuing of some of his great early deconstructions of musical thought and theory, starting here with 1990's daringly incongruous yet hypnotically accessible, Circular Temple, keeping up just got a whole lot harder. With William Parker on bass and Whit Dickey on ...

14
Album Review

Matthew Shipp: The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp

Read "The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


In a broad-themed 2023 interview with All About Jazz, Matthew Shipp described The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp as his “grand statement for who I am now." With this solo release, we have a time-stamp in the composer's constantly evolving portfolio. As we trace Shipp's music from his first solo work, Symbol Systems (No More Records, 1995), through a quarter century, a sense of composing and playing in the moment becomes career-defining. Shipp's musical explorations are location pins on terrains which ...

7
Album Review

Stephen Gauci / Francisco Mela / William Parker / Matthew Shipp: Live at Scholes Street Studio

Read "Live at Scholes Street Studio" reviewed by John Sharpe


Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci provokes blistering unfettered performances from the starry cast on another installment of Live At Scholes Street Studio. Gauci embodies a fierce DIY ethos which manifests in producing multiple concert series in NYC as well as releasing consequent material on his own label and posting video documentation on his website. On this occasion, he is joined by three storied veterans of the avant-jazz scene in pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Francisco Mela who bring ...

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1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe ...

1

Recording

Whit Dickey 2-CD 'Morph' with Matthew Shipp and Nate Wooley on ESP-DISK. Pre-Order Now.

Whit Dickey 2-CD 'Morph' with Matthew Shipp and Nate Wooley on ESP-DISK. Pre-Order Now.

Source: All About Jazz

Whit Dickey has been a quiet but brilliant presence on the New York avant-jazz scene since his discographical debut in 1991 on the legendary Matthew Shipp Trio album Circular Temple. In concert and on recordings in groups led by Shipp, David S. Ware, Ivo Perelman, Joe Morris, and Rob Brown, he built a reputation for distinctively space-filled, subtle rhythmic support, even as he was perfectly capable of muscling up when the music called for it. For some of the people ...

Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Matthew Shipp

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Matthew Shipp

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Today, StLJN's video spotlight is focused on pianist Matthew Shipp, who will be performing a solo concert presented by New Music Circle and Washington University on Friday, January 24 at 560 Music Center. Shipp also will present an “artist talk" that will be free and open to the public at 3:00 p.m. that Friday in room 102 of the Music Classroom Building on the Wash U campus. With a distinctive style that defies easy comparisons, Shipp has said he sees ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

2

Recording

Whit Dickey / Mat Maneri / Matthew Shipp Album To Be Released March 24 On AUM Fidelity

Whit Dickey / Mat Maneri / Matthew Shipp Album To Be Released March 24 On AUM Fidelity

Source: Steven Joerg

On March 24, AUM Fidelity will release Vessel in Orbit, the first new group music in over a decade from singular drummer-composer Whit Dickey. Created together with the impeccable improvisers Mat Maneri on viola and pianist Matthew Shipp, it is a richly melodic and deeply focused album; structural integrity and emotional resonance are paramount throughout. Each of these men has a lifetime commitment to creative music, and they share a musical relationship with one another that dates back decades. Dickey’s ...

2

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Jazz Musician of the Day: Matthew Shipp

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Matthew Shipp's birthday today!

Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S... Read more.

Place our Musician of ...

Photos

Concerts

Apr 26 Fri

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live in Carrboro

Soul City Sounds
2024

buy

No Subject

Brother Mister Productions
2023

buy

The Intrinsic Nature...

Mahakala Music
2023

buy

Circular Temple

ESP-Disk
2023

buy

Fire Within

Pine Eagle Records
2023

buy

Palimpsest

From: Pathways
By Matthew Shipp

Thesis

From: Duos With Mat Maneri & Joe...
By Matthew Shipp

4D

From: 4D
By Matthew Shipp

Videos

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