Kirk Knuffke Trio - Gravity Without Airs

Styles: Cornet Jazz
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 90:23
Size: 208,4 MB
Art: Front

(11:37) 1. Gravity Without Airs
( 5:39) 2. Stars Go Up
( 4:28) 3. Between Today and May
( 6:43) 4. The Sun Is Always Shining
( 8:44) 5. Birds of Passage
( 6:12) 6. Time Is Another River
( 2:52) 7. Paint Pale Silver
( 4:21) 8. The Water Will Win
( 9:56) 9. June Stretched
( 6:08) 10. Blinds
( 6:22) 11. Piece of Sky
( 5:59) 12. Shadows to Dance
( 7:17) 13. Heal the Roses
( 4:00) 14. Today for Today

An adventurous improviser with a fat, warm tone, cornetist Kirk Knuffke takes his bold jazz style to another level on 2022's Gravity Without Airs. The Colorado-born/New York-based Knuffke has carved out a distinctive niche in the modern jazz landscape with his artful duo and trio albums. He has also been a vital member of creative ensembles like drummer Matt Wilson's Big Happy Family and drummer Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom. Here, he is joined by two stellar veteran performers in pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio, essentially two-thirds of Shipp's trio as of 2009 (minus drummer Newman Taylor-Baker). Knuffke's pairing here with Shipp feels intrinsic and spiritually connected to the pianist's early work as a member of saxophonist David S. Ware's ensembles.

What's particularly engaging about the group's work is just how organically balanced it is. While Knuffke certainly grabs the lion's share of the spotlight, many of his compositions hinge upon the trio's dynamic interplay and the raw, textural landscapes they carve out together. In fact, the first sound you hear on the opening title track is a scratchy, strummed chord from Bisio that Shipp quickly augments with an airy, off-kilter harmony. All of this leads to Knuffke's mournful, breathy entrance, his minor-key melody a streak of golden light in the trio's swirling storm clouds.

They sustain an equally imagistic vibe throughout the rest of the album, straddling the line between free-jazz tone poems and moody, architectural chamber jazz. Knuffke is a dynamic soloist with a style that can be bluesy and linear one minute and fractured and full of spatter-paint squelch the next. It's a sound that brings to mind the work of legendary Italian free jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava, especially recalling his classic 1975 ECM date The Pilgrim and The Stars. On Gravity Without Airs, Knuffke and his trio grab your ears with a tactile beauty.By Matt Collor
https://www.allmusic.com/album/gravity-without-airs-mw0003720607

Personnel: Kirk Knuffke: cornet, compositions; Michael Bisio: bass; Matthew Shipp: piano

Gravity Without Airs

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Matthew Shipp - I've Been To Many Places

Size: 137,6 MB
Time: 58:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Piano, Modern Jazz
Art: Front

01. I've Been To Many Places (5:21)
02. Summertime (4:32)
03. Brain Stem Grammer (3:58)
04. Pre Formal (1:57)
05. Web Play (3:31)
06. Tenderly (2:56)
07. Life Cycle (4:23)
08. Brain Shatter (3:48)
09. Symbolic Access (3:51)
10. Waltz (2:00)
11. Reflex (3:15)
12. Naima (4:18)
13. Where Is The Love (1:26)
14. Light Years (3:13)
15. Where Is The Love (Reprise) (2:28)
16. Blue Astral Bodies (3:37)
17. Cosmic Wave (4:03)

But is it Jazz? That question gets lobbed at pianist Matthew Shipp's music all the time. Perhaps, "propelled" or "launched" are better terms. His approach to music, whether working with saxophonists David S. Ware and Ivo Perelman or with DJs, is to play authentic music, that which is a bona fide representation of his nature, or better yet his soul. This solo offering, I've Been To Many Places delves deep into that spirit and does (depending on where you stand) nothing, or everything to resolve the question, "is it jazz?"

Shipp is (has been) a lightning rod for neocon reaction to his music. Maybe it's their defining jazz music by a certain set a parameters that actually limits the creativity. Same criticisms were once tossed at Thelonious Monk, Cecil Taylor, and Keith Jarrett. Shipp's music is original, intriguing, and always outré. He reveals his genetic code with original music and covers of John Coltrane's "Naima" and George Gershwin's "Summertime," plus the pop tunes "Where Is The Love" (from the 1970s) and "Tenderly" (1946). Heard here, the pianist reconfigures sound like writer Colson Whitehead reimagines the zombie apocalypse.

In a solitary setting, Shipp lays out the architectonics of his music and the standards are a guide. "Summertime" opens with the familiar, before flowering into a thunderous open- ended expedition. Same for "Naima," which is reimagined as Béla Bartók might have. Shipp lays these out as guides so that when he conjures his original pieces like "Symbolic Access" and "Reflex," the language doesn't change, just the listener's familiarity with the composition. He plays "Waltz" like Bill Evans' "Waltz For Debby" as comfort food for the ears, a familiar road that also leads into his personal forest. The careful mix of recognizable with the original can draw the new listener in, like his soulful take on Roberta Flack's hit "Where Is The Love." But it's the unique pieces that bring everything into perspective. The pianist's piano language is pioneering, unconventional, and well, isn't that a working definition of jazz? ~Mark Corroto

I've Been To Many Places

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Matthew Shipp - By the Law of Music

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:47
Size: 140,6 MB
Art: Front

(0:17)  1. Signal
(2:51)  2. By The Law of Music
(6:58)  3. Implicit
(5:00)  4. Fair Play
(6:45)  5. Grid
(3:05)  6. Whole Movement
(7:56)  7. Game of Control
(4:21)  8. Point to Point
(3:28)  9. P X
(5:36) 10. Grid
(5:05) 11. Coo
(4:31) 12. X Z U
(4:53) 13. Solitude

This is a reissue of the original 1996 Hat Art recording. Yet, pianist Matthew Shipp has gone on to release umpteenth solo outings besides his intermittent performances with bassist William Parker and violinist Mat Maneri. Other than the trio’s rather abstract rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Solitude,” Shipp composed the remaining twelve pieces. They venture into what has now become familiar territory where the band delves into microtonal patterns, and shifting tonalities. The trio also implements various odd-metered time signatures amid a matrix-like platform. The album title might serve as an antithesis to the musicians’ musical output. As they seemingly defy the laws of music via sequences of counterbalancing motifs, and free form improv interspersed with John Cage-like concepts. On “Fair Play,” Parker establishes a fervent pace due to his steady, walking bass lines as Shipp and Maneri render interweaving statements that develop into subsequent mini-motifs. Otherwise, the respective musicians have made signifcant advances since the onset of this release. Recommended. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/by-the-law-of-music-matthew-shipp-hat-hut-records-review-by-glenn-astarita.php?width=1920

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano;  William Parker: bass;   Mat Maneri : violin.

By the Law of Music

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David S. Ware Quartet - Wisdom of Uncertainty

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:36
Size: 144,0 MB
Art: Front

(12:44)  1. Acclimation
( 7:46)  2. Antidromic
(15:33)  3. Utopic
( 7:16)  4. Alignment
( 7:41)  5. Sunbows Rainsets Blue
(11:33)  6. Continuum

The first recorded appearance of drummer Susie Ibarra with the David S. Ware Quartet is an auspicious one to be sure. Her contrasting style with former drummer Whit Dickey is one of both physicality and fluidity. Ibarra is a far more physical drummer than Dickey is, and is given to deep rhythmic grooves that produce dance-like flourishes in her accents and fills. How that affects the band is obvious from the opening bars of "Acclimation," where her snare and cymbal work set the pace for Ware, who enters singing. Shipp carries in a seriously blues-inflected chordal series of minor thirds and sixths, and Parker is happier than a clam, as his full physical manner of playing is given depth and breadth here. The band charges Ware's compositions (yes compositions), cornering the tiger in them, only to let it loose again in order to chase it down. There is a brightness and fullness in Ibarra's approach that offers Ware more room to fluctuate in his legato phrasing, turning it over and moving through a series of obligato and even ostinatos in his melodic workups and in his solos -- check the long breaks in "Utopic" and "Continuum." Likewise, Shipp is free to rumble around in the deep registers of the piano he so enjoys, as he does on the opener and "Antidromic." His blocky style is far more fluid on this recording, as it shifts its right hands maneuvers with Ibarra's angular accents and around the kit flails and rolls check her solo in "Utopic." This is a record that sings; its song is a wild and wooly one to be sure, but it is a giant leap compositionally for Ware, and for the ensemble with its new drummer. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/wisdom-of-uncertainty-mw0000031416

Personnel:  David S. Ware – tenor sax;  Matthew Shipp – piano;  William Parker – bass;  Susie Ibarra – drums

Wisdom of Uncertainty

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David S. Ware Quartet - Corridors & Parallels

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:55
Size: 112,1 MB
Art: Front

( 1:20)  1. Untitled
(10:02)  2. Straight Track
( 4:22)  3. Jazz Sci-Fi
( 5:58)  4. Superimposed
( 3:08)  5. Sound-a-Bye
( 0:37)  6. Untitled
( 8:59)  7. Corridors & Parallels
( 3:11)  8. Somewhere
( 3:17)  9. Spaces Embraces
( 6:07) 10. Mother May You Rest in Bliss
( 1:48) 11. Untitled

On Corridors & Parallels, you can almost feel tenor saxophonist David S. Ware reaching for the sky. It's a high-octane experience. His yearning, seeking vision on the horn always aims for new heights, and on this record he definitely manages to get just a little closer. The new David S. Ware Quartet record distinguishes itself from the first 12 (!!) with the following two features: * it includes electronic music for the first time; and * it represents Ware's big "comeback" from his major label contract.

About that first part, don't be fearful: Matthew Shipp has figured out how to play the synthesizer just fine. And about the second, be joyous: those corporate tentacles always reach into nooks and crannies and manage to smooth out hard edges where they're most needed. Music always works better when those evil tentacles disappear from the scene, in this listener's opinion. It's hard to classify Corridors & Parallels because the record has so many unexpected angles and quirks. "Superimposed," for example, is a duet between Shipp and Ware. Shipp plays a pre-programmed rhythm track along with additional elements dynamically added live. Meanwhile Ware wastes no time in this context to draw ever-narrowing circles of light, but his integration into the rhythmic feel of the piece is patently devoted. (On other tunes, real live drummer Guillermo E. Brown makes himself quite visible. Brown's prowess and versatility are dumbfounding throughout Corridors & Parallels. It's been said before, but the world of music needs more from Guillermo E. Brown. As Ware put it in typical understatement last we talked, "Guillermo can play the drums." Indeed.) Only one tune after "Superimposed," "Sound-A-Bye" takes an eastern drone effect to its physical and virtual limits. Here Ware challenges the stereotype that his music must always be fast and furious; and the argument is quite compelling. Bells, gongs, and church-like keyboards accompany Ware on a five-minute excursion through just about as many notes. (And that's not under-exaggerating by much.) About Shipp's melodic synthesizer on Corridors & Parallels : it's generally not terribly polyphonic, and he generally doesn't change voices midway through a piece. That, of course, converts Shipp's role from the wildly unpredictable, explosive human dynamo to the pensive and taciturn commentator. He's an extremely smart player, so he adapts well to the new role. It's interesting. It works. When he chooses to play synth drums, the product can be so good it fools the human ear into thinking about drum kits. (Fooled mine on "Superimposed," until I learned the truth.) Ware has invaded a new dimension of sound on Corridors & Parallels. He's making more use textured drumming, including Guillermo Brown's many colors of expression, and he's reinvented Shipp's role in the group. This new effort is a fine record: a living document of an group in flux, and a stand-alone work of art. It will be quite revealing to hear what happens next after such a dramatic change. This is living, breathing music. ~ AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/corridors-and-parallels-aum-fidelity-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: David S. Ware: tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp: synthesizer; William Parker: bass; Guillermo E. Brown: drums.

Corridors & Parallels

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Ivo Perelman - Cama De Terra

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:56
Size: 130,5 MB
Art: Front

(0:47)  1. Soundcheck
(2:58)  2. One converse
(4:37)  3. To another
(8:51)  4. Nho quim
(5:37)  5. Spiral
(3:54)  6. Adriana
(4:54)  7. Groundswell Descent
(3:50)  8. Dedos
(2:40)  9. Elephants Have Brains
(9:24) 10. Cama de terra
(6:19) 11. The Dark of Day

In the mid- to late 1990s, Ivo Perelman was recording frequently and freelancing for more than a few independent labels. So many trips to the studio might have been overkill for less interesting players, but Perelman had so much to say musically that it was good to see him being extensively documented. To his credit, he kept things unpredictable by recording in a variety of settings. 

Cama De Terra found the tenor explorer in a drumless trio with bassist William Parker and the Cecil Taylor-influenced pianist Matthew Shipp, both of whom communicate with him splendidly on such absorbing Perelman compositions as the dusky "Elephants Have Brains," the chaotic "Spiral" and the angular "To Another." A very dark and lonely ballad, "Adriana" is one of the most moving songs Perelman has ever written. ~ Alex Henderson https://www.allmusic.com/album/cama-de-terra-mw0000086473

Personnel: Ivo Perelman - tenor sax;  Matthew Shipp - piano;  William Parker - bass

Cama De Terra

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Matthew Shipp Quartet - Our Lady of the Flowers

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:09
Size: 157,5 MB
Art: Front

( 7:02)  1. Atomic Note
( 5:17)  2. New Tension
( 7:37)  3. A Different Plane
( 8:26)  4. From The Beyond
( 4:23)  5. Silence Blooms
( 6:45)  6. Irrational
(11:02)  7. Our Lady of the Flowers
( 7:40)  8. Gasp
( 8:55)  9. Cosmic Joke

Our Lady Of The Flowers, titled in homage to French writer Jean Genet, constitutes the second disc by Declared Enemy, a familiar foursome convened by pianist Matthew Shipp. That association apart, the participants share a lot of history together. As a result they move like a finely tuned machine with well oiled parts through a program of nine selections credited to the pianist, but which sound like group inventions. And those parts are magnificent. Drummer Gerald Cleaver creates a chattering pulse fashioned from interlocking lines from disparate elements of his kit, while bassist William Parker majors on ferocious momentum, leavened by the occasional melodic serenade. Shipp propounds his utterly distinctive style, with nagging motifs prominent, though he reins in his customary explosions. Rounding out the ensemble on reeds, Sabir Mateen generates a palpable emotional charge through his surging forays into the altissimo registers. In a trope familiar from other sessions, Shipp varies the instrumentation between tracks, resulting in five full quartet numbers, one trio, two duets, and one solo. Parker engages in the knotty "Silence Blooms" unaccompanied. On "New Tension" the dynamic becomes more conversational, as the quicksilver duet between Shipp and Mateen's clarinet is by turns ethereal, querulous and relaxed. But that's not the only game plan in play. 

Elsewhere a slightly different approach manifests, such that in "Irrational," the duet between Shipp and Cleaver resembles a pair of parallel monologues. It's a choice borne out of experience rather than any deficit of communication. And one that makes this a raw yet sophisticated performance in which no-one worries unduly about matching or mirroring. The consequent sense of creative dissonance pervades the album. Even though the quartet pieces tend to be dense everyone proves adept at allowing enough space for each other without compromising their own direction. Listen to Shipp behind Mateen on "Atomic Note." Comping doesn't get anywhere near describing the complexity of what the pianist is doing, let alone considering Cleaver and Parker's contributions. Mateen himself generates an exciting fluent stream of consciousness, into which he sometimes interjects practiced blues inflected licks to relaunch his exhortations, as on the choppy dancing "Gasp." A lovely moment ensues on the ballad like "A Different Plane" when, after his breathy vibrato laden tenor vies in spirited dialogue with Shipp's piano, he enjoys a falsetto passage which finally tumbles down through the treble clef. "From The Beyond" begins as a tête-à-tête between Parker's arco and Mateen's tenor, before the bassist's urgent sawing is picked up first in a drum tattoo, and then by Shipp's pummeling which ignites the saxophonist into a powerful incantation. The piece ends with an extended drum and bass repeat, until finally Parker's bowing sees out the cut alone. It's just one example among many of the potent full on free jazz which characterizes this date. ~ John Sharpe https://www.allaboutjazz.com/our-lady-of-the-flowers-matthew-shipp-rogueart-records-review-by-john-sharpe.php

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano; Sabir Mateen: tenor saxophone, clarinet; William Parker: double bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Our Lady of the Flowers

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Ivo Perelman - Book Of Sound

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:23
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

( 7:22)  1. Damnant Quod Non Intelligunt
( 4:51)  2. Candor Dat Viribus Alas
( 8:30)  3. De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum
( 9:36)  4. Adsummum
( 8:24)  5. Adde Parvum Parvo Magnus Acervus Erit
(13:37)  6. Veritas Vos Liberabit

Brazilian tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is a remarkably productive recording artist known for combining simple Brazilian folk themes with the techniques of free jazz. While he plays well in the heavily distorted, abstract-expressionist vein first tapped in the '60s by the Albert Ayler, he also fits nicely alongside his similarly inclined contemporaries like Elliott Levin and Ken Simon. Born in Sao Paulo in 1961, Perelman played classical guitar, cello, clarinet, trombone, and piano while growing up. At the age of 19 he adopted the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument. After arriving in the U.S., he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston for a semester before dropping out (Perelman is purportedly a mostly self-taught player). Perelman's travels took him to Los Angeles in 1986, where he studied privately and performed. His first album, Ivo from 1989, featured an all-star cast that included drummer Peter Erskine, bassist John Patitucci, percussionist Airto, and vocalist Flora Purim, among others. Also around this time, Perelman relocated to New York. During the '90s, he founded his own Ibeji label, releasing albums like Soccer Land and Tapeba Songs. Ever explorative, in 1997 Perelman combined Jewish music and avant-garde jazz, making En Adir: Traditional Jewish Songs for the Music & Arts label. Quite prolific, Perelman recorded often with players of the avant-garde; he's made albums with the bassist Dominic Duval, pianist Borah Bergman, drummers Rashied Ali and Jay Rosen, and pianists Marilyn Crispell and Matthew Shipp, to name just a few. In the 2000s, Perelman continued his busy recording schedule, pairing most often with pianist Shipp, as well as adventurous collaborators like violinist Mat Maneri, guitarist Joe Morris, drummer Gerald Cleaver, and others. Many of these efforts were issued via Leo Records including such albums as 2011's The Hour of the Star, 2012's Clairvoyant, 2014's Book of Sound, and 2016's Blue. Also in 2016, Perelman released six volumes of a series on Leo called The Art of the Improv Trio. A similar series detailing his partnership with Shipp, the seven-volume The Art of Perelman-Shipp, appeared in 2017. ~ Chris Kelsey https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/book-of-sound/1080202636

Personnel: Ivo Perelman: tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp: piano; William Parker: bass.

Book Of Sound

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Matthew Shipp - Zero

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:51
Size: 103,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Zero
(3:52)  2. Abyss Before Zero
(3:22)  3. Pole After Zero
(4:17)  4. Piano Panels
(3:46)  5. Cosmic Sea
(2:15)  6. Zero Skip and a Jump
(6:39)  7. Zero Subtract from Jazz
(5:18)  8. Blue Equation
(2:50)  9. Pattern Emerge
(1:42) 10. Ghost Pattern
(5:13) 11. After Zero

Playing improvised solo piano is essentially a conundrum. Where do you start and when does a form emerge? Music begins as sounds and a composition could be the shaping of those sounds, but what about silence and the thing that comes before sound? Avantgarde-composer, John Cage, famously framed the sound of silence on his composition "4'33" to show that music is always happening, but in a very conceptual way. Pianist, improvisor and composer, Matthew Shipp, arrives at the same point on his solo piano album, Zero, but not through the reduction of minimalism, but the expansion of melody. Indeed, Zero, in spite of its philosophical implications, is not a difficult avant-garde work, but an album that can be enjoyed simply as great jazz music bursting with musical ideas. The idea of the zero is referenced on several compositions: "Zero," "Abyss Before Zero," "Pole After Zero," "Zero Skip and a Jump," "Zero Subtract From Jazz" and "After Zero" and in the liner notes, writer Steve Dalachinsky also quotes Shipp pondering the subject of zero: "What existed before existence zero is the universe a vacuum state where things seem to exist but in reality are flows of energy that twirl in kaleidoscopic flow patterns? does it go back to its ground state in zero? what is a piano? is it a zero? is it an alphabet of language of zero? how could it be anything if ground bass is zero? is zero base potentially everything? or is it one? I have an album called ONE. also, I like emanations does one come out of zero? is one zero? who gives a fuck? is the universe one big fucking joke or is it zero joke?"

Musically the question of zero becomes a joyful journey through many different musical forms. The title track alone contains enough musical information for several compositions as melodic lines evolve with hints of baroque ornamentation, solid swing and knotty breaks and a theme emerges that would have made Thelonious Monk proud. There is a strange feeling of the piece moving forward and yet starting again and again. The music seems through-composed, every phrase shining like diamonds, and yet there's an immediate energy that comes with improvisation, music being made in the moment. To quote another title, a "Pattern Emerge" and a form becomes. These forms are also historically conscious. The sounds of "Pole After Zero" could only have been made by a pianist who knows Duke Ellington and the complex anatomy of swing. Inspiration can be a simple thing, the quotation of specific songs or the use of clearly identifiable musical tropes, like a certain riff. Shipp's inspiration is more complex than that. It is rather subtle layers. The idea of an archaeologist digging through the ground to find layers of different historical periods comes to mind. Shipp seamlessly integrates all the ages of jazz into his expression and comes out with something that is both old and new. Another thing is the attention to harmony. The lush harmonic landscape of "Cosmic Sea" is stunning in its sensitivity and far from the sledgehammer that Shipp has used to great effect on some of his other pieces. Here the language is more delicate. A composition like "Piano Panels" says it all. Shipp knows the tiniest details of his instrument and brings out all of its shades and colors. The music is both bodily, intellectual and spherical, but most of all immediately accessible. Despite the complexity of musical information, it reaches out with melodies and rhythms that connect the past, present and future. Zero is both a return to the roots and a new beginning that offers an alternative path to solo piano playing. ~ Jacob Baekgaard https://www.allaboutjazz.com/zero-matthew-shipp-esp-disk-review-by-jakob-baekgaard.php

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano.

Zero

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Ivo Perelman - Soul

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:16
Size: 129,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:47)  1. Metaphysical
(8:03)  2. Crossing
(7:03)  3. Eyound
(4:59)  4. Fragments
(4:34)  5. Belvedere
(5:03)  6. Landscape
(8:06)  7. Soul
(5:51)  8. Joy
(6:46)  9. The Unknown

One might approach this album as though it were an extension of the Perelman/Shipp duo recording, Corpo, made one week earlier.  It would not be appropriate to think that there is an historical jazz relationship at play here between Body (Corpo) and Soul there is no audible reference in the music to this possibility and it would hardly be appropriate to musicians who do not use ‘written’ notes.  What is true is that the addition to the duo of Bisio and Dickey rounds out their music with the addition of shades and tints and grain. There are distinctly different moods and swings through the music, but these are not intentionally drawn.  They are discovered or brought into being as the music develops, rather than being ‘borrowed’ from a composer’s sheet music and this produces a tranquil air in which these four musicians are heard to be entirely contented with each other and within themselves, even when in perpetual commotion. ‘Joy’ (Track 8) is particularly redolent of this, the saxophone being steered by the bass through the drummer’s ricochets and towards the doggedness of the piano, relentlessly pursuing the horn’s accompaniment.  In full improvisational mode, the quartet settles into poised extemporisation in which bass and drum effortlessly balance the comings and goings of the piano and saxophone. The improv is luxurious and it seems as though any individual in the band can take the place of another, such are their articulations.  They ‘read’ each other non-stop. http://www.jazzviews.net/ivo-perelman---soul.html

Personnel:  Ivo Perelman, tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp, piano; Michael Bisio, bass; Whit Dickey, drums.

Soul

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Matthew Shipp Quartet - Not Bound

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:45
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

(10:14)  1. Soul Secrets
(11:26)  2. Is
(11:34)  3. Not Bound
(16:13)  4. Totality
( 8:18)  5. This Coda

On Not Bound, pianist extraordinaire Matthew Shipp and his top-drawer rhythm section of Michael Bisio on bass and Whit Dickey on drums is joined by multi-instrumentalist Steve Carter in an exceptional tour de force of spontaneous music within a compositional framework. Each of the five tracks offers unique and exciting lyricism. "Soul Secrets" begins with a cool piano and flute intro that leads to a rumble. Bisio is quite active on the bass, even under the unhurried opening pace. Carter's flute and Shipp's piano play off each other while Bisio busily works over his instrument. Suddenly the music jets forward. Dickey rotates across the drum set while Shipp provides syncopated accents beneath Carter's flowing melodies. "Is" starts with Bisio's walking bass and Dickey's march-like accompaniment and then migrates into the theme. Carter's trumpet paves the way with long notes that are embellished by Shipp's flourishes. The title cut, "Not Bound" begins with Carter's peaceful and soulful abstract sax solo. Then the music builds to a peak. Dickey's brush work provides contrast with Bisio's base finger-wheeling. Shipp's flicks and flacks generate rhythmic impulses. The compositions jagged edges are emphasized by Dickey's explosive kicks.

Dickey launches the longest track of the album, "Totality," with a polyrhythmic drum solo that incorporates silent gaps between the drumming. Carter offers an arc of legato lyricism on both tenor and soprano sax. Shipp responds to Carter's lines there's a back and forth between the two musicians. The group stretches out over Bisio's challenging up and down full throttle bass ruminations. Then, ever so subtly, the song migrates into an abstract bluesy swing. Bisio walks the bass line below it all and Shipp and Dickey slap a common refrain. At the 9:34 mark, Carter holds a legato note and Shipp echoes it on the piano. Then Bisio takes over with his free form bass rumbling up and down the instrument's neck. The song concludes with strong group improvisation that roars like the waterfalls at Iguazu. The album concludes with "This Coda." Shipp and Carter, this time on clarinet, open with a bluesy dreamy motif. About halfway through the track, Bisio and Dickey join in. The music begins to soar, gliding through mountain gorges and slipping past peaks. Shipp's playing echoes McCoy Tyner's rumbling style. One can only hope that this is just the beginning for this quartet. All four gifted musicians provide exhilarating music. They listen carefully to each other and follow or lead as necessary. And the music? Dense. Complex. Lyrical. Harmonic. Challenging but never dominating. Over the years, Matthew Shipp has remained true to his vision. No compromises. Just top-notch compositions that feature strong improvisational expeditions. Not Bound is an exemplary example. ~ Don Phipps https://www.allaboutjazz.com/not-bound-matthew-shipp-for-tune-review-by-don-phipps.php

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano; Daniel Carter: flute, trumpet, tenor & soprano saxophones, clarinet; Michael Bisio: double bass; Whit Dickey: drums.

Not Bound

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Ivo Perelman - The Other Edge

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:20
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(10:57)  1. Desert Flower
( 9:29)  2. Panem Et Circenses Part 1
( 4:15)  3. Crystal Clear
(10:51)  4. Panem Et Circenses Part 2
( 5:48)  5. Latin Vibes
( 6:37)  6. Petals or Thorns
( 6:55)  7. Big Band Swing
(10:22)  8. The Other Edge

As we’re reminded with the just-issued Root of Things, Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio and Whit Dickey make up one of the most formidable acoustic trios in jazz of this day and age. The uncommon telepathy, the feel and the unpretentious emotion are the kinds of things that put them at or near the top of the list.  It’s those same qualities that also make them formidable companions to tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman, a dazzling revelation that came out of their first encounter, 2013’s The Edge. That record is, in my opinion, the best of a solid half-dozen batch of top-shelf encounters Perelman released last year. Now comes the sequel christened, appropriately enough, The Other Edge. Conceived, performed and recorded all at once a mere two months ago, the ad hoc way the record was made already tells you much about the music.  As it was before and as it is with anything involving these musicians, The Other Edge (March 25, 2014, Leo Records) is a series of conversations among very skilled performers who elevate above their skills simply by listening very closely to each other. This ain’t the Matthew Shipp Trio Plus One, it’s an almost completely different quartet, because everyone is accounting for Perelman and Perelman accounts for everyone.

Relying so much on feel and intuition, often the opening sequence of a performance sets in motion a sequence of events that become the song. Shipp introduces motifs on “Crystal Clear” and “Panem Et Circenses Part 2,” Perelman will react to it, adding complexity to the pianist’s open-ended shapes and then the two begin to connect and improvise in sync. “Latin Vibes,” on the other hand, is launched by Perelman’s chirps and squeals and Dickey’s soft rapping on the tom-toms. When Shipp and Bisio make their entry, the urgency level ratchets up.  Even more interesting is the strategy used for “The Other Edge.” Here, Perelman’s sax “chats” with Bisio’s pizzicato bass at the upper register, as Shipp and Dickey meekly nudge their way in then begin to assert themselves. The other two give no ground, though, and a distant storm evolves into the eye of a squall. Shipp and Dickey recede, and the song ends with just Perelman and Bisio again, but this time in a lower register.

“Desert Flower” is an instance where Perelman is seemingly cast against Shipp’s trio. Beginning with Perelman’s unmistakable vernacular alone, the other three soon join in, playing a tonal melody but Perelman doesn’t move off his atonal perch, although his flow follows the flow of the trio. Bisio and Dickey murmur at a perfect volume, not too loud or too soft. The biggest treat comes from “Big Bang Swing”; after a tentative beginning, an actual swing breaks out. However, Perelman doesn’t have to change character to fit his sax into this mainstream setting. The tempo gets on the verge of dissembling at times only to recompose itself, like as if an invisible hand is guiding the band.  Four sentences into his liner notes for the album, Bisio mused that he had “said too much already” about the album. I get that. You can’t sufficiently put it into words though I tried because The Other Edge isn’t at all about scales, tempos, or harmony. It’s about the collective impulsive expression of spirit, and their instruments are just the delivery systems by which they do that. ~ S. Victor Aaron http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/03/21/ivo-perelman-with-matthew-shipp-michael-bisio-whit-dickey-the-other-edge-2014/

Personnel:  Ivo Perelman - Tenor Sax; Matthew Shipp - Piano;  Michael Bisio - Bass;  Whit Dickey - Drums.

The Other Edge

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Ivo Perelman - Brazilian Watercolour

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:30
Size: 151,7 MB
Art: Front

(9:01)  1. Brazilian Watercolour
(5:27)  2. Ascendent
(7:03)  3. Desafinado
(2:52)  4. Traces
(8:50)  5. Summer Samba
(2:19)  6. Recitativo
(0:41)  7. Rimbotim
(5:55)  8. Explicativo
(6:35)  9. Pal Piteira
(1:11) 10. Flauting
(7:57) 11. The Boat
(1:34) 12. Pandeiros

Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman cannot be accused of being lethargic or laid back. His energy level may rival that of American saxophonist David S. Ware; however, Perelman’s uniqueness lies within his South American roots and later day Trane or Albert Ayler modernistic approach. On “Brazilian Watercolour”, Perelman utilizes ex-Coltrane drummer Rashied Ali and long time David S. Ware associate, pianist (and solo artist) Matthew Shipp along with gifted percussionist’s Cyro Baptiste and Guilherme Franco. The title track “Brazilian Watercolour” is a well-known standard written by Ary Barroso yet Perelman’s interpretation goes way beyond standard samba or Brazilian national music. Along with Ali, Franco and Baptiste, Perelman whips this tune into submission with quick tempered, furious phrasing on top of the colorful rhythmic movements. This CD comprises a series of duets with pianist Matthew Shipp while the other cuts feature Perelman along with the aforementioned rhythm section. On “Ascendant”, Perelman’s phrasing is very animated as he takes extra measures to design or emphasize extended note patterns while Shipp hovers within the lower registers of his piano and mainly comps behind Perelman’s gutsy tenor sax work. Marco & Paulo Sergio Valle’s “Summer Samba” features the rhythm section as this traditional Brazilian samba is deconstructed and reassembled through Perelman’s relentless plethora of ideas and themes. Here, Perelman is like a child who strategically takes apart his brand new Christmas toy in order to see what makes it work. Perelman’s composition “Pal Piteira” is another duet with pianist Matthew Shipp. On this piece, Shipp once again supports Perelman in the lower register by skillfully utilizing giant block chords and a pulsating left hand for rhythmic purposes. Perelman blows rapid -fire notes while frequently hitting the high register as if he were crying for help or trying to plead his case. Ivo Perelman is a bona fide modern jazz stylist and in “Brazilian Watercolour”, he proves his case combining ethnic diversity with enterprising concepts which forms a near perfect union of dissimilar genres. ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brazilian-watercolour-ivo-perelman-leo-records-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Ivo Perelman; Tenor Sax, Recorder, Piano: Matthew Shipp; Piano: Rashied Ali; Drums: Guilherme Franco; Percussion, Wooden Flute: Cyro Baptiste; Percussion, Wooden Flute

Brazilian Watercolour

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Matthew Shipp - Invisible Touch At Taktlos Zurich

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:32
Size: 114,1 MB
Art: Front

(0:43)  1. Light Beam
(4:56)  2. Intro Z
(5:46)  3. Instinctive Touch
(1:32)  4. Pocket
(5:50)  5. Gamma Ray
(5:43)  6. Piece Within Piece
(4:07)  7. Tenderly
(7:00)  8. Monk's Nighmare
(4:39)  9. Blue in Orion
(5:14) 10. It
(3:58) 11. Fairplay

Pianist Matthew Shipp is prolific. Under his own name and in collaboration with with numerous other free-thinking jazzers saxophonist Ivo Perlman in the forefront of these CD releases seem to pour out of him. His best under his own name comes in the trio/duo/solo format. Piano Sutras (Thirsty Ear, 2013); The Conduct Of Jazz (Thirsty Ear, 2013); Piano Song (Thirsty Ear, 2017); and a duo set with drummer Bobby Kapp, Cactus, (Northern Spy Records, 2016) attest to his artistic focus and excellence. Cruise the internet for profiles of and interviews with Shipp and he comes off as a prickly personality, a man assured of his own talents and unsympathetic to pigeon-holers, pretentious critics and label prospectors mining for a bunch of words aimed at pinning down his music. His music just is. So here comes a bunch of words concerning Invisible Touch At Taktlos Zurich, a solo piano outing by Shipp. Shipp approaches the piano with a pugilistic mindset. Think of a boxer, throwing hard flurries at the speed bag, then shuffling over to deliver a series of thunderous body shots into the gut of the heavy bag. It's a sound full of vehemence that rises at times to a fury. It's an approach he continues with on Invisible Touch At Taktlos. The set is a continuous, forty-five plus minutes without a pause, until the applause at the end of tune number 11, "It," that leads into a four minute encore. This stream of consciousness style suits Shipp, as it did Cecil Taylor on Olim (Soul Note, 1987). But Shipp is more visceral than Taylor, with more of a feel for interludes of crisp lyricism. His sound is denser. Elaborate, even serpentine phrasings abound, punctuated by muscular chords and endlessly creative even beautiful tangents. "Monk's Nightmare" is a thunderstorm. "Instinctive Touch" wanders frenetically, spewing notes in rapid fire fashion. "Blue In Orion" injects a feeling of solemnity into the proceedings; "Gamma Ray" pulses, pretty and powerful. And in the middle of it all the standard "Tenderly" rises, sounding not all that tender, but rather ominous. Matthew Shipps seems like a guy musically a personally who walks through the world with a chip on his shoulder. On Invisible Touch At Taktlos Zurich the chip is still there, but it sounds as if he sat down at the piano one night with that big, flat, flagstone shard balanced perfectly, and all things life and art were well with his world. The result is one of Matthew Shipp's finest and most riveting recordings. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/invisible-touch-at-taktlos-zurich-matthew-shipp-hatology-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php
 

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano

Invisible Touch At Taktlos Zurich

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Matthew Shipp Trio - Piano Song

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:12
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:46)  1. Links
(7:29)  2. Cosmopolitan
(4:34)  3. Blue Desert
(5:29)  4. Silence Of
(5:51)  5. Flying Carpet
(5:31)  6. Scrambled Brain
(4:01)  7. Microwave
(4:45)  8. Mind Space
(3:32)  9. Void of Sea
(5:14) 10. The Nature Of
(5:24) 11. Gravity Point
(4:31) 12. Piano Song

Depending on your perspective, tradition can both be a blessing and a burden. Especially in jazz, it is hard to say something new and this is true as well when it comes to the noble art of the piano trio. Thelonious Monk has been there, Bill Evans has been there and Cecil Taylor has been there just to name a few innovators. It has become harder to identify gigantic stylistic leaps, but subtle innovations happen all the time. Recently, pianists like Eri Yamamoto, John Law, Paula Shocron and Marc Copland have continued to refine the language of the tangents. Thankfully, the piano can still sing in many ways, but the question is whether we should think of the development of the piano in linear terms. Instead of talking about one style of piano jazz replacing another, perhaps it is better to think of a continuum where sounds from the past, present and future coexist in a musical language that is both familiar and strange, old and new, mainstream and avant-garde. One of the most advanced pianists and musical thinkers today, Matthew Shipp, have certainly thought about the role of tradition versus innovation. He is not afraid of playing standards like "Angel Eyes" and "Summertime" in his own idiosyncratic versions and has dedicated an entire album to Duke Ellington: To Duke (Rogue Art, 2015), but he also thinks about jazz in more general terms. His trio with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker released an album called The Conduct of Jazz and in a way, what Shipp is trying to do on his records is to conduct experiments with jazz. He does not have a fixed aesthetic view on sound. As the poet, Walt Whitman, would say it: "I am large, I contain multitudes."

Listen to Shipp's records to hear how he morphs between different musical expressions, a multitude of sounds and yet he has a recognizable style. Back in 2009, he was a guest in Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR (1978-2011) and it was clear she was inspired and she made a beautiful sound portrait of him (see the link to the whole program at the end of this article). In the program, Shipp himself referred to his "sledgehammer," the hard attack on the keys that has become a part of his signature, but if the tangents sometimes sound like thunder and shattered glass, Shipp is so much more than an avant-garde pianist. It would be a mistake to put him in that box -just like it would be a mistake to put him in any box. However, it would be appropriate to call Shipp a radical musical thinker and a sound explorer. He asks the question: "what is jazz?" and on his latest album with his trio with Michael Bisio and Newman Taylor Baker, he asks the question: "what is the piano?" To ask such a question, you need to be open-minded and aware of tradition and this is exactly what Shipp and his fellow musical travelers are. Piano Song is a special album. It has been announced as his last on Peter Gordon's influential label, Thirty Ear. For a long time, Shipp has helped shaping the aesthetic profile of the label as a curator of the eminent "Blue Series" and he will continue as a curator, but Piano Song is planned as his last recorded musical statement on that particular label.

Piano Song is not just an exit, it is also a beginning. This is perhaps Shipp's most beautiful and accessible album, filled with swing and lyrical tenderness. In fact, bassist Michael Bisio's bass playing on "Cosmopolitan" echoes Paul Chambers' walking bass patterns on trumpeter Miles Davis' iconic Kind of Blue album, especially the famous riff of "So What" is somewhere in the distance. But make no mistake, while the tune is both melodic and swings joyously, it also an example of Shipp's ability to work with deconstruction and suspended time. It sometimes seems as if he works on multiple musical levels at once, interrupting patterns and playing with time signatures. His work with texture is also at its most delicate here. "Blue Desert" feels exactly like the title says. Newman Taylor Baker plays a lonely shaker while the strings of Bisio and Shipp merge into the dusty language of a rusty zither, but there is also the dwelling blue piano chords of Shipp. "Silence of" is a taciturn ballad, with Newman Taylor Baker's delicate brushwork whispering in the background. It is a pretty melody in search of itself. The lack of an object in the title replaced by a preposition suggests a form that evolves like an arabesque, but it is also a sophisticated way of indicating the silence in the music where even the letters disappear. The same syntactic construction emerges in the titles "Void of" and "Nature of," indicating a process that is not finished. The music both feels through-composed and open like a sketch.  Piano Song is an album of emotionally and intellectually engaging music and the title track is a stunning aural painting that finds Shipp in his most lyrical mood, avoiding the temptation of bombastic interruption. Perhaps, the greatest revelation on this album is how the trio convincingly invites melody and swing into their language, but still in a way that is tentative and curious. Piano Song feels like an entirely fresh take on the piano trio, a vibrant continuum of sounds that avoids the pitfalls of both mainstream and avant-garde music. ~ Jacob Baekgaard https://www.allaboutjazz.com/piano-song-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-jakob-baekgaard.php

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

Piano Song

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David S. Ware Quartet - Go See The World

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:06
Size: 157,1 MB
Art: Front

( 6:06)  1. Mikuro's Blues
(10:26)  2. Lexicon
( 9:56)  3. Logistic
(14:37)  4. The Way We Were
( 4:47)  5. Quadrahex
(11:33)  6. Estheticmetric
(10:38)  7. Rapturelodic

“Go See The World” represents tenor saxophonist David S Ware’s initial and much anticipated release for Columbia Records. Branford Marsalis’ recent appointment as creative consultant for the label’s jazz division has paved the way for Ware’s induction to Columbia Records. Historically, tenure at Columbia for non-mainstream jazz musicians of similar backgrounds namely Henry Threadgill and David Murray was for the most part short-lived. If Columbia Records is serious and not overtly concerned with substantial profits and quick return than this may be a good thing. Otherwise, Columbia’s seemingly abundant marketing/publicity budget should serve as a good promotional vehicle for Mr. Ware. Thankfully, David S. Ware made little or no concessions to streamline his musical approach in the wake of Columbia’s endorsement. 

“Go See The World” is a continuation of Ware’s ever-evolving musical journey. Besides, no one can reasonably ascertain that David S. Ware suffers from a lack of energy or motivation. He is a true “force of nature”. Ware’s band mates are: William Parker: bass; Matthew Shipp: piano and New York City downtown drummer, Susie Ibarra who replaces long time associate Whit Dickey. The track titled “Lexicon” features Ware’s forceful and explosive signature style. Ware moans, groans, honks, screeches and injects flurries of melodic statements reminding us that somewhere underneath all the dynamics there is a song. Ware benefits from pianist Matthew Shipp’s swirling, heavy-handed chord phrasings and acute ear. Shipp provides much of the color in this band while Parker and Ibarra suggest odd rhythmic patterns, which skillfully compliment Ware’s stratospheric extrapolations into new frontiers. “Lexicon” also features some interesting arco-bass passages from the incredibly adept William Parker. Compelling dialogue ensues while Ware takes a much-needed breather. Marvin Hamlisch’s ballad “The Way We Were” is given the once over here. Ware expends quite a bit of energy during his rendition of this somewhat grandiose love song. Clocking in at 14 minutes it seems almost comical that Ware would pick such a tune as a foray into avant-garde digressions. Here, Ware seems driven and his personalized approach borders on the spiritual. Shipp performs a lovely piano interlude by toying with and suggesting the melody while eventually leading into a bombastic crescendo of flailing keys. Ware concludes with gut-wrenching conviction. “Quadrahex” is a rhythmically free and improvisational piece, which entails a good dose of dialogue among the band members. “Estheticmetric” is perhaps an ode to Ware’s NYC Loft Days featuring more exchanges of free style dialogue accented by some absorbing bass lines from Parker. Ware darts, jabs and appears comfortable during these musical exchanges, which firmly identifies his intentions.  Hopefully Mr. Ware and Columbia will enjoy a healthy, long-term relationship and open up some ears for curious listeners who yearn for something different. However, at times “Go See The World” suffers from sameness in content and doesn’t adhere to compositional form to any observable degree. Ware does not aim to finesse with subtlety and nuance. His style while expressive and at times free, may tend to overwhelm. Otherwise we can accept Mr. Ware for his positive and keen awareness of jazz vernacular. David S. Ware has honed a unique voice on the tenor saxophone and consistently receives astonishing support from a very accomplished band. We wish him the best of luck with Columbia Records.~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/go-see-the-world-david-s-ware-columbia-records-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: David S. Ware (tenor saxophone); Matthew Shipp (piano); William Parker (bass); Susie Ibarra (drums).

Go See The World

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Matthew Shipp - The Conduct Of Jazz

Size: 113,7 MB
Time: 48:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz: Modern Jazz
Art: Front

01. Instinctive Touch ( 5:06)
02. The Conduct Of Jazz ( 7:48)
03. Ball In Space ( 6:44)
04. Primary Form ( 4:45)
05. Blue Abyss ( 6:33)
06. Stream Of Light ( 5:24)
07. The Bridge Across (12:34)

One of today's foremost pianists, Matthew Shipp has demonstrated the breadth of his artistry in numerous settings over his three decade career, including genre-defying electro-acoustic experiments. Recent years have found him narrowing his focus to concentrate on intimate acoustic efforts however, especially in one of the jazz tradition's most venerable formats—the classic piano trio.

The Conduct of Jazz is the fifth trio recording to feature Michael Bisio as Shipp's principal bassist since 2011's The Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear), and the first to include the legendary Newman Taylor Baker in place of longstanding drummer Whit Dickey. In contrast to Dickey's abstract tendencies, Baker brings a more conventionally structured approach to the proceedings, with a protean technique informed by years of experience working with luminaries like Billy Harper, Diedre Murray and Henry Threadgill.

A singular stylist, Shipp's urbane writing often evinces a dark, foreboding quality, alternating brooding ambience with tempestuous swing. The group subsequently covers a vast dynamic range, demonstrating its improvisational mettle in episodes that veer from impressionistic neo-classical reflections to fervent bop-inflected explorations.

"Instinctive Touch" opens the album like a furtive fanfare, the unit extrapolating the tune's oblique melody with pointed focus. The angular title track ventures further into vanguard territory as Shipp's bristling cadences ascend into feverish mantras buoyed by Bisio and Baker's modulating undercurrent. "Blue Abyss" grooves hard in contrast, while the episodic tour de force "The Bridge Across" concludes the program in dramatic fashion, regaling with blistering call and response interplay that is both adventurous and accessible.

Bisio's robust tone and Baker's vivacious trap set work are featured prominently, with the bassist's sinewy arco harmonics introducing "Ball in Space" alone, while "Primary Form" is dominated by the drummer's thunderous percussion volleys. Bisio and Baker share an uncanny conversational rapport with Shipp; their cubistic dialogue blurs the lines between accompanist and soloist, exponentially expanding the rhythm section's role in the process.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the session spotlights the leader, whose tortuous cadences ebb and flow with their own idiosyncratic logic, whether transposing minimalist motifs into hypnotic ostinatos or negotiating labyrinthine detours with deft precision. From abstract expressionism to bluesy introspection, every facet of Shipp's artistry is on display—even romantic allusions materialize on the lyrical piano soliloquy "Stream of Light." Bolstered by the exemplary contributions of his distinguished colleagues, The Conduct of Jazz offers irrefutable proof of Shipp's enduring mastery of the jazz idiom.

Personnel: Matthew Shipp: piano; Michael Bisio: bass; Newman Taylor Baker: drums.

The Conduct Of Jazz

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