Matthew Shipp Trio
The Trio performs concerts across the US, Canada and Europe. A 2012 performance at the London Jazz Festival was hailed as the highlight of the festival in the city's most prestigious newspapers, The Guardian and The Financial Times, as well as the UK's premiere jazz magazine Jazzwise. Other performance highlights include: Jazzfestival Saalfelden, The Jazz Standard, Bennington College, Earshot Jazz Festival, Le Poisson Rouge, Jazz em Agosto, Bunker Ulmenwall, Marlboro College, Jazzforum Bayreuth, Constellation, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Sons d'Hiver, Penofin Jazz Festival, The Stone and the highly acclaimed Vision Festival.
Résumé Matthew Shipp: Piano
Matthew Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford Brown. He was strongly attracted to jazz, but also played in rock groups while in high school. Shipp attended the University of Delaware for one year, then the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with saxophonist/composer Joe Maneri. He has cited private lessons with Dennis Sandole (who also taught saxophonist John Coltrane) as being crucial to his development.
Shipp has been very active since the early 1990s, appearing on dozens of albums as a leader, sideman or producer. He was initially most active in free jazz, but has since branched out, notably exploring music that touches on contemporary classical, hip hop and electronica. At the beginning of his career shipp was stylistically compared to some of his predecessors in the jazz piano pantheon but has since been recognized as a complete stylistic innovator on the piano – with AllMusic referring to his "unique and recognizable style"; and Larry Blumenfeld in Jazziz Magazine referring to Shipp as "stunning in originality". Jazziz Magazine also referred to Shipp's CD 4D as "further proof of his idiosyncratic genius."
Shipp has long been a member of saxophonist David S. Ware's quartet. He has recorded or performed with many musicians, including William Parker, DJ Spooky, Joe Morris, Daniel Carter, Roscoe Mitchell, Mat Maneri, High Priest and Beans of Antipop Consortium, and El-P.
In February 2011, Shipp released a double-disc album entitled Art of the Improviser. This release is "testament to Shipp's achievements, yet it is also a continuation of the discovery in his developmental musical language." The Chicago Tribune called the project "monumental" and "galvanic as ever."
Résumé Michael Bisio: Bass
Résumé Newman Taylor Baker: Drums
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Matthew Shipp Trio
The Conduct of Jazz (Thirsty Ear)
Is there any voice in jazz more challenging, confounding and representative of the idiom's creative possibilities than Matthew Shipp? Though maddening to some and liberating to others, there's no denying that Shipp's charging improvisations are meaningful. Following his recent ESP-Disk duo release, The Uppercut: Live At Okuden (with reedist Mat Walerian), The Conduct Of Jazz condenses Shipp's enthralling live trio performances to their essence. It's nonetheless a dense kernel of creativity that satisfies on multiple level. Joined by drummer Newman Taylor Baker and bassist Michaerl Bisio, Shipp mines so many inspired melodic and rhythmic collisions that it's worth focusing on the individual moments that make up the pianist's larger compositional landscape: the Monkish delights of the title track, the nightmarish spirals of "Ball And Space," and the expansive trio skirmishes of "Primary Form" — together they form a gateway to higher improvisation that is practically without parallel. Critics more broadminded than I say it is no longer necessary for jazz newbies to appreciate the canon of Armstrong and Ellington before they can enjoy free-jazz, once the interest of a select few. And fans in their 20s and 30s are often as enamored of Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar as with Albert Ayler and Karl Berger. Matthew Shipp is the connection between the past, present and future for jazz heads of all jazz ages. — Ken Micallef, DownBeat Magazine
A glance at pianist Matthew Shipp's discography reveals that small group work has long been a focus. Indeed in recent times one of the prime outlets for his artistry is his classic piano trio, which ranks among the pre-eminent outfits in modern jazz. The Conduct Of Jazz represents Shipp's twelfth release in the format. Although there has been gradual change in personnel over the years—Newman Taylor Baker makes his debut on the drum stool alongside monster bassist Michael Bisio, replacing Whit Dickey, the familiar strengths are still evident: near telepathic interplay; ability to turn on a dime; robustly independent thought; instrumental virtuosity; and a willingness to subsume ego for the collective benefit. Shipp in full flow is unmistakable— a unique stylist who propounds his memorable mix of infectious motifs, glittering runs and avalanches of dense clusters. He presides over a rhythmic democracy, which often frees both bassist and drummer from the tyranny of time (though on occasion, as in the irresistible foot tapping "Blue Abyss," they all lock in together to thrilling effect). Otherwise Bisio enjoys near complete freedom, manifest in a torrent of oblique commentary comprising thickets of notes one minute, then spare resonance the next. Baker provides similarly astute asides, his fits and starts bringing openness and transparency. "Primary Form" heavily features the drummer, as it rotates between martial cadences with repeated pounding chords and Baker's explosive bursts of percussive color. Although some of the themes are close cousins of previous Shipp constructs, that's not an issue as their function is to shape the container into which the new wine is poured. One such is the title track, which is one of the outright jazziest of Shipp's inventions. He spins variations off the insistent theme while Bisio walks his bass in time-honored fashion, swinging wildly. Of course there are some temporary digressions but for the most part they stay firmly in the pocket. Towards the end, Bisio shows his pedigree with a pizzicato solo which alternates between thrumming figures and emotional extemporization. While some pieces are built around such nagging phrases, others sound more off the cuff. A case in point is the dramatic "Stream of Light," a piano solo full of dark ruminations, clipped notes, speech like inflections and song-like diversions. Another is the final "The Bridge Across" which in many ways is the highlight of an excellent disc which numbers highly among Shipp's trio offerings. It begins in three way dialogue, before freewheeling through many of the gambits which make the group so distinctive, to a lovely finish of croaky wavering arco accompanying the leader's lyrical piano. — John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz
Of the five albums Matthew Shipp issued as a leader or co-leader in 2015, The Conduct Of Jazz is perhaps the finest. Traces of his trio's superb Ellington tribute, For Duke, find their way into the title track, with Shipp edging a fidgety "Take The A Train" like figure into a packed carriage. Michael Bisio's bass paces up and down the platform, while drummer Newman Taylor Baker essays an abstract swing. Arco bass drones loom over "Ball In Space", breaking up into harmonics as the piano and drums enter. Shipp later echoes Bisio's introduction by pounding out dark, resonant chords at the bottom of the keyboard, before a gothic horror theme crawls out of the pit. "Primary Form" directs a Latin strut into the eye of a hurricane, while "Blue Abyss" rises from the murk with a loping funk beat and strident chromatic runs from Shipp. The piano solo "Stream of Light" sees Shipp splicing tonal clusters at an almost atomic level, allowing a melody to emerge in the process. — The Wire
Pianist Matthew Shipp is one of the leading lights of the modern jazz scene; he is capable of the farthest out free improvisation as well as the most beautiful melodic lyricism. Both of those aspects of his talent are superbly melded here in the company of longtime collaborators Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. “Instinctive Touch” opens the album with a very subtle piano, bass and cymbal shimmer gradually building into a more complex section where Baker plays in a beautifully restrained fashion and they all show a quiet mastery of their trade. There is some snappy heavy piano on “The Conduct of Jazz” which the trio develops into a dynamic hard swinging section, which is then balanced by taught quiet interplay. Choppy sections of piano ground the music and clear the way for Bisio to take a well earned and very impressive bass solo. “Primary Form” has very urgent piano from Matthew Shipp alerting everyone of the importance of the music. Baker takes a short drum solo and sets up a pattern for trade offs between strongly percussive low end chopping of piano against short burst of unaccompanied drums which creates a persistent and interesting conception. Shipp leads the trio from the low end of the piano at the end of the piece, like a strongman moving ominous slabs of noise. He takes the deep and repeated figure even further on “Blue Abyss” which finally reaches release in a section of jazzy trio improvisation. This will repeat throughout the song with episodes of insistent and powerful playing switching deftly into light and deft three way improvisation, developing something akin to a call and response structure. The concluding track “The Bridge Across” is nearly twice the length of any other on the album with a lot of complex high wire improvisational conversation taking place between the musicians. There is excellent bass and drum playing throughout this performance while Shipp develops a fine latticework of crisp piano playing. There is a sense of three disparate percussion instruments at play each moving in a fast and precise fashion. The music is wrapped up with a wonderful lengthy stretched out improvised section where everyone gets a chance to shine especially Michael Bisio, who is simply magnificent. This is an extraordinary trio that makes very profound and yet highly accessible music. Undoubtedly, this will be classified as “avant-garde” jazz and that may scare off some people, which is a true shame. The musicians are true craftsmen at the top of their game and deserve the chance to reach the largest audience possible. — Tim Niland, Music and More
27 years after his debut release in 1988, Matthew Shipp remains a sonic explorer from that generation of musicians who have stayed true to the history of jazz while remaining open to contemporary influences. That spirit suffused his performance this night with fellow traveler Michael Bisio. — John Diliberto
Shipp and his longtime confederate bassist Michael Bisio could not have made a better choice than welcoming the experienced Newman Taylor Baker as partner in crime. When Bisio and Baker lay down the rhythm for Matt's improvisations, they punctuate his tunes so adeptly that it becomes almost impossible to distinguish between the three artists. — Jazzaddikt
For three-plus groundbreaking decades, out-jazz iconoclast Matthew Shipp has reigned supreme over New York City's avant-garde scene, a pioneer alongside composer giants like William Parker and John Zorn. The tireless visionary who put his stamp on now-shuttered lower Manhattan experimental hubs now brings his EV vibes uptown to Jazz at Lincoln Center. With longtime bassist Michael Bisio and new drummer Newman Taylor Baker in tow, Shipp hits Dizzy's for a victory lap celebrating a 2015 that rightfully landed him on "Best Jazz Records of 2015" everywhere. Beginning with 2012's Elastic Aspects and continuing with '14's Root of Things, To Duke (released earlier this year) and most recently with The Conduct of Jazz, Shipp and his trio continue breaking their genre?s mold with an ecstatic post-bop swing, thick with shapeshifting thrills and adventurous phraseology. — Brad Cohen, Village Voice
Matthew Shipp's Trio is rightly acknowledged as one of the world's finest and they didn't disappoint, producing a set of insistent driving momentum, which swept the audience along with it. — John Sharpe, The New York City Jazz Record
Like jugglers with balls in the air, Shipp, Bisio and Baker dealt in the unexpected, from dazzling trio crescendos possessing a certain horror-movie quality to weird, bubbly space funk. — Ken Micallef, DownBeat Magazine
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." — Troy Collins, All About Jazz
Tags: Matthew Shipp, Trio, Michael Bisio, Newman Taylor Baker, The Conduct of Jazz, Thirsty Ear
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