Matthew Shipp

Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American pianist, composer and bandleader.

Life and career
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."

Shipp has been continuously improving his repertoire from touring the world, writing new compositions and since 2011 been in collaborating with Barbara Januszkiewicz. Together they are exploring new territory through an avant-garde film called The Composer with Matthew Shipp / Barb Januszkiewicz.

Solo

 * Symbol Systems (No More, 1995)
 * Before the World (FMP, 1997)
 * Songs (Splasc(h), 2001)
 * One (Thirsty Ear, 2006)
 * Un Piano (RogueArt, 2008)
 * 4D (Thirsty Ear, 2010)
 * Creation Out Of Nothing (Live in Moscow) (SoLyd, 2010) - double album

As leader/co-leader

 * Sonic Explorations (Cadence Jazz, 1987–88) with Rob Brown
 * Circular Temple (Quinton, 1990)
 * Points (Silkheart, 1991)
 * Zo (Rise, 1993) with William Parker
 * Prism (Brinkman, 1993)
 * Critical Mass (2.13.61, 1994)
 * 2-Z (2.13.61, 1996) with Roscoe Mitchell
 * The Flow of X (2.13.61, 1996)
 * By the Law of Music (hatOLOGY, 1996)
 * Thesis (hatOLOGY, 1997) with Joe Morris
 * The Multiplication Table (hatOLOGY, 1997)
 * Strata (hatOLOGY, 1997)
 * Gravitational Systems (hatOLOGY, 1998) with Mat Maneri
 * DNA (Thirsty Ear, 1999)
 * Magnetism (Bleu Regard, 1999)
 * Expansion, Power, Release (hatOLOGY, 1999)
 * Pastoral Composure (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2000)
 * New Orbit (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2000)
 * Nu Bop (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2002)
 * Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2002)
 * Antipop vs. Matthew Shipp (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2003)
 * The GoodandEvil Sessions (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2003) with Roy Campbell, Alex Lodico, Miso, William Parker, Josh Roseman
 * The Sorcerer Sessions (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2003) with Gerald Cleaver and William Parker
 * High Water (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2004) Blue Series Continuum and El-P
 * The Trio Plays Ware (Splasc(h) 2004)
 * Harmony and Abyss (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2004) with Gerald Cleaver and William Parker
 * Phenomena of Interference (Hopscotch, 2006) with Steve Dalachinsky
 * Salute to 100001 Stars - A Tribute to Jean Genet (RogueArt, 2006) with Declared Enemy
 * Piano Vortex (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2007) with Joe Morris and Whit Dickey
 * Right Hemisphere (RogueArt, 2008) with Rob Brown, Joe Morris and Whit Dickey
 * Harmonic Disorder (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2009) with Joe Morris and Whit Dickey
 * Night Logic (RogueArt, 2011) Trio with Marshall Allen and Joe Morris
 * Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear Blue Series, 2011) with William Parker and Whit Dickey
 * SaMa Live in Moscow (SoLyd, 2011) Duo with Sabir Mateen
 * Cosmic Lieder (AUM, 2011) Duo with Darius Jones

As sideman
With Roscoe Mitchell
 * Nine to Get Ready (ECM, 1997)