Jazz composer and pianist Matthew Shipp is a staple for the New York jazz scene, and is well known across the globe for his music. Shipp started playing piano at the age of 5, and by the time he was 12, he fell in love with jazz, and knew that he wanted to make a career out of making music. His earliest influences include Phineas Newborn, Jr., Oscar Peterson, and Bill Evans. Later on, he discovered pianists such as Bud Powell.
Shipp has been playing almost his whole life, and he has successfully worked as both a leader and sideman. He has worked with many different musicians over the years, including David Ware, Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory, DJ Spooky, the Joe Morris Ensemble and the William Parker Quartet, just to name a few.
In a recent interview, I was able to talk to Shipp about his passion for music, as well as his long career in the jazz scene. He told me that his most memorable moment to date is the album he just recorded last week, which will be out sometime next year. The album will be called Elastic Aspects, and will more than likely be worth the wait.
His current album, The Art of the Improviser was released earlier this year. This is a 2-CD live set which includes a solo recording of original compositions and one standard, "Fly Me to the Moon", as well as a second CD that features The Matthew Ship Trio, featuring bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Shipp has proved that he is a great improviser, as the album title suggests, and he has proved himself as a soloist, as well as leader of an ensemble. His favorite song to perform off the album is “Gamma Ray”, which is his original composition.
He told me, "The Matthew Shipp Trio is my favorite ensemble (to work with). We have a commitment to the music and we are committed to the concept of the trio."
The talented trio will be performing at Dazzle this Friday, July 15th at 7 and 9 p.m. Shipp told me that this will be his first time at Dazzle, and only second time in Denver.
For more information: http://matthewshipp.com/
For ticket information: http://dazzlejazz.com
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