One

Matthew Shipp | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 31, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B000CQQHSQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,682 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Arc

2. Patmos

3. Milky Way

4. Blue In Orion

5. Electro Magnetism

6. The Encounter

7. The Rose Is A Rose

8. IEOU

9. Abyss Code

10. Zero

11. Module

Editorial Reviews

Review

It might be argued that the solo piano recital is a fraught thing on record, and certainly there have been examples in the past where self-indulgence has taken over from the rigours of self-editing. Similarly, unless a pianist has at least a reasonably firm musical identity, it might be the case that the listener's attention starts to wander accordingly.


This particular example of the genre largely avoids such hazards, despite the fact that in places the spirits of both Mal Walrdron and Cecil Taylor stalk the ground. They are, however, a welcome change from the mannerisms of McCoy Tyner, out of which some contemporary pianists make a living.


Despite this, the old truism about a musician being his own man or her own woman is especially pertinent in Shipp's case. There isn't a single idea here that outstays its welcome, and on the likes of "A Rose Is A Rose" Shipp proves himself to be a musical explorer who is unafraid of taking his time, a point which more or less guarantees the absence of pyrotechnical flash. Instead, Shipp's approach is a far more personal one that is not at all dependent on such staples.


The very quality of sparseness might amount to the debt he owes to someone like Waldron, and this is most evident here on "Patmos," where Shipp patiently sets about the task of constructing the kind of stasis that was a hallmark of Waldron's mature work. At times like this, it's as though Shipp is more concerned with the sonic qualities of the piano as such, as opposed to any more musically conventional concerns.


Such comparisons do however run the risk of deflecting attention away from Shipp's individuality, which is the very thing that makes this programme so worthwhile. This is especially the case with a piece like "Gamma Ray," where the nature of his work is evocative at the same time as it's entirely his own.


If indeed it is the case that the solo piano recital is fraught with potential hazards, then Shipp manages to avoid them through the simple expedient of writing his own rulebook. In that respect, at least, he moves in select company.
--All ABout Jazz

Product Description

Matthew Shipp says so much without ever using a word. In "One", his latest re l e a s e
for Thirsty Ear's Blues Series, Shipp sends up a powerful entourage of solo acoustic
tracks. Where previous releases have been on a voyage through electronica and
hip- hop, this album comes full circle and presents a pure and intimate taste of
what Matthew Shipp Is all about. Him and his weapon, the piano.
"Even though I've been involved with
many types of projects, at the end of the
day I am a pianist and I have a need to
express my poetic imagination in a solo
session on the instrument."
- Matthew Shipp
There are no distractions or fillers
here. From Shipp's soul, to his hand's,
straight to your ear's, this re c o rd pulls
you into his roots. Close your eyes
and feel as if you are "One" with
Matthew's fingers, as they push you
up and down the explosive arsenal
that exists in his keys.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solo Shipp!, November 10, 2006

By 

David M. Madden "nonnon/dj_webern" (salt lake, utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One (Audio CD)

At the 1998 Jazz awards, a fight broke out between Jazz Journalists Association president Howard Mandel and critic Stanley Crouch. Of all people, seemingly mild-mannered Matthew Shipp stepped in and called Crouch an "Uncle Tom" and a "loser" before security separated the two. As uncharacteristic as this might seem, Matthew Shipp is full of these types of personal and musical surprises -- and judging from One, he's just getting warmed up.

Shipp isn't the sort of artist who typically feels caged -- unless you add a "John" to the beginning of that phrase. Sans effects, electronics or collaborators, he opts for stark acoustic piano performances on One's twelve pieces. The results channel the souls of a variety of infamous performers and piano works from the past hundred years. For "Gamma Ray", Shipp plunks down his staccato theme and "wrong" notes with a Monk-style clumsy-genius attack, and riffs in-between with Oscar Peterson's speed and grace. In "The Encounter", he wanders around a murky pedal-down mire of pan-diatonics, nodding to Henry Cowell and George Winston, while "IEOU" marches full steam ahead in the lower register with all of Cecil Taylor's breakneck explosiveness. Closer "Module" opens with diatonic planing figures, echoing Chick Corea -- or perhaps Debussy. After the tense, rumbling climactic release, he fades out with the same gesture, then leaves the keyboard as abruptly as he arrived.

Though One wanders freely across the musical map, Shipp deliberately limits his palette, adding the descriptive "lovely" and the highly cherished "listenable" alongside "experimental". Extended techniques like tossing bouncing balls inside the sound board and fitting piano hammers with Malaysian coral make for intriguing sonic diversions, Shipp distinguishes himself here by only exploring only the avenues afforded by the piano's 88 keys -- and finding spectacular harmonic, contrapuntal and polyrhythmic textures within them. Surprisingly, there are very few spots where forty minutes of musical same-ness drags. Shipp keeps repetition to a minimum, emphasizing dynamic ebb and flow and forward motion while still expressing his "poetic" imagination.

One is an impressive addition to Shipp's canon. It belongs at the very top of his resume, alongside The Sorcerer Sessions, his work with DJ Spooky (Optometry) and his part-time gig as the Jazz Awards' Brawler in Residence.