MATTHEW SHIPP
Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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I had thought the last Matthew Shipp album, Nu Bop, was fully realized, that the genius had wrung every drop of new sound out of that idea and, as is his habit, he would move on to something at the opposite end of the musical spectrum. How stunning to find out there was much, much more to be mined in the valley that runs between acoustic avant-garde jazz and experimental electronic music.

You're pulled in by the atmosphere of this music, created by the combination of Shipp's gentle, laid-back yet complex chording and the otherworldly sound created by vibraphonist Khan Jamal. The sounds they create interlock perfectly even though, when you break it down and work hard at listening, it often sounds like the two parts should be opposed, like the jigsaw piece that doesn't look like it could possibly fit in the puzzle and yet does. You learn not to question Shipp after a few albums of marveling at him, but you are still allowed to be in awe.

I'm blown away by Jamal. I've heard his work before (he's worked with Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society, Billy Bang and several others), but never in such free arrangements. Bassist William Parker is as near-perfect as ever, managing to find his own harmonic ground below two harmonically rich instruments without robbing from them. Nu Bop drummer Guillermo Brown is gone and Detroit legend Gerald Cleaver takes his place, interacting very well with Parker and bringing a slightly lower key approach the material requires.

Also returning from the Nu Bop lineup is the man who creates the crossover, synthesist (Chris) Flam. Imagine having possibly the worlds best avant-garde pianist laying down a foundation of heavily-textured chords, over which one of the most innovative vibraphonists is floating sheets of dreamy notes that don't overlap, only compliment. You're a hotshot synth man and programmer with a green light. Bliss. Daunting, perhaps, but when it begins to work, pure bliss. Listening to Equilibrium is quite blissful, too. For the first time, I'm not going to predict what Matthew Shipp will do next. He might design a car. Hell, I might buy it.

© 2002 - DJ Johnson