MATTHEW SHIPP
u Bop (Thirsty Ear)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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There goes Matthew again. At last listen he was slipping away from his jazz piano into funk territory, and now he's off on another tangent. The new album opens with a slinky triphop feel, organic grooves, tasty beats, some turntable action and Shipp's piano riding the wave. It's a Herbie Hancock move, apparently leaving jazz in the dust to grab younger ears, but in reality Shipp is just broadening his horizons. There's plenty of jazz here, and some of it not so thinly disguised. Still the move to the big beat on the opening two tracks is a bit of a shocker. Settle in and listen to Matthew go. He knows what he's doing.

© 2002 - John Sekerka