Matthew Shipp Trio: New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz

  The Matthew Shipp Trio, with Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums, has been together for nine years, recording both as a self-contained unit and in quartets with flutist Nicole Mitchell (once) and with tenor saxophonist Rich Halley (three times). New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz is their latest effort, and although the title is reminiscent of classics like Bill Evans’ New Jazz Conceptions (1957) or Stan Kenton’s New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm (1952), this freely improvised set is most assuredly music of today. To be more precise, a specific day: August 2, 2023. That’s the day Shipp and company arrived at Park West Studios in Brooklyn to record New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz. It surely would have been at least a little different the day before - or the day after. As producer Steve Holtje writes, “Shipp comes in with a plan sketched out - not compositions, but a roadmap for all the tracks ...” There’s a stark simplicity to the openings of many of the pieces, often with short repeated phrases that develop and evolve through the complex interactions among the players. The overall feeling is ruminative and meditative, with occasional bursts of more feverish playing. As in most long-term relationships, whether personal or musical, Shipp, Bisio and Newman frequently appear to be mind-readers, but they have their little spats as well. The closing piece, Coherent System, is both the longest track (11:39) and also the most uninhibited. Shipp’s busy pianism is matched by Baker’s exuberant attack, as Bisio holds down the center with his usual calm approach. I really loved their previous ESP release, World Construct, and the more time I spend with New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz, the more I delight in its nuances. It’s worth concentrating on each individual player while listening. Shipp’s time sense and use of unexpected silences form the foundation for these explorations. Bisio’s fat sound and unerring sense of the absolutely correct note is always a pleasure. And Baker’s work throughout the set is exceptionally fine, from his exquisite brush work on Sea Song to his assertive duet with Bisio that opens the jittery Non Circle. But it’s the occult alignment of the trio’s sensibilities that truly elevates this set into a gem of the improviser’s art. Absolutely recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5085; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, August 2, 2023; Primal Poem/ Sea Song/ The Function/ Non Circle/ Tone IQ/ Brain System/ Brain Work/ Coherent System; 47:23. www.espdisk.com