Matthew Shipp Trio at Philadelphia Art Alliance

Please join Ars Nova Workshop for the Philadelphia debut of the Matthew Shipp Trio. Following 2011's spectacular The Art Of The Improviser LP, tonight Shipp's Trio celebrates the upcoming release of Elastic Aspects on Thirsty Ear Recordings.

“It is listening to Matthew Shipp’s work that has always been a reminder to me that real jazz music—no matter how refined or complex it can be—relies primarily on guts,” wrote Henry Rollins when Ars Nova Workshop asked the punk-rock icon to comment on his longtime friend on the eve of Shipp's last Philadelphia performance in October, 2010. Rollins goes on to emphasize the startling physicality of Shipp's uncompromising playing—sometimes elegant and sometimes brutal, Shipp slams and seduces the keys unlike any other jazz pianist to create a delightfully aural and stunningly visual event....

read more

Please join Ars Nova Workshop for the Philadelphia debut of the Matthew Shipp Trio. Following 2011's spectacular The Art Of The Improviser LP, tonight Shipp's Trio celebrates the upcoming release of Elastic Aspects on Thirsty Ear Recordings.

“It is listening to Matthew Shipp’s work that has always been a reminder to me that real jazz music—no matter how refined or complex it can be—relies primarily on guts,” wrote Henry Rollins when Ars Nova Workshop asked the punk-rock icon to comment on his longtime friend on the eve of Shipp's last Philadelphia performance in October, 2010. Rollins goes on to emphasize the startling physicality of Shipp's uncompromising playing—sometimes elegant and sometimes brutal, Shipp slams and seduces the keys unlike any other jazz pianist to create a delightfully aural and stunningly visual event.

Shipp's played piano since he was 5-years-old, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music with saxophonist Joe Maneri, and cut his teeth working with Roscoe Mitchell and David S. Ware. He's since worked with many leading jazz musicians, including William Parker, Khan Jamal and Joe Morris. His most recent recording is The Art Of The Improviser—a double-LP showcasing one side of solo pieces and another with his trio featuring bassist Michael Bisio and Whit Dickey.

The trio formed in 2009, though the three have worked with each other in various configurations over the years—Dickey worked in trio with Shipp and William Parker, and also alongside Shipp in David S. Ware's Quartet. Bassist Bisio's been on the scene since the early 1980s, working over the years with Joe McPhee, John Tchicai and Marilyn Crispell. Following their debut recording in 2011, the trio is set to release a series of new compositions and improvisations on Thirsty Ear Recordings titled Elastic Aspects, which they will perform tonight.

show less