Pianist and composer Matthew Shipp will release a new solo album titled I’ve Been to Many Places on September 9 through long-time affiliate label Thirsty Ear. The album is billed as a summation of his diverse, boundary-pushing career, which has spanned nearly three decades. It includes a number of new compositions, as well as new recordings of past compositions and a version of John Coltrane’s 1959 classic “Naima.”
Shipp moved to New York from his home of Wilmington, Delaware in 1984. He joined the David S. Ware Quartet shortly thereafter and remained a part until its disbandment in 2007. Throughout that time, he also played with Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory and recorded with a wide range of collaborators, including rapper/producer El-P, DJ Spooky, electronic duo Spring Heel Jack, and rapper Beans of Antipop Consortium. In a feature with The Guardian, he is quoted expressing his distaste for jazz tradition: “I love Coltrane, I love Ornette, I love Monk — but fuck them all […] I want to find new ways of messing with people’s minds.”
In 2003, Shipp performed with bassist William Parker, drummer Guillermo Brown, and DJ Spooky as part of Spooky’s Optometry project, exploring the intersections of turntablism and jazz. You can watch a video of that concert below, and pre-order the new album here.
• Matthew Shipp: http://www.matthewshipp.com
• Thirsty Ear: http://www.thirstyear.com