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Music

Shipp launches series

By JOHN RUSSELL
Published October 5, 2006

The Emit concert series begins its 12th season on Saturday with jazz pianist Matthew Shipp. A discussion at 6:30 p.m. precedes the 8 p.m. concert at the St. Petersburg College Music Center, 6605 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. $10, $8 students/seniors. (727) 341-4363.

Here's a review of Shipp's newest CD, One (Thirsty Ear, www.thirstyear.com).

The disc is expressive, with each track a dialogue of banging chords and conversational chatter between hands. While some of the 12 tracks, all composed and performed by Shipp, are upbeat, the album as a whole has a reflective and introspective mood.

The majestic Arc opens the album with dense low register chords that are carried off into higher accents. Patmos, with its fun, chromatic flurries of notes, references Debussy with an updated style that has a flair for alternating atonal and tonal melodies. The third track, Gamma Ray, is the first with a distinctive jazz approach, and the influences of Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor can he heard. But it quickly takes a life of its own.

Those songs warm up the album and help it settle into a more contemplative mood. While most of the tracks have an economical length, some, such as the four-minute The Encounter, beg to be explored over a longer period of time to allow patterns to fully develop.

Shipp's background in experimental improvisation comes through as a major asset in his strong and refined compositions. Though some of the tracks may seem unfocused, most switch gears at just the right time and reward the listener upon repeated playing. B

- JOHN RUSSELL, Times correspondent

[Last modified October 4, 2006, 12:39:40]