Equilibrium
Delaware-born pianist Matthew Shipp has a rare gift for taking the jazz traditions of the past and translating them into the aural lingua franca of today's popular idioms. On this CD, his fourth in his label's so-called Blue Series, Shipp, along with bassist William Parker, drummer Gerald Cleaver, vibraphonist Khan Jamal, and synth-programmer Flam, brilliantly melds the aural imagery ofAndrew Hill's '60s Blue Note classicJudgment!with contemporary electronica effects. Shipp's sound, which ingeniously blendsDuke Ellington,Cecil Taylor, andMcCoy Tyner, is elegantly anchored by Jamal's shimmering vibes. That floating kind of dreamtime is aurally illustrated on the title track, "Nebula Theory," and "Nu Matrix." The byte-size backbeats on "Vamp to Vibe" and "The Root" never get in the way of the swing, and "The Key," the most "straight-ahead" tune on the CD, reveals the logic and lyricism of Shipp's improvisations. This recording offers a recipe for jazz-based music that speaks to our times. "We are continuing to move into the future, exploring beat elements with modern jazz," Shipp writes in the liner notes. "Ultimately, the goal of this album is to take your mind on a trip."--Eugene Holley Jr.