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Matthew Shipp Quartet: Our Lady Of The Flowers
Matthew Shipp
pianob.1960
And those parts are magnificent. Drummer
Gerald Cleaver
drumsb.1963
William Parker
bassb.1952
Sabir Mateen
saxophone, tenorb.1951
In a trope familiar from other sessions, Shipp varies the instrumentation between tracks, resulting in five full quartet numbers, one trio, two duets, and one solo. Parker engages in the knotty "Silence Blooms" unaccompanied. On "New Tension" the dynamic becomes more conversational, as the quicksilver duet between Shipp and Mateen's clarinet is by turns ethereal, querulous and relaxed. But that's not the only game plan in play. Elsewhere a slightly different approach manifests, such that in "Irrational," the duet between Shipp and Cleaver resembles a pair of parallel monologues.
It's a choice borne out of experience rather than any deficit of communication. And one that makes this a raw yet sophisticated performance in which no-one worries unduly about matching or mirroring. The consequent sense of creative dissonance pervades the album. Even though the quartet pieces tend to be dense everyone proves adept at allowing enough space for each other without compromising their own direction. Listen to Shipp behind Mateen on "Atomic Note." Comping doesn't get anywhere near describing the complexity of what the pianist is doing, let alone considering Cleaver and Parker's contributions.
Mateen himself generates an exciting fluent stream of consciousness, into which he sometimes interjects practiced blues inflected licks to relaunch his exhortations, as on the choppy dancing "Gasp." A lovely moment ensues on the ballad like "A Different Plane" when, after his breathy vibrato laden tenor vies in spirited dialogue with Shipp's piano, he enjoys a falsetto passage which finally tumbles down through the treble clef.
"From The Beyond" begins as a tête-à-tête between Parker's arco and Mateen's tenor, before the bassist's urgent sawing is picked up first in a drum tattoo, and then by Shipp's pummeling which ignites the saxophonist into a powerful incantation. The piece ends with an extended drum and bass repeat, until finally Parker's bowing sees out the cut alone. It's just one example among many of the potent full on free jazz which characterizes this date. ">
Track Listing
Atomic Note; New Tension; A Different Plane; From the Beyond; Silence Blooms; Irrational; Our Lady of the Flowers; Gasp; Cosmic Joke.
Personnel
Matthew Shipp
pianoMatthew Shipp: piano; Sabir Mateen: tenor saxophone, clarinet; William Parker: double bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.
Album information
Title: Our Lady Of The Flowers | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Rogue Art
Tags
Matthew Shipp Quartet
CD/LP/Track Review
Matthew Shipp
John Sharpe
Rogueart Records
United States
New York
New York City
Gerald Cleaver
William Parker
Sabir Mateen
Our Lady Of The Flowers
Comments
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