Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Bisio/Matthew Shipp: The Flow of Everything

Michael Bisio/Matthew Shipp: The Flow of Everything

By Karl Ackermann
February 2, 2022
View read count

Michael Bisio/Matthew Shipp: The Flow of Everything

In his definition of jazz,

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter says "It's not...required to sound like jazz." It's a viewpoint to keep in mind when considering over-analysis of the bold activities of collaborators

Michael Bisio

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Bisio and

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Shipp. Throughout their frequent partnerships, the pair have raised the bar on improvisation to a level that suggests an exceptional symbiotic form of structure. The relatively new Polish label Fundacja S?uchaj issues The Flow of Everything, Bisio and Shipp's third duo album and their first in six years.

The opener, "Flow," is a brilliant nine-plus minute demonstration of these artists' ability to execute the unexpected. In tandem and apart Bisio and Shipp create a tableau of quiet thunder,

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington, and

Art Tatum

piano
1909 - 1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Tatum, rolled into an avant-garde collage. Bisio completely alters the mood with his arco introduction to "Bow of Everyone." With back-and-forth distortion, he sets up a gently melodic entrance for Shipp, leading down a darkly prosaic path.

The midsection of The Flow of Everything consists of pieces laden with fresh peculiarities and inquisitive musical ideas. "Of Now," "Of Everything" and "Pockets" each incorporate melodic channels into turbulent waters and "Go Flow" plays like an asymmetrical lullaby. The title track is the most overtly cryptic improvisation on the album but the concluding "Panel" restores tranquility before it draws to a close.

Shipp's mastery of the contrasting poles of density and fragility, and Bisio's evasion of pyrotechnics, render free improvisation more accessible. The challenge, and the pleasure, of listening to The Flow of Everything, is that one cannot be certain how things will play out between Bisio and Shipp. Even when sharing a joint vision, there are times when the listener can find it difficult to decipher the stealthy language of the duo. That's all to the good as this ecstatic music benefits from blurring the line between thought and spontaneous performance; freeing the listener from the grip of relevance. The Flow of Everything is an absorbing album, animated, exciting, and completely different.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Flow; Bow For Everyone; Everything; Of Now; Of Everything; Go-Flow; Flow Of Everything; Pockets; Panel.

Personnel

Michael Bisio

bass, acoustic

Matthew Shipp

piano

Album information

Title: The Flow of Everything | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Fundacja S?uchaj

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Two From TUM
< Previous

Meet Bassist Hannah Marks
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.