selected discography available here

J UNGLE
Matt Shipp Hamid Drake Mat Walerian
with
M at t h ew S hip p p i a n o + keys
H a mi d D r a ke dr ums + p e rc us si o n
M at e usz Wa l e r i a n s a xo p h o n e + wo o d w in ds
MAT THE W S HIPP MAT
THE W S HIPP mat
thewshipp.com
mat thewshipp.com
Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular
piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984
he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware
quartet and also for Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory before making the decision to concentrate on his own music.
Mr Shipp has reached the holy grail of jazz in that he possesses a unique style on his instrument that is all of his
own- and he’s one of the few in jazz that can say so. Mr. Shipp has recorded a lot of albums with many labels but
his 2 most enduring relationships have been with two labels. In the 1990s he recorded a number of chamber jazz
cds with Hatology, a group of cds that charted a new course for jazz that, to this day, the jazz world has not realized.
In the 2000s Mr Shipp has been curator and director of the label Thirsty Ear’s “Blue Series” and has also recorded
for them. In this collection of recordings he has generated a whole body of work that is visionary, far reaching and
many faceted .
Matthew Shipp is truly one of the leading lights of a new generation of jazz giants.
B i o gr a p hy by J o sl y n L ay n e :
With his unique and recognizable style, pianist Matthew Shipp worked and recorded vigorously during the 1990s,
creating music in which free jazz and modern classical intertwine. He first became known in the early ‚90s as the
pianist in the David S. Ware Quartet, and soon began leading his own dates -- most often including Ware bandmate
and leading bassist William Parker -- and recording a number of duets with a variety of musicians, from the legendary
Roscoe Mitchell to violinist Mat Maneri, who began appearing on recordings in the 1990s. Through his range of live
and recorded performances and unswerving individual development, Shipp came to be regarded as a prolific and
respected voice in creative music by the decade‘s close.
Born in the 1960s and raised in Wilmington, DE, Shipp grew up around ‚50s jazz recordings. He began playing piano
at the young age of five, and decided to focus on jazz by the time he was 12. Shipp played on a Fender Rhodes in rock
bands while privately devouring recordings by a variety of jazz players. His first mentor was a man in his hometown
named Sunyata, who had an enthusiasm for a variety of studies in addition to music. Shipp later studied music theory
and improvisation under Clifford Brown‘s teacher Robert „Boisey“ Lawrey, as well as classical piano and bass clarinet
for the school band. After one year at the University of Delaware, Shipp left and took lessons with Dennis Sandole for
a short time, after which he attended the New England Conservatory of Music for two years.
Shipp moved to N.Y.C. in 1984 and soon met bassist William Parker, among others. Both were playing with tenor
saxophonist Ware by 1989. Meanwhile, Shipp had debuted as a recording artist in a duo with alto player Rob Brown
on Sonic Explorations, recorded in November 1987 and February 1988. Shipp married singer Delia Scaife around
1990. He then went on to lead his own trio with Parker and drummers Whit Dickey and Susie Ibarra. Shipp has led
dates for a number of labels, including FMP, No More, Eremite, Thirsty Ear, Silkheart, and more.
In 2000, Shipp began acting as curator for Thirsty Ear‘s Blue Series. This excellent series hosted a number of Shipp‘s
own recordings, as well as the recordings of William Parker, Tim Berne, Roy Campbell, Craig Taborn, Spring Heel
Jack, and Mat Maneri. The following year saw the release of Nu Bop, an exploration into traditional jazz, followed
closely by its 2003 counterpart, Equilibrium. In 2004 Shipp released Harmony and Abyss, a meditation on repetitive
melodic and harmonic structures. One arrived in January 2006 and Piano Vortex followed a year later. 4D, featuring
Shipp on solo piano, was released early in 2010.
s e le c te d di sc ogr a p hy
2013 - Matthew Shipp Greatest Hits Thirsty Ear
T THE W S HIPP
mat thewshipp.com
2012 - Elastic Aspects (w/ Whit Dickey and Michael Bisio) Thirsty Ear
2011 - The Art of the Improviser (w/ Whit Dickey and Michael Bisio) Thirsty Ear
2010 - 4d solo piano Thirsty Ear
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
-
Harmonic Disorder (w/ Joe Morris and Whit Dickey) Thirsty Ear
Culture Catch Concert Recording & Conversation Thirsty Ear
Telephone Popcorn (w/ Guillermo Brown) NuBop Label
Right Hemisphere (w/ Rob Brown, Whit Dickey, and Joe Morris) RogueArt
Un Piano RogueArt
Logos and Language: A Post-Jazz Metaphorical Dialogue RogueArt
2007 - Piano Vortex (w/ Joe Morris-bass Whit Dickey- drums) Thirsty Ear
2007 - Phenomena of Interference (book by Steve Dalachinsky and Matthew Shipp) Rogueart
2006 - One (solo) The Blue Series Continuum/Thirsty Ear
2004 - Harmony And Abyss (w/ Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, FLAM) Thirsty Ear
2004 - The Trio Plays Ware (w/ William Parker and Guillermo E. Brown) Splasc(h)
2003 - The Sorcerer Sessions (w/ Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Evan Ziporyn, FLAM)
2003 - The Good and Evil Sessions (w/ Roy Campbell, Alex Lodico, Miso, William Parker, Josh Roseman)
2003 - Antipop Vs Matthew Shipp (w/ Beans, Priest,William Parker, Guillermo E. Brown, Khan Jamal, Daniel Carter)
2002 - Equilibrium: Quintet (w/ William Parker, Gerald Cleaver, Khan Jamal, FLAM) Thirsty Ear
2002 - Nu Bop : Quintet (w/ William Parker, Daniel Carter, Guillermo E. Brown, FLAM) Thirsty Ear
2001 - Songs Splasc(H) Records
2001 - New Orbit : Quartet The Blue Series/Thirsty Ear
2000 - Pastoral Composure : Quartet (w/ Roy Campbell, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver) Thirsty Ear
2000 - Gravitational Systems : Duo (w/ Mat Maneri) Hatology
1999 - Magnetism : Trio (w/ Rob Brown & William Parker) Bleu Regard
1999 - Expansion, Power, Release : String Trio (w/ Mat Maneri & William Parker ) Hatology
1999 - DNA : Duo (w/ William Parker) Thirsty Ear
1998 - Strata : Horn Quartet (w/ William Parker, Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter) Hatology
1998 - The Multiplication Table : Trio (w/ William Parker, Susie Ibarra) Hatology
1997
1997
1997
1997
1997
-
Thesis : Duo (w/ Joe Morris) Hatology
By the Law of Music : String Trio w(Mat Maneri, William Parker) HatArt
The Flow of X : Quartet (w/ Mat Maneri, William Parker, Whit Dickey) 2.13CD
2-Z : Duo (w/Roscoe Mitchell) 2.13CD
Before the World : Solo FMP
1996 - Prism : Trio (w/ William Parker, Whit Dickey) Hatology
1995 - Symbol Systems : Solo No More
1994 - Critical Mass : Trio (w/ William Parker, Whit Dickey) 2.13CD
1993 - Zo : Duo (w/ William Parker) Rise/2.13CD
1992 - Points : Trio (w/ William Parker, Whit Dickey) Silkheart
1991 - Circular Temple : Trio (w/ William Parker, Whit Dickey)
1987 - Sonic Explorations : Duo (w/ Rob Brown) Cadence
with David S. Ware :
2005 - Live In The World The Blue Series Continuum/Thirsty Ear
2003 - Threads The Blue Series Continuum/Thirsty Ear
2002 - The Freedom Suite AUM Fidelity
2001 - Corridors & Parallels AUM Fidelity
2000 - Surrendered Columbia/Sony
1998 - Go See the World Columbia/Sony
1997 - Wisdom of Uncertainty AUM Fidelity
1996 - Godspelized DIW -- DAO Homestead
1996 - Oblations and Blessings Silkheart
1995 - Cryptology Homestead
1995 - Earthquation DIW
1993 - Third Ear Recitation DIW
1992 - Flight of I DIW/Columbia Records
1991 - Great Bliss Volumes 1,2 Silkheart
with The Maneri Ensemble
2002 - Going To Church AUM Fidelity
with The Nommonsemble
2001 - Life Cycle AUM Fidelity
with Spring Heel Jack
2001 - Masses AUM Fidelity
with 170 other people
2000 - State Of The Union 2.001 Electronic Music Foundation
with Other Dimensions In Music
2000 - Time is of the Essence is Beyond Time AUM Fidelity
with Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory
1999 - Nine to Get Ready ECM
with Joe Morris Ensemble
1996 - Elsewhere Homestead
with Rob Brown Duo
1993 - Blink of Any Eye : Duo No More Records
HAMID DR AKE
By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant
improvised music.
Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard
trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free jazz improvisers.
Hamid Drake was born in Monroe, LA, in 1955, and later moved to Chicago with his family. He ended up taking
drum lessons with Fred Anderson’s son, eventually taking over the son’s role as percussionist in Anderson’s group.
As a result, Fred Anderson also introduced Drake to George Lewis and other AACM members.
Drake also has performed world music; by the late ‚70s, he was a member of Foday Muso Suso’s Mandingo Griot Society,
and has played reggae. Hamid Drake has been a member of the Latin jazz band Night on Earth, the Georg Graewe
Quartet, Peter Brotzmann’s Chicago Octet/Tentet, and Liof Munimula, the oldest free improvising ensemble in Chicago.
Drake has also worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock , saxophonists like Pharoah Sanders,
Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp or David Murray, Mahmoud Gania and bassists like Reggie Workman or William Parker
(in a large number of lineups)
by D r umm e r wo r l d . c o m
This brilliant, sensitive, endlessly rhythmic, intelligent, spiritual, and powerful drummer / percussionist from Chicago was
born in 1955 in Monroe, Louisiana, and his family moved to Evanston, Illinois when he was a child, just as an older musician
from Monroe named Fred Anderson also moved to Evanston with his own family and started out playing with local rock and
R&B bands, which eventually brought him to the great Fred Anderson‘s attention, with whom he has worked from 1974 to
the present day including Anderson‘s 1979 The Missing Link.
Through workshops Fred Anderson was giving, young Hamid first got to know Douglas Ewart, George Lewis and other
members of Chicago‘s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Another of the most significant
percussion influences, Ed Blackwell dates from this period. Hamid‘s flowing rhythmic expressions and interest in the
roots of the music drew other like~minded musicians together into a performance and educational collective named
the Mandingo Griot Society, which combined traditional African music and narrative with distinctly American influences
appearing on the group‘s first album and has played reggae.
Don Cherry, who Drake first met in 1978 was another continuing collaborator, he worked extensively with him from 1978
until Cherry‘s death in 1995.
After meeting Don Cherry, Hamid Drake and fellow percussionist Adam Rudolph travelled with Don to Europe, where they
spent much time exploring the interior landscape of percussion, while working nonstop to share deeply in Mr. Cherry‘s
grasp of music‘s spiritually infinite transformational possibilities.
Hamid Drake studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles, he also frequently plays without sticks,
using his hands to develop subtly commanding undertones. His tabla playing is also notable for his subtlety and flair.
Drake‘s questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae.
Now touring and recording all over the world and in constant demand everywhere, Hamid Drake has played and / or recorded
with : Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Herbie Hancock, Archie Shepp, bassist William Parker (in a large
number of lineups), Reggie Workman, Yusef Lateef, Wayne Shorter, Bill Laswell, David Murray, Joe Morris, Evan Parker,
Peter Brötzmann, Jim Pepper, Roy Campbell, Sabir Mateen, Rob Brown, Marilyn Crispell, Johnny Dyani, Dewey Redman,
Joe McPhee, Adam Rudolph, Hassan Hakmoun, Joseph Jarman, George Lewis, John Tchicai and almost all the members
of the AACM.
Has also performed a solstice celebration with fellow Chicago percussionist Michael Zerang semiannually since 1991. He
has also maintained his ties to world music through work with Foday Musa Suso and many others.
With these diverse artists, playing in a broad range of musical settings, Drake comfortably adapts to north and west
African and Indian impulses as well as reggae and Latin. More and more, though he’s engaded as sideman, he’s devoting
his energies and creativity as band leader focusing on his own groups and projects such as Bindu or Indigo Trio.
s e le c te d di sc ogr a p hy
Drake, Hamid - Bindu
Drake, Hamid - Blissful
Drake, Hamid - Reggaeology
Indigo Trio - Anaya
Indigo Trio - The Ethiopian Princess...
Indigo Trio - Live in Montreal
Mandingo Griot Society - Mandingo Griot Society
Mandingo Griot Society - Mighty Rhythm
Mandingo/Suso - Watto Sitta
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
Parker,
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
William
-
Alphaville Suite
and William Danced
Corn Meal Dance
Double Sunrise Over Neptune
The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield
I Plan to Stay a Believer
O’Neal’s Porch
Painter’s Spring
Petit Oiseau
Raining On The Moon
Scrapbook
Sound Unity
Parker/Drake - First Communion
Parker/Drake - Piercing the Veil
Parker/Drake - Summer Snow
Parker/Morris/Drake - Eloping With The Sun
Organic Grooves [Parker/Drake] - Black Cherry
Jordan/Parker/Drake - Palm of Soul
Campbell, Roy - Ethnic Stew and Brew
Bjorkenheim/Parker/Drake - DMG @ The Stone Vol. 2
Beger/Parker/Drake - Evolving Silence Vol. 1
Beger/Parker/Drake - Evolving Silence Vol. 2
Sanders, Pharoah - Message From Home
Sanders/Rudolph/Drake - Spirits
Anderson, Fred - Another Place
Anderson, Fred - Birdhouse
Anderson, Fred - Dark Day + Live in Verona
Anderson, Fred - The Missing Link
Anderson, Fred - The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1
Anderson, Fred - Live at the Velvet Lounge
Anderson, Fred et al - Live at the Velvet Lounge
Anderson, Fred 4tet - Live at the Velvet Lounge v.2
Anderson, Fred - On The Run
Anderson, Fred - Timeless: Live at the Velvet Lounge
Anderson/Crispell/Drake - Destiny
Anderson/Jordan/Parker/Drake - 2 Days in April
Anderson/Drake - Back Together Again
Anderson/Drake - From the River to the Ocean
Anderson/Parker/Drake - Blue Winter
Schweizer/Anderson/Drake - Willisau & Taktlos
Rudolph, Adam - Contemplations
Rudolph, Adam - Dream Garden
Rudolph, Adam - 12 Arrows
T THE W S HIPP
mat thewshipp.com
Drake/Mateen - Brothers Together
Drake/McPhee - Emancipation Proclamation
Drake/Tsahar - Live at Glenn Miller CafA©
Drake/Tsahar - Soul Bodies vol. 1
Drake/Zerang - Ask The Sun
Drake/Brötzmann/Hopkins - The Atlanta Concert
Drake/Gahnold/Parker - The Last Dances
Hancock, Herbie - Sound- System
Hancock/Suso - Jazz Africa
Murray, David - Gwotet
Murray, David - Live in Berlin
Murray, David - Waltz Again
Bergman, Borah - Reflections on Ornette Coleman and the Stone House
Bin Hassan, Umar - To The Last
Brötzmann/Drake - The Dried Rat- Dog
Brötzmann/Drake - Brötzmann/Drake
Brötzmann/Kessler/Drake - Live at the Empty Bottle
Brötzmann/Gania/Drake - The “WELS” Concert
Brötzmann/Kondo/Parker/Drake - Die Like A Dog
Brötzmann/Parker/Drake - Never Too Late But Always Too Early
Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - Broken English
Brötzmann Chicago Octet/Tentet - The Chicago Octet/Tentet
Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - Images
Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - Short Visit To Nowhere
Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - Signs
Brötzmann Chicago Tentet - Stone/ Water
Brötzmann/Die Like a Dog - Aoyama Crows
Brötzmann/Die Like a Dog - Close Up
Brötzmann/Die Like a Dog - From Valley to Valley
Brötzmann/Die Like a Dog - Little Birds Have Fast Hearts No. 1
Brötzmann/Die Like a Dog - Little Birds Have Fast Hearts No. 2
Parker/Brötzmann - The Bishop’s Move
Brown, Rob - The Big Picture
Wagner, Rob - Rob Wagner Trio
Ware, David S. - Live in the World
Wobble/Laswell - Radioaxiom
Budbill/Drake/Parker - Songs for a Suffering World
Namtchylak/Parker/Drake - Sainkho Namtchylak [DVD]
Innarella/Parker/Drake - Live in the Ghetto
Gratkowski/Drake - Gratkowski/Drake
Graewe/Kessler/Drake - For Trio
Doyle/Drake - Your Spirit is Calling
Domancich/Parker/Drake - Washed Away
Crispell/Brötzmann/Drake - Hyperion
Gilchrist/Drake - Duets: Live at the Vision Festival 2006
Cheah Dorian - ARA
Chicago Trio - Velvet Songs
Circulasione Totale Orchestra - Bandwidth
Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute to Bob Marley
Corbett, John - I’m Sick About My Hat
Deyhim, Sussan - Shy Angels
Domino Quartet - Radio 3 Sessions
Dunmall, Paul - Blown Away
Dunmall, Paul - Love, Warmth and Compassion
Dunmall, Paul - Peace and Joy
Echoes Quintet - Echoes
Ewart, Douglas - Velvet Fire
Fasteau, Kali Z - Vivid
Fields, Scott - DA©nouement
Fields, Scott - Five Frozen Eggs
Flippomusic Globaljazz - Tendrils of Light
Gill, Nelson - Friends
Gjerstad,
Gjerstad,
Gjerstad,
Gjerstad,
Frode
Frode
Frode
Frode
-
In Chicago - The Other Side
On Reade Street
Remember To Forget
Ultima
Graewe, Georg - Melodie und Rhythmus
Grimes, Henry - Live at the Kerava Jazz Festival
Hakmoun, Hassan - Life Around the World
Haque, Fareed - Opaque
Hu Vibrational - Beautiful Bonghee Music 2
Hu Vibrational - Boonghee Music 1
Hu Vibrational - Universal Mother
Inji - Collusion With Wonder
Is What?! - You Figure It Out...
Liguori, Gaetano - L’Anima Di Un Uomo
Mengelberg, Misha - Two Days In Chicago
Mitchell, Nicole - Vision Quest
Moondoc, Jemeel - Live at Glenn Miller Cafe v.1
Moondoc/Parker - New World Pygmies v.2
N’Diaye Abdoulaye - TaouA©
Nomo - Ghost Rock
PainKiller - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 12
Pepper, Jim - Comin’ and Goin’
Perry, Lee Scratch - Rise Again
Pierrepont/Ladd - Maison Hantee
Ragin, Hugh - Revelation
Rothenberg, David - Nobody Could Explain It
Sakata, Akira - Fisherman’s.com
Sacred System - Nagual Site
Yakuza - Transmutations
Yamamoto, Eri - Duologue
Aesop Quartet - Fables For A New Millenium
Akron/Family - Meek Warrior
Allen, Marshall et al - The All-Star Game
Other Dimensions in Music - In Paris: Live at the Sunset 200
Kowald, Peter - Off the Road / Chicago Improvisat
MAT WALE RIAN mat walerian.com
Mateusz Walerian. Jazz instrumentalist and composer. Alto saxophonist and woodwind player [ bass clarinet,
Bb clarinet, flute ]. Study : music, eastern philosophy and japanese culture.
With the exception of a few lessons he is self - taught occasionally taking lessons from acknowledged
masters : drummer and percussionist Hamid Drake and pianist Matthew Shipp. His stylistics character places
him firmly in the mainstream of modern jazz and improvised music, somewhere around hard free bop with a
tribute to the atonal avant garde heritage.
Classical music, jazz classics and the sound of Orient [ classical music of Japan and India ] have all left a
distinctive impression on his creation. Mat cooperates in diverse musical projects with musician who represent
various musical streams; jazz, classical, contemporary, improvised avant garde music and electronica.
Mat is the author of such musical projects as M-THEORY PROJECT, JUNGLE, SAINTHUNTER, WHITE LOTUS,
PREDATOR GONE WILD, ZEN, MUTANT DEFINITION, BLACKADMIN or DEMIURGE DROPPIN‘ ACID. In
author‘s projects mat mixes classical chamber music, jazz classics and oriental scales along with modern
expression of improvised music.
Art director for the ‚OKUDEN MUSIC : sound to the deepest‘ - concert series presenting the mainstream of
modern jazz and improvised avant-garde music heritage. Mat loves nature and experiencing wildlife phenomena.
MAT THE W S HIPP mat thewshipp.com
“Mateusz Walerian‘s playing is rooted in the early free-jazz, with heavy echoes of bluesy tone. His lines can be jazzy
in the spirit of post-bop as well as angular and abstract, he goes for more direct approach on alto, while searching for
more sonic shades on bass clarinet. He tends for modest and minimal, selecting carefully the means of his expression
... his playing (is) warm, very melodic, while not being afraid of some tone and timbre explorations. Fresh and inspiring is
the contrast between the free-jazz boiling section behind him and his cool, thoughtful lines and very jazz phraseology,
moving from blues, bebop, free-bop up to some not too extreme free improv.” - (Free) Jazz Alchemist
“Mateusz is one of the most talented young jazz musicians on the Polish scene, if not THE most talented. He runs
several different projects as a leader, and his musical interests range from the contemporary musica da camera to jazz
classics and free jazz, employing oriental scales along with free improvised music.”
Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond”
about “JUNGLE : Matt Shipp Hamid Drake Mat Walerian”
“Jungle is incomparable to anything else. Similarly as „M-Theory“, it is an artistic achievement of the highest possible
standard. I practically never pray, but in this case I do pray that both of these concert sets will be released on records soon!”
“His understanding and synergy with the other members of the trio, his expression and dynamism, richness of sound,
technique combined with sensitivity are unbelievable and out of this world. On top if you ask me who does he remind,
my answer is he reminds the most Chicagoan sound of... Mateusz Walerian.”
“Wow. The Jungle Project has had its premiere on 19th November 2012. One hour and forty minutes of pure delight.
Obviously, Shipp and Drake belong the best free jazz musicians in their categories in the world. I dare to say that
Mateusz too.”
“Jungle is obviously a joint project … it is a project whose name explains the meaning of the music : the joint point of
view and the largest inspiration of the members of the trio, that is unconditional and absolute love of nature. The music
is though to show impression of wildlife, animals, fauna, flora, all of the natural phenomena. It is a very organic project, in
the very biological meaning of this word. Mother Nature, Mother Earth. Already in this description one can feel the spirit
of John Coltrane, and indeed the music belongs clearly to the post-Coltrane tradition.”
“What is so special about „Jungle“? Well, first of all such a recording of one or one and a half hour long concert, that is
a continuous and uniform flow of beauty, intensity and expression is not a frequent thing in the jazz history.”
“The examples that come to my mind, and this is not an exaggeration in any sense, are : John Coltrane‘s „The Complete
1961 Village Vanguard Recordings“, or Miles Davis‘ „The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965“. If we ignore
the beauty aspect, and focus on the strength of expression only the appropriate association is to John Coltrane‘s „Live
at Seattle“ with John Coltrane on soprano and tenor, Pharoah Sanders on tenor McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison
on bass, Elvin Jones on drums and Donald Garrett on bass clarinet and bass.”
“It is hard to talk about the culmination of this recordings - they provide an never ending culmination indeed.”
Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond”
about Matt Shipp Mat Walerian : M-theory project
“Obviously, M-Theory project of Mateusz has little to do with quantum gravity. It is, however, indeed strongly based
on the idea of total unification: Mat and Matt form an artistic unity of unprecedented intensity. This is evidently one
of the best Polish jazz recordings of the last 20 years.”
“In all the parts Mateusz plays very clear tones, without overblows, yet full of expression and emotion. To some
extend the music reminds a little the late experiments of Jimmy Giuffre and Paul Bley - it is, however, clearly
contemporary (…) whatever the associations are, however, the over 15 minutes long suite is clearly a masterpiece.”
MAT THE W S HIPP mat thewshipp.com
“After the suite come two short improvisations for alto and piano, “Free Bob Statement 1 and 2”, that illustrate
amazing chemical bonds between the two musicians and their mutual understanding and unity.”
“Free Bop Statements” are followed by the 4 compositions of Walerian. “It’s Sick Out There” and “Love and Other
Specie” are for piano and sax, and are perhaps the most expressive and sentimental of the set. On “Peace and
Respect” and “Black Rain” Mateusz is back on bass clarinet. The latter, 16 minutes long, is breathtaking. It is not
only virtuoso piece in the technical sense - it is also explosion of emotions and feelings. Mateusz proves that he is
one of the best bass clarinetist around, and he shows also his mastery on Bb clarinet and flute.”
“As a whole, this set is a true masterpiece and super important recording not only for Polish jazz!!!”
Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond”
about “SAINTHUINTER : Mat Walerian Tim Dahl Hamid Drake”
“The group continues strongly with „Just Drop It In New Orleans“, with clear blues and traditional jazz inspirations.
Mateusz starts on Bb clarinet and evoking the tradition of the best genuine clarinetists - from Benny Goodman,
through Jimmy Giuffre to Europeans : Luis Sclavis, Michel Portal.”
“The Force, Energy and Synergy are again there, and are just breathtaking.”
Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond”
about “Matthew Shipp with Mateusz Walerian trio”
“Extremely important document of the Polish New Thing, worth getting and listening to it for any price !”
Maciej Lewenstein “Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond”