From Bluefat:
If you want to know where Matthew Shipp’s heading, you need to listen to where he’s been. The NYC-based jazz/other pianist, who’s poked and prodded non-mainstream spheres with the likes of David S. Ware, El-P, DJ Spooky, Spring Heel Jack and Roscoe Mitchell‘s Note Factory, among many others, now takes us inside/outside on his new acoustic piano set I’ve Been to Many Places. An exploded view of the curiously varied avenues and alleyways Shipp has trekked these many years as one of our premier piano improvisers/redefiners, the album’s many pleasures include several beautifully brainy (and just plain beautiful) pop and jazz standards. I’ve Been to Many Places, which comes out September 9, is a fascinating can of worms, a very special breed of music whose creator’s mind and matter was, during the throes of the music’s creation, most likely impacted by politics, sports, natural disasters, the economy and etc., etc., etc.
Avant Music News 