Michael Bisio, Newman Taylor Baker 

Photo: R.I. Sutherland-Cohen / www.jazzexpressions.org

Photo, Nicole Peyrafitte
Photo: Nicole Peyrafitte
Photo, Marek Lazarski, Cool Jazz Photos
Photo: Marek Lazarski cooljazzphotos.com
Photo, R.I. Sutherland-Cohen
Photo: R.I. Sutherland-Cohen

Photo, Anna Yatskevich
Photo: Anna Yatskevich


Photo, Anna Yatskevich
Photo: Anna Yatskevich

Matthew Shipp Trio
From the album, The Conduct of Jazz (Thirsty Ear):

The Conduct of Jazz
The Bridge Across


Live at the Stone, NYC - April 2013
Engineer: Randy Thaler,
MS3 Excerpt 1

NPR fresh Air broadcast
npr.org/2015/12/07/458775940/percussive-piano-and-rollicking-swing-float-matthew-shipps-conduct-of-jazz?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialAYS Video

Buenos Aires Jazz Festival 2017 (Highlights)
“…Matthew Shipp (probably one of the two or three greatest jazz pianists of today) and the Italian Rita Marcotulli (extraordinary pianist, great arranger and composer of long career). Also the presentation of Matthew Shipp with his trio, integrated by bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker (a kind of compendium of the best of the avant-garde). To conclude with the modic pantheon of this 2017, it is mandatory to add the participation of Bisio and Taylor Baker in a crossing with the platense Pablo Ledesma (perhaps one of the best soprano saxophones of Argentina) and the incredible trumpeter Valentín Garvie (of immense trajectory) in Europe, but a discovery for many of the concertgoers).” -  Jorge Fondebrider
elpais.com.uy/cultural/seis-dias-vez-ano.html

Reviews

DOWNBEAT **** “A daring dive into abstraction by three highly emphatic players.” - Bill Milkowski
downbeat.com/digitaledition/2019/DB1903/single_page_view/58.html

"His latest release, “Signature” (ESP-Disk), the third and best recording to date from his current trio with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, befits a current jazz landscape in which radical thinkers are prime movers. And Mr. Shipp’s ability to lure, more so than to lead, his associates into the wild thicket of ideas proposed by his playing makes for transformative musical exchanges in any context." - Larry Blumenfeld
wsj.com/articles/signature-by-matthew-shipp-review-where-radical-thinkers-are-prime-movers-11550692597?fbclid=IwAR1oa_s_v2-C94VoRonz6oXFD7RayFQIhy0H9gGbynRomKWT5GIRp2xtDUk

"One of the things that I like most about Matthew Shipp is that he is completely genuine in his approach… With the bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker Shipp has found soulmates in this studio recording continuing their longstanding work together. A must for free-jazz fans." - SG
marlbank.net/index.php

“On Signature, the third release under his name for ESP-Disk’, Shipp reconvenes his stellar trio with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. Like Shipp, the group’s style is both unique and firmly grounded within the piano trio tradition.”  

“The final “This Matrix” could act as a summation of the threesome’s virtues: crisp, emphatic and animated, but always avoiding the obvious. “ - John Sharpe
nycjazzrecord.com/issues/tnycjr201902.pdf

“For Shipp’s relentless creativity and clarity of thought are matched by the sensitivity of his collaboration with bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker.” - Howard Reich
chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/reich/sc-ent-best-jazz-recordings-1210-story.html

allaboutjazz.com/matthew-shipp-trio-at-sfjazz-matthew-shipp-by-harry-s-pariser.php

“The Matthew Shipp trio these days is like a train that is ever arriving as it ever departs for destinations not yet known. The three in tandem exemplify what the improvisatory arts are all about when they are in their purest state. There can be no final destination because the track extends outwards into infinity.”-  Grego Applegate Edwards
gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/2017/01/matthew-shipp-trio-piano-song.html

“Baker's devotion to fundamental rhythms transforms the group from the bottom up, inducing Shipp's stark themes to swing more traditionally than they have in the past and shining light into the moss on bark closeness of Bisio and Shipp's musical connection.” ~ Bill Meyer at MAGNET Magazine.

“Matthew Shipp remains one of the most interesting jazz piano players working today, and the dynamic duo of Michael Bisio and Newman Taylor Baker work perfectly together to both compliment and support Shipp’s playing and to add their own unique elements to the mix. Which has me excited to hear what this trio will do for round three.” - Paul Semel
/paulsemel.com/matthew-shipp-trio-piano-song-review/

“Piano Song serves as a pitch-perfect testament to the capabilities of the group. Sometimes hard swinging, often boundary pushing, yet at moments intensely reflective, personal, and even atmospheric, Piano Song provides devoted fans with a thrilling array of material to absorb. For newcomers, the album serves as a welcome introduction, effectively utilizing a time-honored ensemble format to create a unique alchemy of the familiar and the unexpected.” - Seton Hawkins
hothousejazz.com/blog/matthew-shipp


"Imaginatively incorporating conventional melodies, harmonies and rhythms into their dynamically fluid interplay, Shipp and his sidemen offer a unique take on the venerable piano trio tradition. Avoiding the stereotypical formal limitations of both the mainstream and avant-garde, Piano Song stands tall as one of the finest moments in Shipp's vast oeuvre." - Troy Collins
hallaboutjazz.com/piano-song-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-troy-collins.php

“Piano Song feels like an entirely fresh take on the piano trio, a vibrant continuum of sounds that avoids the pitfalls of both mainstream and avant-garde music.” JAKOB BAEKGAARD
allaboutjazz.com/piano-song-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-jakob-baekgaard.php

“He easily leads as well as interacts with the powerful musical visions of his bandmates who seem to personalize each note to ensure a perfect fit with their leader's performances. Each player honors the others' commitment to his program without boring the listener with improvisations that seem dated.”
soundsoftimelessjazz.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conduct_of_Jazz

“They run the gamut from abstract yet madly swinging originals with freedom, yet too with a foundation in the heat of tradition. . .
In fact I would go so far to say that this is one of a handful of the greatest piano-bass sets recorded in recent times. It is virtually without peer. It has the burning edge of post-hard-bop, the full breadth of freedom, and the ability to bring in compositional elements via standards and Matthew's inspired pieces. They keep the torch wildly and happily surging forth. ”
http://gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/2016/04/matthew-shipp-michael-bisio-live-in.html

New York City Jazz Records Concerts of the Year 2015   Matthew Shipp/Michael Bisio @ Zurcher Gallery (5/27)

londonjazznews.com/2015/12/yearend-lists-4-wishes-for-individuals.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conduct_of_Jazz

"With the bass of Bisio, Shipp has found his chimeric twin, who shares much of the pianist's DNA, as the two often share the same musical thoughts here. “  - Mark Corroto
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-in-seattle-matthew-shipp-michael-bisio-arena-jazz-review-by-mark-corroto.php

“27 years after his debut release in 1988, Matthew Shipp remains a sonic explorer from that generation of musicians who have stayed true to the history of jazz while remaining open to contemporary influences. That spirit suffused his performance this night with fellow traveler Michael Bisio.” - John Diliberto
http://echoes.org/2015/12/14/matthew-shipp-live-in-philadelphia/

****1/2
"Matthew Shipp is the connection of the past, present and future for jazz heads of all ages." - Ken Micallef
downbeat.com/digitaledition/2015/DB1512/single_page_view/69.html

"Shipp and his longtime confederate bassist Michael Bisio could not have made a better choice than welcoming the experienced Newman Taylor Baker as partner in crime. When Bisio and Baker lay down the rhythm for Matt's improvisations, they punctuate his tunes so adeptly that it becomes almost impossible to distinguish between the three artists."
jazzaddikt.tumblr.com/post/134822662614/the-conduct-of-jazz-a-review-by-michael-nolte

*****

" - the familiar strengths are still evident: near telepathic interplay; ability to turn on a dime; robustly independent thought; instrumental virtuosity; and a willingness to subsume ego for the collective benefit."  - John Sharpe
allaboutjazz.com/the-conduct-of-jazz-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-john-sharpe.php

"For three-plus groundbreaking decades, out-jazz iconoclast Matthew Shipp has reigned supreme over New York City's avant-garde scene, a pioneer alongside composer giants like William Parker and John Zorn. The tireless visionary who put his stamp on now-shuttered lower Manhattan experimental hubs now brings his EV vibes uptown to Jazz at Lincoln Center. With longtime bassist Michael Bisio and new drummer Newman Taylor Baker in tow, Shipp hits Dizzy's for a victory lap celebrating a 2015 that rightfully landed him on "Best Jazz Records of 2015" everywhere. Beginning with 2012's Elastic Aspects and continuing with '14's Root of Things, To Duke (released earlier this year) and most recently with The Conduct of Jazz, Shipp and his trio continue breaking their genre?s mold with an ecstatic post-bop swing, thick with shapeshifting thrills and adventurous phraseology." - Brad Cohen 
villagevoice.com/event/matthew-shipp-trio-8134216

"Matthew Shipp's Trio is rightly acknowledged as one of the world's finest and they didn't disappoint, producing a set of insistent driving momentum, which swept the audience along with it." - John Sharpe, The New York City Jazz Record

"Like jugglers with balls in the air, Shipp, Bisio and Baker dealt in the unexpected, from dazzling trio crescendos possessing a certain horror-movie quality to weird, bubbly space funk." - Ken Micallef
downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=2772

"Bisio and Baker share an uncanny conversational rapport with Shipp; their cubistic dialogue blurs the lines between accompanist and soloist, exponentially expanding the rhythm section's role in the process."  - Troy Collins
allaboutjazz.com/the-conduct-of-jazz-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-troy-collins.php

"The Shipp Trio has become a phenomena unto itself."
"Certainly the Shipp Trio here make a case for a simultaneity of stylistic preoccupations that transcends the splitting of categories in jazz practice."
gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/2015/02/matthew-shipp-trio-to-duke.html

"*File The Conduct of Jazz in the 'essential listening' category." ***** Glenn Astarita
allaboutjazz.com/the-conduct-of-jazz-matthew-shipp-thirsty-ear-recordings-review-by-glenn-astarita__12819.php


Read the Wire review

"A glance at pianist Matthew Shipp's discography shows that small group work has long been a focus. Indeed in recent times one of the prime outlets for his artistry is his classic piano trio, which ranks among the pre-eminent outfits in modern jazz. The Conduct Of Jazz represents Shipp's twelfth release in the format. Although Newman Taylor Baker makes his debut on the drum stool alongside monster bassist Michael Bisio, the familiar strengths are still evident: near telepathic interplay; ability to turn on a dime; robustly independent thought; instrumental virtuosity; and a willingness to subsume ego for the communal benefit. " - John Sharpe
allaboutjazz.com/john-sharpes-best-releases-of-2015-mats-gustafsson-by-john-sharpe.php


"Anyway: This album feels short, just whizzes by in seven tracks of pure listening, head-bobbing, toe-tapping pleasure. It's probing stuff, as you'd expect, just chock-fulla ideas, curiosity and vigor  it's full of life. Shipp's bandmates offer more than just support for the pianist's fearsome flights, they sound like they all popped out of the same womb, connected within this music in amazingly organic and intuitive understanding of one another's hearts and minds." - John Payne
bluefat.com/1510/Matthew_Shipp.htm


"The music is wrapped up with a wonderful lengthy stretched out improvised section where everyone gets a chance to shine especially Michael Bisio, who is simply magnificent. This is an extraordinary trio that makes very profound and yet highly accessible music."
jazzandblues.blogspot.com/2015/10/matthew-shipp-trio-conduct-of-jazz.html


"It is an album that should get attention for how it communicates vividly without compromising the spirit-essence of the Shipp way. He is one of the most important pianists on the scene now and this trio is essential in no lesser sense." - Grego Applegate Edwards


"Like Thelonious Monk before him, Matthew Shipp can take something basic and well established, like, say the blues, and shape it into something that?s far ahead in a dialect that no one will mistake for anyone else. And it?s an approach that enables him to be unconcerned about sounding too much like conventional even when he makes a conscious effort to stay within the established parameters of jazz. Michael Bisio and Newman Taylor Baker share that vision whole-heartedly, too. As a result, The Conduct of Jazz honors the real jazz tradition of breaking outside of previously placed constraints." - S. Victor Aaron
somethingelsereviews.com/2015/10/19/matthew-shipp-trio-the-conduct-of-jazz-2015


"The Conduct of Jazz" effortlessly shows how the music can be fiery, ornery, combative, difficult, and even hard while never abandoning a sense of swing or its soulful intelligence-that moving the heart and the brain aren't mutually exclusive endeavors. - Bret McCabe
citypaper.com/blogs/noise/bcpnews-in-concert-this-weekend-three-jazz-pianists-who-push-their-limits-20151009-story.html


"This is an all around great disc from a remarkable trio! Looking forward to hearing them live." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
search2.downtownmusicgallery.com/lookup.cgi?item=2015_10_16_16_56_27

Best of Lists 2015 - Click Here


Matthew Shipp Trio at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy, NY March 15, 2014




Matthew Shipp Trio - Live in Lisbon