Biography
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Born
7 December 1960 (age 64)
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Born In
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.
He began playing piano at five years old. Shipp was strongly attracted to jazz, but also played in rock groups while in high school.
Shipp attended the University of Delaware for "a couple years" before dropping out. He opted instead to live with his parents and focus on practicing, though he frequently traveled to Philadelphia to pick up gigs as a cocktail pianist and to study with Dennis Sandole, who Shipp has cited as playing an important role in his development.
He later spent a year at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with saxophonist and composer Joe Maneri, but again dropped out without completing a degree.
Matthew Shipp moved to New York in 1984 and became highly active in the jazz scene by the early 1990s, known for numerous albums as a leader, sideman, and producer. Initially focused on free jazz, he later expanded his style to include elements of classical, hip hop, and electronica. Shipp’s innovative piano style has earned recognition, with AllMusic and Jazziz magazine praising his originality.
He has collaborated with many artists, including David S. Ware, Roscoe Mitchell, and Henry Rollins, who admired Shipp's approach to pushing jazz boundaries. As part of Ware's quartet, Shipp recorded for several major labels and contributed significantly to avant-garde jazz. He also co-led groups like East Axis and worked extensively with RogueArt and Thirsty Ear Records, curating influential projects. Shipp's work has received acclaim for its artistic depth and genre-defying creativity, cementing his status as a visionary in contemporary jazz.
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