Thesis (Matthew Shipp album)

Thesis
Studio album by Matthew Shipp
Released	1997
Recorded	January 23, 1997 Seltzer Sound, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	63:27
Label	hatOLOGY
Producer	Art Lange, Pia & Werner X. Uehlinger
Matthew Shipp chronology
By the Law of Music (1997) Thesis (1997) The Multiplication Table (1998)

Thesis is an album by American jazz pianist Matthew Shipp featuring a duo with guitarist Joe Morris, which was recorded in 1997 and released on the Swiss hatOLOGY label. Shipp played previously with the Joe Morris Ensemble on the album Elsewhere, but Thesis represents their first collaboration with Shipp as a leader.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide	[1]
AllMusic	[2]

In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek states "What exists between them is a fiery lyricism replete with staggering arpeggios, colorful digressions of dualistic chromaticism combined with the stagger-and-lurch method of self-discovery in the midst of heated contrapuntal improvisation."^[2]

In an article for the Boston Phoenix Ed Hazell says that "the pair seem guided not by conscious design but by more mysterious and powerful forces. Which isn't to say there's not a high level of conscious artistry present in this darkly beautiful, even majestic, album."^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Matthew Shipp

1. "Thesis" – 4:08
2. "Fable" – 5:39
3. "Simple Relations" – 3:41
4. "Particle 1" – 3:43
5. "The Wand" – 3:49
6. "Action and Reaction" – 5:22
7. "Center Of" – 5:33
8. "The Turnpike" – 5:35
9. "Form of Y" – 4:22
10. "Broader Orders" – 8:01
11. "Particle 2" – 4:41
12. "The Middle Region" – 4:18
13. "Our Journey" – 4:35

Personnel

• Matthew Shipp - piano
• Joe Morris – guitar

References

1. Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside. p. 732. ISBN 0743201698.
2. Jurek, Thom. Matthew Shipp – Thesis: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
3. Joe Morris gets around by Ed Hazell at Boston Phoenix