Review: Matthew Shipp’s ‘The Cosmic Piano’

Pianist and composer Matthew Shipp seems to be garnering as much publicity for his criticisms of André 3000’s piano album as his own music lately. As is often said, even negative publicity may be good in the long run. This site has certainly given Shipp his fair due, of the positive kind, with the two-part interview of him and Perelman and this writer’s review of their ‘quartet’ album, Armageddon Flower (TAO Forms, 2025). Few artists are as prolific as Shipp, having delivered over eighty albums as a leader or co-leader. That kjnd of output usually suggests a phoning it in at some level. Instead, you can count on every Shipp effort to be different, as is this one, The Cosmic Piano (Cantaloupe, 2025).

Shipp’s on a higher and different level in terms of piano improvisation. Some would say that he’s defined a separate genre. You will find Shipp’s work on multiple labels, but Cantaloupe is a first. It’s the in-house label of Bang on a Can, the New York-based arts collective that has built a global reputation for nurturing new music dubbed as “alternative classical,” “experimental classical,” or “indie classical.” It’s also known for its collaboration across all genres. Shipp felt that changing the frame in which we hear his music might allow us to hear something new in it, something we did not expect. The pianist is constantly delivering the unexpected, but this album encompasses a wide array of influences, running for an hour, separating it from recent efforts such as Codebreaker (TAO Forms, 2021) and The Intrinsic Nature of Matthew Shipp (Mahakala, 2023). Nonetheless, those traits of powerful architecture, his unparalleled use of the sustain pedal, the continuum of melodic to dissonant, and the sudden changes of pace are all here. The usual fascinating composition titles are present as well. “Cosmic Junk Jazz DNA,” “Blues Orgasm,” and “Radio Signals from Jazz Keys” are just a sampling.

In the recent interview on this site, Shipp suggested he may be winding down, leaving space for younger artists. Somehow, though, given his prolific nature, this is one of those ‘I’ll believe it when I see it” statements. Here, he taps into the deeper exploratory nature of the piano. The opening title track is like an aural painting, a floating beauty spiked with just a few dissonant chords to keep it edgy, with more aggressive improvisation in the latter section before receding to its melodic center. ‘“Cosmic Junk Jazz DNA,” the longest track at nearly eight minutes, is pure fun. It feels like a meshing of Monk and the forbearing stride pianists on steroids. “Orbit Light” goes in reverse of the title, opening with heavy left-hand dense chords and his trademark sustain pedal rather than lighter right-hand embellishments. But wait! He changes the pace and keeps us guessing, with great use of space between the ideas. The epitome of roaring and whispering. The graceful and the thundering. “Piano’s DNA Upgrade” begins sprightly in contrast to the thick chord that ends “Orbit Light.”  Shipp is again having some fun here, showing how he can incorporate the concepts of stride and early piano into a more graceful rendering. 

“The Other Dimensional Tone” begins minimally and ethereally, morphing into a cool walking groove at the halfway point, replete with his trademark pauses and tempo changes. “Blues Orgasm” is a stunning example of the piano as a holistic instrument capable of melody, percussion, and harmony. Trust that you’ll rarely hear the  blues executed this way, masterfully using the middle of the piano. Another aspect of Shipp’s mastery is in play as well: the seamless transitions to the next piece. In this case, the right-hand dominated “Radio Signals from Jazz Keys.”  Yet, there’s a longer pause into the gorgeously atmospheric and richly delicate “Suburban Outer Space,” a piece that embodies Shipp’s classical training and superb command of dynamics. “Face to Face,” by contrast, is filled with dense chords, fluid runs, and complex patterns.

“Subconscious Piano” moves with an infectious pulse, as Shipp uses every aspect of the piano to deliver an uncompromising and inexplicably beautiful density. “The Future Is in the Past” finds a balance between the melodic and the dissonant, rife with unexpected turns. He closes in resplendent fashion with “A Cosmic Thank You,” as delicately rendered as we’ve ever heard him. 

Shipp’s imagination is boundless. Let’s hope he continues to deliver the kind of masterful improvisational music he alone can offer.

‘The Cosmic Piano’ will be released on Cantaloupe Records on June 20, 2025. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.