Avant-Jazz Pianist Matthew Shipp releases new album, 'The Cosmic Piano

Courtesy of Anna Yatskevich

Matthew Shipp released his new solo LP, The Cosmic Piano, on Friday, June 20. The album finds Shipp exploring the piano intimately; the artist dives into mastering the instrument to produce 12 soul-enlightening tracks.

"The preparation is your life," Shipp told In Search Of Magazine. "If you're a real improviser — and I mean real by acknowledging that it's a praxis and an art form and a discipline — it’s like being a boxer. You do your road work, speed bag, heavy bag and then you spar, and it’s an all-day process for you. It’s a lifestyle.”

The result is a project full of expression, joy, wonder, and creativity, with Shipp inviting listeners to an odyssey through the savant's mind. The Cosmic Piano, like many other Shipp compositions, doesn't fit neatly into one genre; the album has strokes of alternative classical, jazz fusion, and industrial indie while sticking to his particular sound simultaneously.

Elsewhere, Matthew Shipp is currently staying busy with two new solo shows at Houston's Rothko Chapel, where I'm sure you can check out his latest album as well.

The Cosmic Piano is available now on all platforms.