Circular Temple

Matthew Shipp is the most interesting and important jazz pianist of his generation, the most continually evolving and pushing forward. (We could also say “best,” even have been known to declare that, but it’s such a loaded term.) Now that he’s in his sixties and something of an elder statesman of the art form, he’s overdue for a retrospective look at his catalog, and to help make that happen, ESP-Disk’ will be reissuing some of his great early work that’s gone out of print. First up: The 1990 trio recording Circular Temple (originally self-released on Quinton, then reissued in 1994 by Henry Rollins on his Infinite Zero label) will come out this September on CD and, for the first time, vinyl.

Circular Temple has marked many firsts for Matthew Shipp: his first CD release, first piano trio album, first of many times on record with Parker and Dickey, first album to be reissued, and on ESP-Disk’s reissue of it, first CD-only album to finally appear on vinyl and first album to be released by three different labels.

Track Listing:

1. Circular Temple #1 6:34

2. Circular Temple #2 (Monk's Nightmare) 10:12

3. Circular Temple #3 3:51

4. Circular Temple #4 26:24

All compositions by Matthew Shipp

Credits: Matthew Shipp, piano, co-producer; William Parker, bass; Whit Dickey, drums, co-producer.

Recorded October 16, 1990 at Seltzer Sound, N.Y.C. by Carl Seltzer.

Cover art by Yuko Otomo.

Liner notes by John Farris.

Press:

"At times in '#1,' Shipp's singular union of cracked-note hammering and delicate harmonic suspense suggests a duet between Erik Satie and a very pissed off Cecil Taylor."—David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Musicians: Matthew Shipp