Frequent collaborators, Matthew Shipp (piano) and Michael Bisio (bass) are joined by fellow Downtown New Yorker Mat Maneri on viola create what they refer to as a chamber ensemble, performing the 15 improvised and inspired chapters of Shipp & Bisio's "Gospel".

"Matthew Shipp was born December 7, 1960 in Wilmington, Delaware. He started piano at 5 years old with the regular piano lessons most kids have experienced. He fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. After moving to New York in 1984 he quickly became one of the leading lights in the New York jazz scene. He was a sideman in the David S. Ware quartet and also for Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory before making the decision to concentrate on his own music.

Mr Shipp has reached the holy grail of jazz in that he possesses a unique style on his instrument that is all of his own- and he's one of the few in jazz that can say so. Mr. Shipp has recorded a lot of albums with many labels but his 2 most enduring relationships have been with two labels. In the 1990s he recorded a number of chamber jazz cds with Hatology, a group of cds that charted a new course for jazz that, to this day, the jazz world has not realized. In the 2000s Mr Shipp has been curator and director of the label Thirsty Ear's "Blue Series" and has also recorded for them. In this collection of recordings he has generated a whole body of work that is visionary, far reaching and many faceted .

Matthew Shipp is truly one of the leading lights of a new generation of jazz giants."-Matthew Shipp website

"Michael Bisio earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington in 1979. His teachers include James Harnett, Bill Smith, Stuart Dempster, David Cobb, James Harnett, Barry Green, and Roger Scott.

Bisio's fusion jazz compositions draw heavily on avant garde music while sometimes including elements of Third Stream, free jazz, and classical music. Bisio can walk a bass line with a deep swing rooted in a jazz aesthetic. Bisio avoids categorizations of music that fuse tradition with unique and unexplored realms of jazz.

Bisio focuses on collective improvisation, and pays particular attention to how each band member interacts with the group as a whole. Many musicians who have worked with him later went on to impressive careers. As a performer, Bisio is a pioneer in double bass technique, widely recognized as one of the instrument's most proficient players."-Wikipedia

"Mat Maneri is an American composer, improviser and jazz violin and viola player, specifically derivatives such as the five-string viola, the electric six-string violin, and the baritone violin. He is the son of the saxophonist Joe Maneri.

Maneri has recorded with Cecil Taylor, Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris, Joe Maneri, Gerald Cleaver, Tim Berne, Borah Bergman, Mark Dresser, William Parker, Michael Formanek, John Lockwood, as well as with his own trio, quartet, and quintet. He has also played on various band releases: Club d'Elf, Decoupage, Brewed by Noon, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Buffalo Collision.

Maneri started studying violin at the age of five and received a full scholarship as the principal violinist at Walnut Hill High School and New England Conservatory of Music, he went on to pursue a professional career in jazz music.

He started releasing records as a leader in 1996 and has performed and recorded worldwide. Maneri has worked with Ed Schuller, John Medeski, Roy Campbell, Paul Motian, Robin Williamson, Drew Gress, Tony Malaby, Ben Monder, Barre Phillips, Joëlle Léandre, Marilyn Crispell, Craig Taborn, Ethan Iverson, David King and many others. Maneri has taught privately and at the New School."-Wikipedia

This album has been reviewed on our magazine:


The Squid's Ear!