Zo

Matthew Shipp (piano); William Parker (bass) Recorded at Seltzer Sound Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Steve Dalachinsky. This duo session with bassist William Parker was first released in 1994 and picked up by Thirsty Ear three years later. The disc features Shipp's three-part suite "Zo," with an aggressively unorthodox version of "Summertime" falling between movements one and two. It's a dark, forbidding affair, although the solo piano openings of "Zo, No. 2" and "Zo, No. 3," beautiful in their angularity, provide some breathing room. by David R. Adler