Matthew Shipp

Avant-jazz pianist Matthew Shipp’s fourth entry in Thirsty Ear’s Blue Series, Equilibrium, runs the gamut between atmospheric, jazz-as-ambient music and rhythm-centric workouts of the jazz and funk kinds. The title track takes cues from both musical schools and opens with a sparse, almost pointillist piano figure that soon gives way to a light groove with acoustic bass, drums and vibes, the latter played by whimsical improviser Khan Jamal. Elsewhere, Shipp swings hard in one direction or the other. He anchors the hard funk of “Vamp to Vibe” with a menacing left-hand riff, giving Jamal and drummer Gerald Cleaver plenty of room to stretch. And “Nebula Theory” comes on like a dark fog, billowing with cymbal swells, dissonant vibe notes, creaky bowed bass (played by longtime Shipp-mate William Parker) and electronic touches. It’s varied, subtly textured and a strong addition to Shipp’s catalog.