Feature / One Question Interviews
Matthew Shipp

Words: Spyros Stasis • December 23, 2017

Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp

SPB: You and Bobby Kapp come from two different eras of the NY free jazz scene. What did you discover in your recording sessions, about either the past and the present of the scene? 

Shipp: The great thing about music is that, even though we are all a specific product of the time and environment we come out of, occasionally there can be some type of slight transcendence of them. Kapp was around in the early wave of the jazz avant garde, in fact was on some early esp records—I have come along in a third or fourth generation of the music. [even though I do not consider myself avant grade]—

First, I think it helped that Kapp was off the scene for years [he has been living in Mexico]—also I think it helped that he has been involved with straight ahead jazz projects and afro cuban projects these last years. That is important because that tends to make what we do less self-conscious avant garde and we tend to just honestly search our musical vocabularies for what works musically. The whole breath and concept of phrasing  that exists in the music today is a different thing then when they where first discovering what they thought  felt like freedom in the ‘60s—[I have no idea what freedom is myself]. I think in our case we were both open enough to see what the other had to offer[ no matter what era we came from]—and we both have the flexibility in our approach to make something out of what emerged.

Kapp is also really hungry to make music and to have some fun. The degree to which he is hungry to do this really helps and there was no attitude like I played with Marion Brown and Gato Barbieri or anything like that coming from him. He was really open to the experience and to dealing with whatever it was I had to offer. All these little things add up and make a difference in the end, to make what we do a gestalt in and of its own that is more than some avant garde cat from the early ‘70s and some avant garde cat from the 21 Century just getting together. The degree to which this did work might not be possible with some other figures from the early wave of the music—this might be an anomaly.

Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp

Related features

Mike Huguenor

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • July 8, 2025

Mike Huguenor Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien? Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: The Year So Far (July 2025)

Music • July 6, 2025

We're halfway through the year: when did that happen?! Luckily for you, SPB is on hand to share the music we've enjoyed most in 2025 thus far. Read on to hear about the records that have made our top list for this year as it stands, and also some bonus … Read more

Shane Herrell: A Tribute

Music • July 6, 2025

Shane Herrell: Rest In Power(pop) (1980-2025) The Rocker I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible. Sadly I never got the chance to hear my friend Shane Herrell karaoke Thin Lizzy’s "The Rocker." As a singing bass player we don’t have enough heroes. It might just … Read more

Unseemlier

One Question Interviews • June 27, 2025

Mike Assatly (Unseemlier - guitar/vocals) SPB: Do you have a preferred model of van for touring? Assatly: Chevy G-20 Gladiator! It was my first van, I got it from my uncle with 115,000 on it. He got rid of it for a new van because it was "old" and would … Read more

Dollar Store

One Question Interviews • June 26, 2025

Dave Slaverave (Dollar Store - bass) SPB: This band hits a lot of styles, all kind of overlapping at the same time. How hard was it to find “your sound” when bringing these influences together? Slaverave: Not very hard at all actually. We're all old-ass adults who've soaked in a … Read more

Related reviews

Bobby Kapp & Matthew Shipp

Cactus
Northern Spy (2016)

Drummer Bobby Kapp and pianist Matthew Shipp are legends of free jazz. Improvisation is their arena, and through a series of albums they have proven unique musicians they both are. Strangely enough, the two have not crossed paths in the past when it comes to recoding, apart from Kapp's album Themes 4 Transmutation. In Cactus the two are thrown into … Read more

More from this section

Mike Huguenor

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • July 8, 2025

Mike Huguenor Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien? Read more

Unseemlier

One Question Interviews • June 27, 2025

Mike Assatly (Unseemlier - guitar/vocals) SPB: Do you have a preferred model of van for touring? Assatly: Chevy G-20 Gladiator! It was my first van, I got it from my uncle with 115,000 on it. He got rid of it for a new van because it was "old" and would … Read more

Dollar Store

One Question Interviews • June 26, 2025

Dave Slaverave (Dollar Store - bass) SPB: This band hits a lot of styles, all kind of overlapping at the same time. How hard was it to find “your sound” when bringing these influences together? Slaverave: Not very hard at all actually. We're all old-ass adults who've soaked in a … Read more