Photo by Frances Pfieffer.

Matthew Shipp is one of the most acclaimed jazz pianists of the past 2 decades. 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. His pioneering work with hip hop artists on Thirsty Ear's Blue Series has been widely lauded. Matthew Shipp has at least 40 CDs as a leader or co-leader dating back to 1987. He has recorded with such prominent artists as David S. Ware, Roscoe Mitchell (of the Art Ensemble of Chicago), Matt Maneri and DJ Spooky. The prospect of hearing Matthew Shipp perform solo on our 1916 Steinway grand is truly thrilling! A question-and-answer session with the artist will follow the performance. Supported in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.