Wholetone

The Art of the Improviser showcases Shipp's eloquence in a musical language that is uniquely his. Shipp's “idiosyncratic genius" shines through on this album, explaining once again why he is “well on his way to becoming one of the timeless giants of jazz” (Jazz-iz, The New Face of Jazz).



3 in 1

Half Amazed A/B

The blending of jazz and electronics has been one of the more difficult musical challenges, as it attempts to humanize the machine or mechanize the free spirit of improvisation. It’s a very tricky balance to get right, as they can be on a collision course with each other. Bringing together the world renown electronic artist, Scanner who has collaborated with artists from every imaginable genre: musicians Bryan Ferry, Radiohead and Laurie Anderson with jazz masters  Matthew Shipp, Khan Jamal, Michael Bisio and Michael Thompson has created a post modern sound encased in a traditional form. The results are unparalleled. Scanner becomes part of the PMJQ, creating cinematic textures that take a familiar jazz quartet sound and transforms it into a modern day experience in this world of bits and bytes.

Beyond the Edge of the Frame

The Stench of Cyber-Durian

Established in the late 70s as an independent marketing company, Thirsty Ear pioneered the concept of specialized marketing to the yet-unnamed alternative music world in the U.S. As such, Thirsty Ear was hired to implement campaigns in this new area for virtually every major label, working with such now-legendary artists as David Bowie, The Talking Heads and The Police, among many others.

In the mid 80s, Thirsty Ear partnered with English labels 4AD and Beggars Banquet and established their US operations out of Thirsty Ear's offices. The Beggars Banquet alliance proved fruitful and continued for ten years, firmly establishing them as one of the premier English independent labels in America. In 1990, Thirsty Ear made its emergence as a record label of its own, quickly accelerating its position and becoming one of the top alternative independent labels within the U.S. music industry.

A unique partnership with 2.13.61 Records, the label founded by punk legend Henry Rollins, led unexpectedly to Thirsty Ear's relationship with jazz iconoclast Matthew Shipp. Shipp would go on to become the Artistic Director of a new line of recordings named the Blue Series. The concept of the Blue Series was born from Thirsty Ear's desire to marry jazz's many languages into a cogent new one and perhaps shake up what was, and to a certain extent still is, a stagnant musical climate.

Since its beginning in 2000, the story of the Blue Series has been one of focused, organic evolution. From free jazz masters, legends in their own time, to some of the most innovative producers working in the world of modern hip-hop and electronic music, the Blue Series has come to encompass some of the most exciting developments in creative music since the turn of the new millennium. Featuring such present-day jazz legends as William Parker, Tim Berne, David S. Ware and Matthew Shipp, and augmented by DJ Spooky, U.K. electronica titans Spring Heel Jack, and hip-hop innovators El-P and Antipop Consortium (to name just a few,) the Blue Series acknowledges jazz's luminescent past without allowing it to smother its artists' desires to pave new ground. 

Thirsty Ear Recordings

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