Matthew Shipp's New Orbit is a kind of neo-noir soundtrack,
reveling in the darker side of life. It's tension-filled jazz; an
ominous piano (Shipp) competes with a buzzing, scorching trumpet (Wadada
Leo Smith), a spooky bass (William Parker) and stormy drums (Gerald
Cleaver)
to create claustrophobic atmosphere. It would seem to work well as the
score to a documentary about shadows. If you've seen David Lynch's Lost
Highway, you might remember Bill Pullman's character playing some
ridiculously dark sax solos. That's the sort of music you'll find here,
but things are held together much more cohesively. Whether it's music about
crime, punishment or something in between, New Orbit is simply
quite stunning.
It's rare when music this dark is so pleasurable. Perhaps New Orbit works so well because
things never become too overbearing. If one player is going the freak-out
route, the others are providing background layers to set the tone. Shipp's
production allows instruments to rise and fall, with each player getting a
chance to mess with the listener's bearings. You'll never cover your ears
or turn down the volume -- but if you do, you're missing out on some
first-rate experimentation. If this is the soundtrack to a nightmare, it's a
very fine, expressionistic nightmare. The baroque minimalism of
"Paradox X" conjures images of some paranoid pianist in an Edgar Allen
Poe tale. Shipp plunks away effortlessly at his piano, while Cleaver's
drums sound-off as if distant thunderclaps. "Paradox Y" brings to mind
The Goblin's terrifying score to Dario Argento's Suspiria, with the
quartet pondering impending doom.
When New Orbit isn't suggesting great works of literature and
dark, film scores, it's exploring bleak cityscapes of the mind.
"Orbit 3" sounds like an instrumental Etch-A-Sketch being worked by a
schizophrenic wired on caffeine. "U Feature" takes off into quite a
"new orbit." With the players zapping hasty energy into their
instruments, the music explores a wicked motif; if you are going to drive
while listening to it, you'd best have your car on a Formula One circuit.
"Syntax", the track that immediately follows, is a slow-burning stick of
poison incense wherein Shipp's piano calmly creeps around Smith's mournful
trumpet.
Matthew Shipp's New Orbit is a challenging, accessible listen.
Call it noirish jazz or dark experimentation. Just know that it's a
completely bleak and amazing venture.
