Matthew Shipp sails through Beijing this weekend

“I’ve never been to the far east,” says American jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, who will make his China debut this weekend at Yugong Yishan. “So for this trip, I’m looking forward to just seeing with my own eyes, and checking out the energy. I’m looking forward to playing in a new environment.”

Active on the free jazz scene since the early '90s, Shipp has played jazz festivals around the world, admitting “Well, I have been to the Asian part of Turkey – and the reception was great.” His densely precise, percussive playing style has been honed through collaborations with jazz artists such as David Ware and William Parker, and also alternative hip-hop characters like El-P and DJ Spooky – products of the Thirsty Ear Blue Series, for which he is a curator.

In jazz-lite Beijing, however, Shipp's avant-garde performance style may come as a shock. For those that might be new to the genre, he says, “They just have to open their hearts and listen with their whole soul.” He speaks quietly, reflecting how he seriously he takes his craft. “But really, I can’t tell people how to listen. When I’m performing, I’m wholly into the performance … I think people just need come with open hearts.”

He'll be arriving in Beijing this weekend for a series of solo performances around town. He plans to perform “a mixture of things – some older stuff, stuff from [my solo album] One.” And despite the diverse range of artists he’s collaborated with, his performances will be no frills: “Just me and a piano,” he says. “Like Cecil Taylor, it’s totally within that tradition.”

“The thing about playing solo,” says Shipp, “is that there’s complete freedom.” Having just returned from touring with his trio in Europe, he does acknowledge the difference between solo performance and group playing. “I don’t really have a preference,” he says. “I welcome any challenge. When it’s just me, the songs change radically. There’s no interaction, so the whole quality is different.” Expect to hear several reworked solo renditions from his latest album, Piano Vortex, which was recorded with his trio.

Shipp won’t be completely alone for his entire visit, though – Beijing's Red Hand Jazz Band will be opening for him on several dates alone his China tour. They’ll meet at Yugong Yishan on Saturday and D-22 on Sunday, with each act performing their respective sets – while allowing time, of course, for a few jams. Shipp's certainly no stranger to jamming: “I’m an improviser,” he says, recalling jazz festivals where duets were formed by picking names out of a hat. Whether Red Hand can keep up, of course, is another question – “I don’t expect they’re all that versed in free jazz,” says Shipp, but he's played the mentor role plenty of times. “The trick is to find a shared language approach. Once you find that, whatever strategy is in the air, you go with it.”

Most importantly, though, says Shipp, “I hope people can relate to what I do.” He adds with a chuckle, “I mean, I am a little different.”

Dec 8
Matthew Shipp
Supported by Red Hand Jazz Band. RMB 50.
9pm. Yugong Yishan (6404 2711)

Dec 9
Matthew Shipp
Supported by Red Hand Jazz Band. RMB 20 (students), 30.
10pm. D-22 (6265 3177)