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Matthew Shipp performs "Arc"

There are plenty of good reasons that the music of pianist/composer Matthew Shipp has been embraced by both the avant garde jazz and modern classical communities. These reasons become quite evident when the musician performs in a solo setting as he does on his most recent album, One (Thirsty Ear), and on his current tour which comes to Hallwalls next Thursday (March 23). As heard on Shipp’s new CD, the pianist is able to create music that is both soothing and dramatic, alternately frenetic and pastoral. Shipp’s playing style incorporates both subtle chord phrasings and dramatic single note passages. The musician’s songs often follow a specific leitmotif or repeated phrase before taking off on a wildly inventive, and highly rewarding, musical tangent. After arriving on the New York jazz scene in the mid-1980s, Shipp made a name for himself while playing with the likes of saxophonists David S. Ware and Roscoe Mitchell and bassist/composer (and recent Hallwalls visitor) William Parker. In the past few years, Shipp’s solo efforts have come into the spotlight and his local performance at Hallwalls provides concert-goers with the rare opportunity to witness a singular artist in an intimate setting.

Thursday, March 23 at 8pm. Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave. (854-1694).

$12 general, $8 students/seniors, members.