Thirsty Ear
2003
Equilibrium
About This Album
Here is yet another chapter in Thirsty Ear's provocative and consistently excellent Blue Series. Equilibrium is a more complex extension of Shipp's last album for the label, the stunning Nu Bop. Here, employing the talents of bassist William Parker, drummer Gerald Cleaver, vibraphonist Khan Jamal, and electronics and programming whiz FLAM, Shipp moves to extend the reach of all of his previous musical excursions by putting them all to work on a single recording. And before anyone jumps to think "mess," don't. You'd be wrong. There are nine cuts, beginning with the stellar, pointillistic title track. The ensemble creates a series of contrapuntal exercises based around an engaged series of encounters between Shipp and Jamal. Shipp's ringing right hand strikes angular phrases, yet refrains from using force. Because of the textural element present in Jamal's ornate yet dynamically restrained playing, the two instruments create a weave that is knotted by the rhythm section. "Vamp to Vibe" is just that, though it's created around a series of off-minor themes, Cleaver's drums propelling the movement of the entire piece as he double-times the band. Jamal takes the first solo, creating a staircase scalar attack from the middle of the minor progression and arcing it upward before descending into the hushed maelstrom at the middle of the track.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,5,7 and 8)

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