From the liner notes: "Stepping into the Silence, this is literary music, epic little bouts of brilliance. That expands and stretches across what you might call instant reality, the lining or other side of the cosmic blanket where ordinary yet extraordinary people live; it swings and is balanced, it knows where to stop and begin again. It Bees and it Bops, it is and isn’t at the same time, but the main thing is they don’t scream -- not that the scream and the shout are bad. It’s that you have to play inside your destiny rather than a musical style. It’s all about playing free instead of asking others for freedom, so I celebrate Drake, Shipp, and Walerian for choosing life over music. Choosing intuition over tradition." - William Parker
Personnel
Mat Walerian: alto saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute
Matthew Shipp: piano
Hamid Drake: drums
Track Listing
CD 1
01. Shrine (Walerian)
02. Teleport (Walerian)
03. Gentle Giants (Walerian)
04. 123 Sylvester 230 CE (Walerian)
05. Ultimate Insurance (Shipp, Drake)
06. Good Trip Is a Safe Trip (Walerian)
07. Perfect Joint (Walerian, Shipp)
08. Watch Your Path (Walerian, Shipp, Drake)
CD 2
01. Gate (Walerian)
02. One for (Traditional)
03. Coach on da Mic (Walerian, Shipp, Drake)
04. Tiger (Walerian)
05. Sit Back, Relax and Watch (Walerian)
Press Quotes: reviews of 2015's Live at Okuden by The Uppercut: Matthew Shipp--Mat Walerian Duo (ESP5007)
"[Walerian] and Shipp spin complex, information-rich webs, with Shipp constantly wavering on the edge of melancholy." - The Wire, Daniel Spicer
"The surprise here is twofold; first, the discovery of a new voice, Polish reedsman Mat Walerian and second, the opportunity to hear pianist Matthew Shipp in his most sympathetic supporting role." - All About Jazz, Mark Corroto
"Live in Okuden exemplifies the possibilities of the duo. Shipp is in great form and the album is a nice introduction to Walerian's imaginative playing." - freejazzblog.org, Paul Acquaro
