Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp - Cosmic Lieder (2014)

The intergenerational partnership of alto saxophonist Darius Jones and pianist Matthew Shipp seamlessly meshes the talents of two of the most restlessly inventive and gifted instrumentalists-composers-improvisers-leaders working today. This singular duo project was first revealed in 2011 on their 13-part song cycle Cosmic Lieder (AUM066) which was widely hailed as a wholly original and deeply compelling work of great emotional and intellectual heft. Since that first communion studio recording, Jones & Shipp have continued to deepen their distinct song world live in performance. The Darkseid Recital is their new album of cosmic lieder, triple-distilled from recordings of astonishing NYC engagements. Their second unimpeachably potent work, devoid of cliché. The songs approaches here move from entrancingly lyrical & gentle ear blessings to liquid flows of notes designed for caress to a full-frequency of human hearing range intensity that can potentially be quite frightening. All of them are rendered with exquisite muscle-control touch & breath on acoustic instruments and a laser focus intent toward catharsis, resulting in an album that is suffused with both warm embrace and mutual cognizance of the dark energy that humanity is fraught with.