Matthew Shipp生于上世紀六十年代，5歲開始彈琴，12歲時開始轉向爵士樂風格。Shipp 在即興以及音樂理論方面曾受教于小號手Clifford Brown的老師Robert "Boisey" Lawrey。1984年，他移居紐約，不久遇到貝司手William Parker，1989年，兩人均效力于薩克司演奏家David S. Ware的樂隊。同時，Shipp開始作為一位獨立的音樂家，先后在1987年和1988年，與中音薩克司手Rob Brown進行了雙重奏錄音。九十年代，他開始組建自己的三重奏（貝司手William Parker、鼓手Whit Dickey 以及Susie Ibarra）。Shipp在很多廠牌下留有錄音，其中包括FMP, No More, Eremite, Thirsty Ear, Silkheart等等。 2000年開始，Shipp成為Thirsty Ear公司 Blue系列唱片的策劃人。這個杰出的系列包括多張Shipp的自己的唱片,同時還有William Parker, Tim Berne, Roy Campbell, Craig Taborn, Spring Heel Jack, Mat Maneri等藝術家的精彩錄音。Shipp近期錄音頻繁，2001年推出《Nu Bop》專輯,緊接著2003推出《Equilibrium》，2004年Shipp推出《Harmony and Abyss》，探索一種對旋律和和聲的冥想似的演奏方式，2006的《Piano Vortex》亦是同類型的探索，其中第六首作品“Quivering with speed”非常出彩，鋼琴的旋律及和聲如旋渦般讓人有眩暈感。 With his unique and recognizable style, pianist Matthew Shipp worked and recorded vigorously during the 1990s, creating music in which free jazz and modern classical intertwine. He first became known in the early 90s as the pianist in the David S. Ware Quartet, and soon began leading his own dates — most often including Ware bandmate and leading bassist William Parker — and recording a number of duets with a variety of musicians, from the legendary Roscoe Mitchell to violinist Mat Maneri, who began appearing on recordings in the 1990s. Through his range of live and recorded performances and unswerving individual development, Shipp came to be regarded as a prolific and respected voice in creative music by the decades close. Born in the 1960s and raised in Wilmington, DE, Shipp grew up around 50s jazz recordings. He began playing piano at the young age of five, and decided to focus on jazz by the time he was 12. Shipp played on a Fender Rhodes in rock bands while privately devouring recordings by a variety of jazz players. His first mentor was a man in his hometown named Sunyata, who had an enthusiasm for a variety of studies in addition to music. Shipp later studied music theory and improvisation under Clifford Browns teacher Robert Boisey Lawrey, as well as classical piano and bass clarinet for the school band. After one year at the University of Delaware, Shipp left and took lessons with Dennis Sandole for a short time, after which he attended the New England Conservatory of Music for two years. Shipp moved to N.Y.C. in 1984 and soon met bassist William Parker, among others. Both were playing with tenor saxophonist Ware by 1989. Meanwhile, Shipp had debuted as a recording artist in a duo with alto player Rob Brown on Sonic Explorations, recorded in November 1987 and February 1988. Shipp married singer Delia Scaife around 1990. He then went on to lead his own trio with Parker and drummers Whit Dickey and Susie Ibarra. Shipp has led dates for a number of labels, including FMP, No More, Eremite, Thirsty Ear, Silkheart, and more. In 2000, Shipp began acting as curator for Thirsty Ears Blue Series. This excellent series hosted a number of Shipps own recordings, as well as the recordings of William Parker, Tim Berne, Roy Campbell, Craig Taborn, Spring Heel Jack, and Mat Maneri. The following year saw the release of Nu Bop, an exploration into traditional jazz, followed closely by its 2003 counterpart, Equilibrium. In 2004 Shipp released Harmony and Abyss, a meditation on repetitive melodic and harmonic structures. One arrived in January 2006 and Piano Vortex followed a year later.