Matthew Shipp (born December 7, 1960) is an American free jazz pianist. Shipp has been very active since the early 1990s, appearing on dozens of albums as a leader, sideman or producer. His dense, percussive style is often compared to Cecil Taylor's, although Shipp himself has constantly denied it. In truth it would be difficult for any contemporary pianist to avoid the influence of Taylor; Shipp, and others like Cooper-Moore, are going beyond Taylor. Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. He was strongly attracted to jazz, but also played in rock groups while in high school. Shipp attended the University of Delaware for one year, then the New England Conservatory of Music. He has cited private lessons with Dennis Sandole (who also taught John Coltrane) as being crucial to his development. Shipp has long been a member of saxophonist David S. Ware's quartet. He has recorded or performed with

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