Gravitational Systems is an album by American jazz pianist Matthew Shipp featuring a duo with violinist Mat Maneri, which was recorded in 1998 and released on the Swiss hatOLOGY label. Shipp played previously with Maneri on the albums Critical Mass, The Flow of X and By the Law of Music, but this was their first duo performance. The recording includes a rendition of the English traditional song "Greensleeves" and a version of John Coltrane's classic "Naima".

Gravitational Systems
Studio album by
Released2000
RecordedMay 10, 1998
StudioSorcerer Sound, New York City
GenreJazz
Length58:50
LabelhatOLOGY
ProducerArt Lange, Pia & Werner X. Uehlinger
Matthew Shipp chronology
Magnetism
(1999)
Gravitational Systems
(2000)
Pastoral Composure
(2000)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide     [1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings    [3]

In his review for AllMusic, Steve Loewy states that "Shipp is joined throughout by long-time collaborator, violinist Mat Maneri, whose perky and celebratory virtuosic runs are a perfect foil to the pianist's dense, sometimes morose underpinnings."[2] The All About Jazz review by Glenn Astarita says that "Gravitational Systems brings to light the irresistible tendencies and similar jazz vernaculars of two modern day jazz pioneers who jointly display a great deal of synergy, depth and heart."[4]

Track listing

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All compositions by Matthew Shipp except as indicated
  1. "Elasticity" – 4:48
  2. "Greensleeves" (Traditional) – 4:43
  3. "Series of Planes" – 5:31
  4. "Knots" – 4:41
  5. "Notes" – 5:11
  6. "Two Elements" – 5:33
  7. "Landscape Harmony" – 8:33
  8. "Forcefield" – 8:19
  9. "Gravitational Systems" – 8:15
  10. "Naima" (John Coltrane) – 3:16

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside. pp. 732. ISBN 0743201698.
  2. ^ a b Loewy, Steve. Matthew Shipp – Gravitational Systems: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1293. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ^ Astarita, Glenn. Gravitational Systems review at All About Jazz