Matthew Shipp and William Parker have played together since Shipp moved to New York, and both lived through one of the defining periods of their lives as members of the David S. Ware Quartet, one of the great bands in jazz history, while building their own vast discographies as leaders. Shipp is one of the most independent pianists and composers of American avant-garde jazz; Parker, a master of the double bass, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, has been a central figure of free jazz from the 1970s to today.
A Whole System Of is only their fourth album as a duo, the most intimate setting for a communion built over four decades. Six pieces composed together, from 'Deeper Fields' and 'Notions Of Order' to 'The Essential Blue Note' and 'Wave Light Non Form', recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios in Brooklyn on 25 June 2025. 'Every time Matthew's fingers touch the piano, he taps into the pure spiritual world', says Parker.
Released by Tao Forms (TAO 22) as a limited edition LP, with art and design by William Mazza Studio and photographs by Anna Yatskevich. On the same day ESP-Disk reissues Zo (1994), their first duo album.
