As Shipp continues to build a superlative body of work, both as leader and duo partner of saxophonist Ivo Perelman, this reissue of his first ever solo piano album is timely. Though 23-years-old it has lost none of the edge that still defines Shipp's music today, and also provides a fascinating index of his growth in the interim. The artful restlessness in Shipp's compositions, the bold, stark changes of direction and often confrontational rhythmic and harmonic character are easily identifiable, as is his strong, decisive touch. Over time all of this has been refined, but some of the pieces, particularly ‘Frame’, remain strikingly fresh in their alternation of bassy muscularity and playful upper register motifs, as if Shipp were intent on shaking the foundations of European classical music by way of a bluesy wrecking ball. The high-end trilling on which the song ends is almost a cry for help from a Viennese composer who has discovered that Monk, Taylor et al have their own ideas on how best to make a keyboard ‘rock’ with violence, as well as speak with elegance. Shipp's entwining of composition and improvisation, as well as the polychrome quality of his soundworld, makes him an important force in creative music, and this is an excellent reminder of the roots from which has come his steady and sustained maturing over the decades.