Episode 2 of the Burning Ambulance Podcast features an interview with pianist Matthew Shipp. Shipp has been one of avant-garde jazz’s most compelling figures since coming to public attention in the early 1990s. He frequently releases multiple albums in a year, mixing solo performances with ones by his current trio, which features bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. In 2017 alone, he has released a trio album, Piano Song; a solo album, Invisible Touch at Taktlos Zürich; Vessel in Orbit, a collaboration with drummer Whit Dickey and violinist Mat Maneri; This is Beautiful Because We are Beautiful People, a collaboration with saxophonist Mat Walerian and bassist William Parker; Magnetism(s), a reissue of a 1999 disc with Parker and saxophonist Rob Brown, paired with a brand-new live performance by the same group; and an astonishing 11 albums in collaboration with saxophonist Ivo Perelman.

In this interview, Shipp discusses his earliest days and how he decided to become a professional musician; his current activities, including his creative relationship with Perelman and his decision to leave the Thirsty Ear label after a nearly 20-year partnership; and his newfound political activism, particularly his vehement opposition to Donald Trump.