"As the bassist for the Matthew Shipp Trio for some dozen years, Michael Bisio has still made time to initiate a cornucopia of side projects, all distinct, all persuasive and all showcasing the deep and wide artistry of Bisio. But now, his side roads have led him back to the heart of his best-known gig. The just-released Flow of Everything centers on the bass-piano symmetry of the Matthew Shipp Trio.

This isn't the first time Bisio has made a duo record with Shipp, but it's been nearly a decade. Each have done so much both together and apart since 2012's Floating Ice that a revisit of the Bisio/Shipp Duo was in order, and these fresh batch of nine numbers co-created by Bisio and Shipp only dives even deeper into this partnership and the endless possibilities that comes from it.

Right from "Flow," the simpatico becomes apparent; Shipp sets forth suggestions where he - in typical fashion - leaves behind crevices for Bisio to exploit and does so to the fullest. He also devises an esoteric note pattern that Bisio instantly decodes and harmonizes. This is the kind of stuff that isn't possible unless the two musicians know each other very, very well and it makes the journey they embark on together that much more insistent.

"Bow of Everyone" features Bisio's audacious sawing, after which a beautifully fragile piece opens up once Shipp enters the picture. The pair demonstrate a strong percussive flair on "Of Now," obliterating the distinction between harmony and rhythm. "Of Everything" is a blues, Shipp style, and on occasion for Bisio to walk his bass with swagger.

Bisio creates percussion in a different way to begin "Flow of Everything," by actually pattering on the body of his bass instrument. That inspires Shipp, and once the pianist is off and going with his ideas, Bisio switches to playing arco bass in much of the same cadence as before. Shipp meanwhile forges ahead with one bold after another.

"Panel" is a song fueled by forward motion and rhythm, going at an organically changing cadence that spotlights the unique telepathy going on between Shipp and Bisio.

A lot of jazz records are about compositions and chops. Michael Bisio's and Matthew Shipp's Flow of Everything is more about the connectedness between two very creative musicians. To listen to this record is to feel that special musical bond."-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews