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Andre 3000 vs. Matthew Shipp: In Defense of Andre’s Untrained Approach to Flute and Piano (Guest Post)
Jazz pianist Matthew Shipp called Andre 3000's untrained approach to piano ' true f'ing crap – insipidly wretched nothing.' Is that fair?
In a sharply worded statement shared on social media, Shipp wrote: “What a lack of respect for the discipline by someone who in my opinion is a complete asshole for doing this – it is depressing that this garbage will get any attention because he has a name and fame – there is nothing refreshing about the naivety of it – it is just downright dreadful and awful – true fucking crap – insipidly wretched nothing.” From one perspective, his frustration is understandable: Shipp has trained on the piano for decades with the intensity and discipline of an Olympic athlete, while Andre 3000 approaches the instrument with more curiosity than technical skill. His critique is rooted in a belief that jazz improvisation — especially on an instrument as historically sacred as the piano — should not be diluted by amateur experimentations that receive more attention than the work of lifelong craftsmen.
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