Critical Mass is an album by American jazz pianist Matthew Shipp which was recorded in 1994 and released on 2.13, a division of the 2.13.61 label, founded by Henry Rollins. Shipp adds violinist Mat Maneri to his usual trio lineup with bassist William Parker and drummer Whit Dickey. Shipp met Maneri when the violinist was just 17 in Boston, this is their first collaboration on record.[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz states "An interesting record but rather dour work for listener."[3] By contrast, in an article for the Boston Phoenix, Norman Weinstein says about the album "This is the most accomplished recording of Shipp's career, a breathtaking summary of his complex sense of musical form and lava-like flow of unstoppable imagination."[4]
