We've seen many different sides to avant-garde jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, who has more than 20 albums as a leader to his credit. In Nu Bop the pianist does something radically different, bringing breakbeats and electronic sampling into his downtown jazz world. The sound is a bit uneasy, but that is nothing new for Shipp, whose other efforts also move back and forth between musical friction and musical synchronicity. Nu Bop has both: Shipp's broad, thunderous acoustic piano winds through and bounces off producer Chris Flam's unswerving beats. Live drummer Guillermo E Brown and bassist William Parker are kept on a tighter leash, but somehow they still manage to make such tracks as "Space Shipp" and the title cut swing. Techno fans may be used to higher production values, but this is truly a Matthew Shipp album with beats. The savvy Shipp also includes a few lovely solo piano pieces here that nicely break things up. --Tad Hendrickson