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This.

Exactly. If you're going to invoke the name of Thelonious Monk, and you are a music writer, you have some obligation to explicate the ways in which the work in question relates to Monk. Is Andre a virtuoso pianist? Is he a hobbyist? Does Andre have an actual grasp of harmony, or is his work more intuitive? Is there a gap in terms of quality, artistic accomplishment, or cultural relevance?  Like, you don't have to answer these questions as if you were writing a dissertation. But maybe exercise a bit of self awareness beyond, "hey, this sounds like Thelonious Monk."  The articles about Shipp have been crazy, too. They're treating Shipp as if he's indicative of some kind of jazz orthodoxy, which conveniently underplays the very real fact that Shipp has spent his entire career participating in fringe music. The headline in these instances is that "Jazz Pianist Doesn't Like Andre 3000" - which is utterly devoid of nuance.  This is one of those situations in which the machine of the music business seems glaringly, stupidly transparent. It's been a bunch of bad-faith hot takes and very little responsibility in terms of representing art in an honest and clearheaded way. 

He apparently recorded the tracks in 2013. So it is really was just timed for the Met Gala. I imagine Andre 3000 found an old USB at the back of his sock drawer, and decided it would be fun to use the recordings as part of a four dimensional Met Gala costume.  As you say, the critical plaudits which it has received have been more concerning than the actual music. Iverson's record has a series of extracts from glowing reviews of what is essentially a quality-free vanity release. Glowing from both fans and legacy critics. That lack of discernment, and lack of interest in even appearing discerning, is dangerous for culture.

saw that wonderful Artists Space exhibition... RIP.

Public Instagram statement In the early ‘80s when I was deeply *inside* the Man’yōshū -  reading thru it and extracting an experimental text I was writing,  John Cage recommended that I should contact Tone and send him the manuscript. His work in and outside of Fluxus (could he actually “be” outside of Fluxus?) was nearly always captivating. Sad to hear this, and … 90!