Review Summary: Any review is better than no review at all, right?
This is a review I felt I had to write. The album in question is one that I've grown very fond of in a short amount of time. Although scarcely anybody takes much of an interest in Jazz anymore, I chose to encapsulate my enchantment in a review and hereby proceed to propell it into the neglected void that is the Sputnik Jazz section. No doubt, I am unqualified to write a review on such an accomplished piece of music (this here being my first review); but there seems to be a chronic lack of interest in this album, as it wasn't even listed on this page until a few moments ago. So I feel justified in writing this, since – simply put – no one else cares.
If one were to pass judgement, one could say that is a damn shame, TBPJR being a beautiful Jazz record that is both deeply rooted in the traditions of the genre and a genuine revelation. The Bad Plus are a marvellous Jazz-Trio that keep to themselves most of the time, especially when composing and recording new albums. However, they do play gigs with fellow Jazz musicians, as they did with Mr Joshua Redman in 2011. This short collaboration must have struck a chord with them and as of May this year we get to enjoy their musical offspring in the form of this LP.
Note that this review is by no means meant to be an objective critique; it is much more a track-by-track chronology of emotive and musical impact. Again: no one cares and any review is better than no review at all, right? Right??
'As This Moment Slips Away' starts the album off with a recurring set of ponderous piano chords, sometimes enriched with bright accents, seamlessly underlined by a modest bass line. This looping structure is accompanied by cautious interpretations of the saxophonist Joshua Redman, which are often closely linked with the underlying movements of the song. He expertly takes hold of the song structure and moves the piece along. Drummer David King keeps his playing linear and straight-forward much of the time, only later in the song does he allow himself a few eruptive moments. 'As This Moment Slips Away' is not slippery at all; in close to 7 loopy minutes it evokes a sense of subdued, reassuring beauty.
'Beauty Has It Hard' feels like a respite when you didn't even know you needed one. Pianist Ethan Iverson plays gentle chords with a simple, playful melody that the saxophone quickly joins in. The song quickly picks up momentum, driven by an energetic rhythm section. Redman takes advantage of the full range of octaves available to him on his saxophone, as he blasts plaintive burst over the incredibly groovy foundation The Bad Plus lay down. The song culminates in a long ending that takes a step back before climaxing – chased by King's calculated, yet erratic drum work. Redman's digging it, you can tell.
A mildly amusing, head-bobbing intro kicks off 'County Seat' before the song settles into a peaceful, up-beat groove. Iverson lets his left hand roam freely for the first time on the album and it's a thing of beauty; you don't really want him to stop, ever. At this point I'd like to complement Reid Anderson's bass playing. It's the rug that really ties the room together, man. It's smoothly composed and executed in every single track and I'm in love with it. It's the home I want my unborn children to grow up in. Here it becomes somewhat more predominant after the song shortly breaks apart and Redman goes mildly wild for a while. 'County Seat' quickly settles back into a groove and ends just as abruptly.
'The Mending' opens with a piano exposition so eerily moving that it does feel like a mending of sorts; a mending of parts you did not suspect had come apart. Iverson's playing during the tune is faintly reminiscent of classical piano playing, maybe a bit of Frederic Chopin when he denies himself the usage of excessive flourishes. The piano playing slowly becomes more aggitated as it's needled on by nervous drums and an anxious saxophone. Eventually, the song doesn't go very far and the intro remains the most memorable part, although I wouldn't miss a second of any of it.
'Dirty Blonde' is a masterfully composed song. Oddly (for this album), from the beginning all instruments immediately follow the same agenda, making the song more approachable than most of it's queerer brethren. This could be explained by the fact that this song was originally written at a different time altogether; the only song along with Silence Is The Question that the Quartet did not compose specifically for this album. The song exhibits a nice flow, upon which piano and sax proceed to drift apart thematically for a while, striving for some contained developments within the 'verse'. Dirty Blonde frequently returns to its introductory motif and is mostly characterized by linear drums. Halfway through the 5th minute of the song the quartet build a little bridge that is quite something. It is tentativelly played, yet simultaneously utilizes such a heavy groove that I want to adapt it into a metal song, put it on repeat, and bang my forehead into a concrete wall with increasing force until my skull splits open and drenches the last segment of the song in my brain juices. Such is the quality of the Quartet's music, that a musical fragment of a few seconds can trigger this kind of response (in me at least). A highlight of the album.
'Faith Through Error' starts with dizzying and diverting tonal spirals accompanied by counter-intuitive bass lines and drum excesses. The song becomes fuzzy at the edges and crescendingly dissolves until only the galloping drums are left. A drum solo ensues. Drum solos are a thing in Jazz. I never quite know how to feel about them and to put it mildly, their purpose is mostly lost on me. However, in this case what I at least take away from it is an appreciation of the stunning sonical qualities of the drum in the mix of this album; an aspect that i would probably neglected to appreciate otherwise. The song ends in crunshing, heavy chords. Redman plays a clever melody on top that makes you wish it was the beginning and main theme of yet another track, but the whole thing is quickly abandoned, leaving you screaming for more until your voicebox explodes.
'Lack The Faith But Not The Wine' has a distinct grieving quality; an almost overbearing sense of sadness. It's pretty straight-forward in its conception. At one point it takes a turn for the more hopeful, only to lapse back into its earlier brooding mood. This is the only song on the album that possibly ended up being a bit too long for it's own good. However, the heavy atmosphere makes the listener relish the slight change-ups of the beat towards the end of the song even more.
'Friend Or Foe' encompasses a lot of musical concepts explored earlier in the album. The tune employs a very showy, dramaturgically capturing song-progression, that takes place unhurriedly. You can feel the tension steadily rising, working towards relief. You'll find yourself bobbing your head empathically long before the intensity of the song actually calls for it; and once it does you'll discover thick strands of hair that you've pulled out of your head discarded on the floor, across which you sweep in trance-like elation as you abandon any pretense of composure and finally just lose your *** altogether.
'Silence Is the Question' is a mammoth of a song. After listening to the entirety of the album so far, every listener is guaranteed to be at least as exhausted as you probably are after getting this far into this laughable review. In any case, 'Silence Is The Question' takes its sweet time to develop and makes for a relaxed conclusion to the whole project. However, it does take off and finally becomes a mezmerizing whirlwind of musical ingenuity.
Definitely give this thing a listen. The very essence of The Bad Plus seems to be uniquely compatible with Joshua Redman's musical persona; right down to the name of the band, which quasi suggests an eternal hunt for the missing link. And for ***'s sake, turn it all the way up on your stereo. Has anybody read this far? Is anybody out there? Just nod if you can hear me, I'll know.
5/5
