Bad Plus Joshua Redman: sublime!

Last night we took in the Bad Plus Joshua Redman concert at Theatre Maisonneuve at the Jazz Festival in Montreal. It was stunning. Of a recent show in Great Barrington, MA, Albany’s Metroland said, “The newly christened Bad Plus Joshua Redman took the stage … and proceeded to raise the roof. In a word, the music the quartet produces is sublime. More than that, it's as though Redman is the long-lost fourth member of the group, just waiting to be snapped snugly into place.”


First, each of The Bad Plus players - Ethan Iverson, piano, Reid Anderson, bass; David King, drums - are subtle masters of their instruments. They can evoke longing in one passage and passion in another. They know how to utilize timbre and rhythm to bring the audience IN to the song's story in ways that change sound into a journey. Second, Joshua Redman is a master of the tenor saxophone who can play hard bop and funk as easily as tender ballads and classical composition. To put them together gives the ensemble a breadth of musical diversity that certainly rivals anything The Bad Plus has done on its own. This isn't to say that BP is compromised without Redman. Far from it. But together they create soaring solos in the jazz tradition rather than sound clusters.

Third, the music B+Redman are making truly is church for those introverts committed to the contemplative journey. Each composition evokes feelings that the extended solos - and silence - amplify. Indeed, given the length of each piece, the listener is able to go wherever he/she needs to go on an inward journey before being returned to the safety and community of the concert hall. 

I have long admired Joshua Redman and been intrigued by Bad Plus. At last year's festival, Redman shared a program with a string orchestra playing lush and romantic ballads in the company of Christian McBride and others. It was the highlight of Montreal for me. I also went to see the Bad Plus in a small venue and the chaos and cacophony of that night sent me scurrying into the street after only 30 minutes. Last night redeemed the event and helped me appreciate their gifts and genius in a new way.