The Bad Plus
Made Possible

The Bad Plus is a project formed by the trio of musicians Ethan Iverson (piano), Dave King (drums), and Reid Anderson (bass, double bass). Their story is relatively recent: although Wikipedia tells us that their first meeting dates back to 1989, the first publication of "Bad Plus" is from 2001, followed by six more albums between live and studio albums, wavering between reinterpretations and original pieces, up until this latest album, released in 2012, called "Made Possible."

The critical point of the review is to establish the genre in which these three musical terrorists operate: one could say they play post-rock in a jazz setting or vice versa, that they have pop sonorities with a jazz sensibility, that sometimes you'll find them playing with Joshua Redman, and the next day you'll find them playing "We Are The Champions" by Queen. You can say anything; many things are said about them. Dave King, regarding the latest album, says he feels a great punk energy in the band. Exactly.

Let's say they play something that revolves around jazz, post-rock, pop, touching everything in between.

The album is, according to the writer, a cut above the previous ones. If in the realm of covers the musicians have proven to have extraordinary skills, giving us true gems, in the realm of original writing they alternated good moments with others a bit cloying, which seemed to go too much in the direction of provocation and musical irony. In "Made Possible," it seems there has been a decisive growth in this sense, and we feel it very clearly from the first two tracks: "Pound For Pound" and "Seven Minute Mind" are tracks of the highest quality, in which we hear post-rock, jazz, prog, classical...With an energy that would scare a punk-hardcore group (without going into the technical-theoretical side, in which pianist Iverson opens up real harmonic worlds with his chubby, lovable hands).

A pleasant surprise is the inclusion of synths and electronics (with their first presence noted in the track "Re-Elect That") that complete a sonic picture that already seemed complete on its own.

Without writing track by track, it is equally pleasant to discover that there are no significant drops in quality in the album, although there is something redundant, but as we continue listening, we discover another piece of remarkable craftsmanship, which is "For My Eyes Only" (which takes up a modus operandi typical of "Bad Plus," a dynamic crescendo already experienced in other tracks, but in which they are indeed masters). Another obligatory mention is the closing tribute to Paul Motian, the legendary jazz drummer who passed away in November 2011, with his piece "Victoria."

Negative notes include a mix that tends to leave Anderson's work "behind" and emphasizes a bit too much King's drums, who also has a very decisive touch on the instrument and sometimes seems a bit excessive.

"Made Possible" is a great album. Always according to the writer, it stands as the best in their production (although anyone who listens to them should pay attention to the many covers and several beautiful tracks the trio has played in the past) and indicates a level of rapport and balance that is truly difficult to find for anyone, even more so for a trio that is teetering between so many genres and sensitivities but manages to move as a single organism in a unique and original way, something even rarer.

The rating is a 4, hoping that their next work will be even better.