Activate Infinity

The second album by The Bad Plus since “Never Stop II” and the departure of pianist Ethan Iverson shows that drummer Dave King and bassist Reid Anderson have found in pianist Orrin Evans a truly congenial partner, one who has breathed new life into the trio’s original vision of performing as a democratic unit of equals. Turning away completely from cover material and concentrating on their own pieces has helped bass and drums once again stand on an equal footing with the piano. It is impossible to miss how at ease Anderson and King feel, and how Evans uses simple patterns, melodies and harmonies to throw the field wide open for collective play. The catchiness, however, is only on the surface and a means to an end. The Bad Plus have always been a group that demands a different perspective from the listener. This is not a traditional piano trio at work, but a collective that switches its acoustic viewpoint in a flash from bar to bar. And because they never lose sight of the groove and the swing in the process, “Activate Infinity”, for all its complexity, is a record that is also, quite simply, fun for the listener. (ra)

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The Bad Plus: “Activate Infinity” (LP/CD/DL – Edition Records)

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