Release Date: 25 August 2014
Song Count: 9
Duration: 50 minutes, 51 seconds
Rating: 6.1/10
Description:
It has been what seems like ages now since we last looked at a pure jazz album with no other genres blended in. Today's album is one of many released by the Minneapolis-based jazz trio The Bad Plus, being their tenth full-length release, Inevitable Western from 12 years ago. Comprised of entirely original compositions rather than covers like the band has been used to in previous records, the album is one 50-minute sprint filled with classic jazz instrumentation and fascinating musical elements.
Most of the tracks the album has to offer have a feel rather typical of many jazz works and performances of sounding freely played and dodging of a tight song structure, bar for a few that mostly keep one melody throughout their runtime (such as "Do It Again"). Alongside this flowing nature present within the record, frequent and seemingly sporadic changes in tempo (ex. "I Hear You") as well as alternate time signatures (ex. "Mr. Now") are experimented with in full, ideas and unconventional stylistic elements used up to their fullest potential. Aside from these noticeable moments, however, many of the LP's outputs may be bound to pass on by without much notice to the average ear untrained to jazz music, leading to interest - at least, for yours truly - fading at a regular basis whilst listening.
Perhaps with increased exposure to more plain jazz music without any sorts of major twists included, the more subtle yet nevertheless impactful aspects of Inevitable Western will emerge into the listener's consciousness far more than when going in whilst severely lacking it like I was. For now, however, the album remains as a piece of music that is most certainly respectable, yet ultimately not enough to my personal enjoyment to make me return to it beyond an initial listen just yet, though it may be potentially needed to truly let the record enrich my experiences with jazz, so one will have to see.