2015 · Album
The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
Recorded 2007 · Nonesuch Records · Produced by Not specified in original release documentation
When Restlessness Meets Precision
The Bad Plus and Redman find common ground in controlled intensity, never settling into comfort.
This collaboration catches Joshua Redman at a point where he's already comfortable leading sessions but clearly hungry to test himself against a rhythm section with completely different ideas. The Bad Plus don't swing in any traditional sense—Ethan Iverson's piano is angular and deliberate, the time feel is tight and mathematical—yet Redman dives in without hesitation. What emerges isn't fusion or genre-crossing in the self-conscious way. It's just three musicians with strong individual voices refusing to compromise their approach to meet somewhere in the middle.
The album works best when you stop expecting it to sound like a normal jazz date. "When We Go" and "Complication" crackle with genuine friction—Redman's tenor lines are searching and sometimes ornery over accompaniment that feels almost intentionally resistant. This isn't about the drummer and pianist serving the horn player. It's collaborative in a way that means nobody's backing down. Tracks like "The Ballad of Rodney and Ethan" show Redman can adjust without abandoning himself, playing with restraint while keeping that urgent quality that defines his best work.
This sits as a genuine peak for Redman, not a side project or curio. It's worth seeking out if you appreciate musicians who take real risks rather than just recycle what they've already perfected. It won't appeal to everyone—the aesthetic is deliberately dry, sometimes difficult. But if you've ever wondered what happens when a major voice meets a rhythm section that won't defer to him, this answers that question convincingly.
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