Activate Infinity

Activate Infinity is the fourteenth studio album by American jazz trio The Bad Plus, released by Edition Records on October 25, 2019. The album contains eight original compositions written by bandmembers.

Activate Infinity
Studio album by The Bad Plus
Released	October 25, 2019
Recorded	May 2019
Studio	Brooklyn Recoriding, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	37:34
Label	Edition
Producer	The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus chronology
Never Stop II (2018) Activate Infinity (2019)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
DownBeat	[2]
Financial Times	[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald	[4]
The Times	[5]

Reception

Thom Jurek in his review for AllMusic stated, " Activate Infinity is a canny, wildly creative expression of the Bad Plus' collective persona; it's inspired, sophisticated, fresh, and a joy to encounter, time and again."[1] Mike Hobart of Financial Times stated, "The set is bookended by Reid Anderson’s ear-friendly melodies. Here, closely worked voicings and clatter and whumpf drumming stick close to the core The Bad Plus aesthetic, with “Avail” and “Slow Reactors” opening the album at a rocking pace, and “Love is the Answer” closing with a bittersweet mood. At the album's centre, core values follow a less predictable path with two compositions apiece from Evans and King."[3] Writing for The Times Chris Pearson commented, "Ethan Iverson’s departure from the Bad Plus last year caused much anxiety. After 17 years, could this acoustic jazz-rock trio survive losing their pianist? The fears were unfounded, not only because Iverson’s replacement, Orrin Evans, is such a good fit, but also because the star soloist is in fact the drummer, Dave King. Someone has to fill the voids between those rigid riffs — King does it superbly."[5]

A. D. Amorosi of JazzTimes noted "...the all-original Activate Infinity finds Evans mashing his own sinister soulfulness into swift Monk-like runs (“Avail”), playful Guaraldi-isms (“Thrift Store Jewelry”) and pastoral Bruce Hornsby-ish themes (“The Red Door”) without losing sight of his unique tone. King, meanwhile, is an absolute monster."[6] Writing for DownBeat Jim Macnie mentioned, "One Bad Plus tenet remains intact: Their chemistry still can thrill. How the band moves from carefree jaunt to floating extroversion is jazz magic. Filled with intra-group wiles, Activate Infinity reminds listeners that these guys need only to rely on themselves."[2] John Shand of The Sydney Morning Herald added, "Perhaps Evans emphasises the band's eccentricity slightly less than did Iverson, but in return he builds greater suppleness into the sound; a jazzy fluidity that re-contextualizes the back-beat music. The recording quality is exquisite, and the Edition label continues to grow in significance."[4]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Avail"	Anderson	3:15
2.	"Slow Reactors"	Anderson	5:52
3.	"Thrift Store Jewelry"	King	4:47
4.	"The Red Door"	Evans	4:03
5.	"Looking in Your Eyes"	Evans	3:59
6.	"Dovetail Nicely"	King	5:07
7.	"Undersea Reflection"	Anderson	3:00
8.	"Love Is the Answer"	Anderson	7:35
Total length:			37:34

Personnel

• Orrin Evans – piano
• Reid Anderson – bass
• David King – drums

References

1. Jurek, Thom. "Activate Infinity - The Bad Plus | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
2. Macnie, Jim (December 2019). "The Bad Plus: Activate Infinity (Edition)". DownBeat. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
3. Hobart, Mike (22 November 2019). "The Bad Plus: Activate Infinity". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
4. Shand, John (24 January 2020). "Stunning yet melancholic album offers glimmer of hope in age of dread". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
5. Pearson, Chris. "The Bad Plus: Activate Infinity review — intricacy and momentum". The Times. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
6. Amorosi, A. D. (29 October 2019). "The Bad Plus: Activate Infinity (Edition)/ Reid Anderson/Dave King/Craig Taborn: Golden Valley Is Now (Intakt)". JazzTimes. Retrieved 6 February 2020.