Album Review: Suite for Max Brown | Jeff Parker

This is Album #16/20 that I listened to for my 2020 challenge. I listened to this album 8 times for my review.

Here are some quick stats about Suite for Max Brown by Jeff Parker:

• Album #7 (as the "leader")

• Released January 24, 2020 (Last "leader" album release 2016)

• Album length: 40:00, 11 tracks

• Doesn't appear to have charted on US Billboard 200

• Genre: Jazz, Experimental

• Metacritic score: 83/100

This album doesn't have a Wikipedia page, so the above facts are based off of the limited information I could find.

I decided to listen to this album because I wanted to listen to a jazz album for my 2020 Challenge. This was recommended in an article I found. I think this album was just not what I was looking for at all. It's too experimental. I was definitely looking for something more traditional jazz.

This one was really a struggle for me to get through. It was extremely boring. I wouldn't call this jazz at all. I would call it like ambient noise or something. "Fusion Swirl" is literally a repetition of 4 notes over and over for 5 minutes, with some keys jangling. There's no structure or melody in most of these songs. It was extremely boring for me. Most of the songs weren't offensive. They didn't hurt my ears or anything, but I just don't understand what the point of the songs were. There isn't a lot going on. The only decent song on the album for me was "Suite for Max Brown." This album wasn't offensively bad for me, I just really don't see why it had to exist.

I'm going to assume that he wrote his original songs. I know some of the songs on this album are covers. He also plays multiple instruments. I always have to respect when the artist writes their own material.

Listen or don't listen? Don't listen.

Buy or don't buy? Don't buy.

I definitely would not recommend anyone to listen to this. It's a very specific subset of music, with only a very specific audience that would appreciate it. I would give this a 2.5/10, personally. Have you listened to this album? Let me know your thoughts down below.