Forget categories and catch phrases – the sound of The Bad Plus is distinctive, eclectic and formidable.
The Bad Plus have exploded all notions of what a jazz piano trio should sound like – whether at outdoor rock festivals, jazz clubs or symphony halls.
The Los Angeles Times ranked the trio “among the leaders of what might be called the Nu Jazz movement.” Newsweek declared their 2005 release Suspicious Activity? to be “among the freshest sounding albums of the year.” And according to Rolling Stone, “By any standard, jazz or otherwise, this is mighty, moving music … hot players with hard-rock hearts.” In short, a diverse array of music lovers has been seduced by The Bad Plus and their earnest, dizzying musicianship.
The group dug its roots in the wood-paneled, sump-pumped basements of the Midwest. Drummer David King and bassist Reid Anderson hooked up as teens in their native Minnesota, bouncing between junior high rock bands and long nights listening to John Coltrane and The Police. Soon after, Anderson met Wisconsin-reared pianist Ethan Iverson and formed an alliance – sort of. The threesome played for the first time in 1990, then went their separate ways for the better part of the decade.
Their paths crossed again for a one-off gig in Minneapolis in 2000. Thrilled by the instant chemistry, the group tracked a self-titled disc for a Spanish indie label, Fresh Sound – a sneak-attack set would soon be hailed by the New York Times as one of 2001’s best releases of the year.
A deal with Columbia Records followed, and amid relentless touring the band crafted material for 2003’s These Are the Vistas. Produced by Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits) the album contained riveting originals alongside sharp readings of Nirvana, Aphex Twin and Blondie. Said Esquire magazine, “Can one album single handedly make jazz relevant again? Should you care? One listen to The Bad Plus’s These Are the Vistas will damn sure make you care.”
Two more albums followed in rapid succession – Give in 2004 and Suspicious Activity? in 2005. Worldwide touring continued, which further cemented the trio’s reputation as being passionate and powerful.
The Bad Plus made its debut on Heads Up International through their own Do the Math Records imprint with the May 2007, release of Prog (produced by Tony Platt - AC/DC, Bob Marley) – an album that continues on the iconoclastic trajectory of stealing from the most diverse and unlikely sources and forging a sound that defies any easy definitions or categories.
“Like everything we do, this record brings together a lot of different influences, without drawing any lines around one style or another,” says Anderson. “We don’t create barriers. It’s all brought together with a very open mind. We’ll try anything, as long as it makes good music.”
Prog opens with a melodic yet churning rendition of the Tears for Fears 1985 synth-pop classic, “Everybody Wants To Rule the World,” a track whose arrangement juxtaposes lush piano lines with throbbing bass and drum undercurrents.
“World” is the first of four covers included in the ten-song set. The trio’s take on David Bowie’s classic “Life on Mars” is part atonal rock, part symphony, part cabaret jazz – a track that’s melodic one minute and bombastic the next. Further into the set, their reading of Rush’s art-rock anthem “Tom Sawyer” opens with the well-known riffs and melody line originally crafted by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, but interjects some frenetic piano and drum combinations along the way that take the song to an even more heady place than the original. As with the Tears for Fears cover, Burt Bacharch’s “This Guy’s in Love with You” gets under way in melodic fashion, but Anderson, Iverson and King – individually and as a unit – experiment with tempo and dynamics to stretch the song’s sensibilities to a point that redefines the essence of the song.
“We believe in taking a song and looking at it from as many angles as possible," says Anderson. “We try to make the covers our own. It isn't a matter of playing the song; its a matter of reinventing the song."
Along with the intriguing covers are some edgy, as well as gorgeous, original compositions contributed by all three band members. Early in the sequence, the energy level spikes dramatically in “Physical Cities,” a driving and percussive track penned by Anderson. “Cities” features a serpentine interplay among all three players and closes with a hammering, machine-gun riff that devolves into a thundering atonal crescendo.
Iverson’s “Mint” follows a tempo that is churning and elastic, yet never sacrifices its melodic element. Anderson’s “Giant” is a smoky track with a haunting bass riff that permeates – but always allows room for piano lines that are at times minimal, and at times ornate. The result is simultaneously classical, jazzy pop-shaded and lush.
“1980 World Champions,” penned by King, is an upbeat closer that rides atop a consistently driving backbeat – until the final seconds – with sufficient room for Anderson and Iverson to explore all kinds of melodic and harmonic nuances.
In the final analysis, the work of The Bad Plus is anything but background music, says Anderson. “We’re making music to engage the audience,” he says, “and to challenge the audience and ourselves with an energy aimed at everyone involved having a mutual experience through the music.
