The Bad Plus
Friday, February 1, 2013 8 p.m.
For the past 10 years The Bad Plus—Reid Anderson, Ethan Iverson and David King—have broken down the walls of jazz convention and created an uncompromising body of work made up of an eclectic combination of avant-garde jazz with rock and pop influences. Few jazz groups in recent memory have amassed such acclaim, and few have inspired such controversy. The members’ belief in the band ethos and their personal brand of avant-garde populism has put them at the forefront of a new instrumental music movement, drawing audiences both traditional and mainstream. While the bulk of the band’s output has been original music, it has deconstructed songs in the pop, rock, country and classical music idioms. The band has also recorded versions of songs by diverse artists ranging from Nirvana, Blondie and Pink Floyd to Neil Young, David Bowie and Black Sabbath. According to a Rolling Stone review of a Bad Plus performance, the band is “about as badass as highbrow gets.”
The upcoming release Never Stop is the first album by The Bad Plus to consist entirely of originals. Recorded in Minnesota with a live, stripped-down sound, Never Stop showcases the band’s range as well as its three distinct personalities. From gentle and melodic to fierce and abstract, from swing to ’80s techno, Never Stop is tied together by a group sound that embraces diversity as strength. Ten years in, The Bad Plus is here to stay.
“Better than anyone at mixing the sensibilities of post-’60s jazz and indie rock.”
—The New York Times