RSS
Help
Cart
The Bad Plus Biography
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 their Heads Up International debut with the 2007 release of Prog. Co-helmed by veteran UK producer Tony Platt (Bob Marley, AC/DC), the disc showcases six singularly original compositions alongside crackling takes on Tears For Fears, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie and Rush.
Their 2009 followup album, For All I Care, shatters the common preconceptions about high art versus pop culture by juxtaposing compositions from 20th century rock and pop artists with those of 20th century classical artists. Set for release on February 3, 2009, For All I Care features the works of Kurt Cobain, Igor Stravinsky, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Györgi Ligeti, Pink Floyd and several others. For All I Care also marks the first Bad Plus recording to include a guest vocalist. Minneapolis alt-rock singer Wendy Lewis steps into the fray and takes the trio’s ongoing experimental ride to a new level of exploration and sophistication.
In the studio as well as onstage, The Bad Plus proudly foregoes convention in favor of curiosity and craftsmanship – recognizing and respecting the rules while ripping them to shreds.
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 their Heads Up International debut with the 2007 release of Prog. Co-helmed by veteran UK producer Tony Platt (Bob Marley, AC/DC), the disc showcases six singularly original compositions alongside crackling takes on Tears For Fears, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie and Rush.
Their 2009 followup album, For All I Care, shatters the common preconceptions about high art versus pop culture by juxtaposing compositions from 20th century rock and pop artists with those of 20th century classical artists. Set for release on February 3, 2009, For All I Care features the works of Kurt Cobain, Igor Stravinsky, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Györgi Ligeti, Pink Floyd and several others. For All I Care also marks the first Bad Plus recording to include a guest vocalist. Minneapolis alt-rock singer Wendy Lewis steps into the fray and takes the trio’s ongoing experimental ride to a new level of exploration and sophistication.
In the studio as well as onstage, The Bad Plus proudly foregoes convention in favor of curiosity and craftsmanship – recognizing and respecting the rules while ripping them to shreds.
The Bad Plus All Music Guide Biography
Are the Bad Plus a pop- and rock-influenced jazz trio? Or are they a power trio who like to play jazz? It's really a bit of both. But in the brave new world of postmodern jazz, identity crises are encouraged. Reid Anderson (bass) and David King (drums) grew up in Minnesota, while pianist Ethan Iverson spent his formative years in Wisconsin. Eventually, after crossing paths in such unlikely places as high school rock showcases and tentative free jazz performances inside upper-Midwestern diners, the three first performed as the Bad Plus in 1990; but they would spend the '90s embracing separate influences, each musician developing a unique musical language that would gestate into the Bad Plus' iconoclastic jazz template. Anderson released three albums on the Spanish indie Fresh Sound; Iverson was music director of New York City's prestigious Mark Morris Dance Group; and King worked with his Happy Apple combo, as well as 12 Rods.
In August of 2001, the trio put aside their other projects and released The Bad Plus through Fresh Sound. It established them as a group unafraid to stray from the confines of jazz, but confident enough in their forays to make them stimulating, and not simply novelties. The debut was a critical success, garnering best-of honors from the New York Times and Chicago Reader, among others. An "official" bootleg followed in 2002, eventually going out of print. It was a particularly memorable performance at New York's Village Vanguard that led Columbia Records to sign the Bad Plus; in February of 2003, the label released These Are the Vistas which was produced by stranger-to-jazz and ex-Latin Playboy Tchad Blake. The album presented original compositions from each musician, as well as a few ringers from the musical world outside the borders of jazz. Their re-imaginations of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (which Iverson had reportedly never heard before), Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and Aphex Twin's "Flim" caused tails to wag, but it was the trio's powerful mixture of personality and performance that really defined them. The Bad Plus toured throughout spring and summer 2003 in support of their major-label debut. The band's second album, Give followed in spring 2004. For 2005's Suspicious Activity?, the band produced with album with Tchad Blake at RealWorld Studios in England. PROG followed in 2007. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
In August of 2001, the trio put aside their other projects and released The Bad Plus through Fresh Sound. It established them as a group unafraid to stray from the confines of jazz, but confident enough in their forays to make them stimulating, and not simply novelties. The debut was a critical success, garnering best-of honors from the New York Times and Chicago Reader, among others. An "official" bootleg followed in 2002, eventually going out of print. It was a particularly memorable performance at New York's Village Vanguard that led Columbia Records to sign the Bad Plus; in February of 2003, the label released These Are the Vistas which was produced by stranger-to-jazz and ex-Latin Playboy Tchad Blake. The album presented original compositions from each musician, as well as a few ringers from the musical world outside the borders of jazz. Their re-imaginations of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (which Iverson had reportedly never heard before), Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and Aphex Twin's "Flim" caused tails to wag, but it was the trio's powerful mixture of personality and performance that really defined them. The Bad Plus toured throughout spring and summer 2003 in support of their major-label debut. The band's second album, Give followed in spring 2004. For 2005's Suspicious Activity?, the band produced with album with Tchad Blake at RealWorld Studios in England. PROG followed in 2007. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
