When associated with the Bad Plus, the phrase “jazz piano trio” deceives. Bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer David King have been rudely busting the jazz trio genre since 2000, when the three first played together for a weekend club date in Minneapolis. On tour promoting its newest album, “PROG,” the Bad Plus hits the Shedd Institute on Valentine’s Day with a unique fusion of avant-garde jazz and progressive rock.
Since releasing its first of four albums, “These are the Vistas,” in 2003, Anderson, Iverson and King have made themselves both the darlings and the black sheep of the jazz world. Though some jazz purists have criticized the trio for its excessive volume and aggressive sound, National Public Radio, Downbeat Magazine and Jazz Times have all given the Bad Plus ample space on air and in print.
After touring Japan, the trio will spend a week gigging at New York City’s famous Blue Note Jazz Club. Still, there exists in the Bad Plus sound something altogether “not jazz.” On the Web site for Big Hassle, the trio’s record label, Iverson described the group’s unconventional influences: “Our harmonic approach comes more from Stravinsky than Bill Evans.”
The trio also cites jazz artist Ornette Coleman as a key inspiration.
The Bad Plus is perhaps most well-known for its pop and rock covers; after constructing an unusual rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for its first gig in Minneapolis, the band has arranged an extensive and eclectic repertoire of pieces from the pop-rock songbook. Notably, the trio has taken on Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” and, on PROG, David Bowie’s “Life on Mars.” While the frequent covers may seem novel and sometimes ironic, they represent the truly eclectic musical interests of Anderson, Iverson and King.
Since jazz artists often cover the compositions of other jazz artists, the Bad Plus’ second-hand repertoire is only notable because it spans multiple genres. In fact, the majority of the songs on the trio’s four albums are original compositions. Anderson, Iverson and King all compose, and this collaborative quality is present in their sound; it is difficult to decipher whose contribution – Iverson’s cascading piano flourish, Anderson’s heavy, brooding bass line or King’s poly-rhythmic spasm – dominates the Bad Plus melody.
2007 was a year of change for the Bad Plus. The trio switched record labels from the big-name Columbia to the independent Big Hassle. Certainly, the trio seems at home on its new label; their jazz idol, Ornette Coleman, as well as numerous popular indie-rock acts, have also signed on with Big Hassle. In this shift, and in the name of the men’s new album, “PROG,” the Bad Plus has stated their intentions to defy the traditional boundaries of genre and seek artistic progress.