The Bad Plus

  • Minneapolis, MN
    hometown
  • Jazz
    genre
  • 2000
    started
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About The Bad Plus


Are the Bad Plus a pop- and rock-influenced jazz trio? Or are they a power trio whose members 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 trio's 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 bandmembers put aside their other projects and released The Bad Plus through Fresh Sound. It established that the Bad Plus were 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 Bad Plus' 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 trio produced the album with Tchad Blake at RealWorld Studios in England. PROG followed in 2007. In 2009 the Bad Plus teamed up with vocalist Wendy Lewis, adding a new dimension to the sound of their sixth album, For All I Care. The following year they continued to shake things up, releasing Never Stop, the group's first album of all original material. After extensive touring and other projects, they recorded another collection of all-original material, Made Possible; it was released in September of 2012. ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi

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News

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  • The Bad Plus
    The Best Swimsuits With The Worst Tan Lines
    MTV Style
    May 24, 2013
    OK, fine. It's not officially summer yet , but judging by the fact that I'm already sporting a sweatstache and have the A/C in my apartment on full...
    Read More
  • The Bad Plus
    This Week In Comics: Remember The Creators,'Daredevil,' 'Batman Inc,' And More
    MTV Geek
    May 23, 2013
    By Matt D. Wilson Each week, Matt Wilson, co-host of the War Rocket Ajax podcast and author of The Supervillain Handbook, examines at a major com...
    Read More
  • The Bad Plus
    French Montana, Fat Joe, DJ Drama, Plus XXL Freshmen To Swing Through RapFix Live
    MTV RapFix
    May 22, 2013
    By Rob Markman If it wasn’t for the Bronx—we’d miss out on a ton of amazing hip-hop talent. The recognized birthplace of hip-hop has produced some o...
    Read More
  • The Bad Plus
    The Bad Plus Take On "The Rite of Spring"
    www.jambands.com
    arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's iconic work "The Rite of Spring" ("Le sacre du printemps"). The trio will present its world premiere of the piece, du...
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  • The Bad Plus
    Angelique Kidjo, Donald Harrison Jr., Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Bad Plus, Ben Allison Confirmed for Freihofer's Jazz Festival
    www.jambands.com
    Anat Cohen, Randy Brecker, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash. Freihofer's Jazz Festival's June 26 lineup will feature a headlining performance by Sing T...
    Read More
  • The Bad Plus
    The Bad Plus to Release Make Possible
    www.jambands.com
    Jazz trio The Bad Plus will release their next studio album, Made Possible, on September 25, 2012. Recorded in upstate New York, it is The Bad Plus' (...
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Tour Dates

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  • Jun 28 Friday
    Ottawa, ON, Canada Canal Stage, Confederation Park
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 1 Monday
    Montreal, QC, Canada Upstairs - Jazz Bar & Grill
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 19 Saturday
    Denver, CO, US Oriental Theater
    Buy Ticket
  • Dec 14 Saturday
    Toronto, ON, Canada Winter Garden Theatre
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  • Apr 12 Saturday
    Aschaffenburg, Germany Stadttheater
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Discography

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  • Made Possible (2012)
    The Bad Plus
    Made Possible (2012)
    Entertainment One Music
  • Never Stop (2010)
    The Bad Plus
    Never Stop (2010)
    E1 Entertainment
  • For All I Care (2008)
    The Bad Plus
    For All I Care (2008)
    Heads Up Records
  • Prog (2007)
    The Bad Plus
    Prog (2007)
    Universal Jazz
  • Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (2006)
    The Bad Plus
    Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (2006)
    Sony BMG
  • Suspicious Activity? (2005)
    The Bad Plus
    Suspicious Activity? (2005)
    Sony Music Distribution
  • Give (2004)
    The Bad Plus
    Give (2004)
    Columbia
  • These Are the Vistas (2003)
    The Bad Plus
    These Are the Vistas (2003)
    Columbia
  • The Bad Plus (2001)
    The Bad Plus
    The Bad Plus (2001)
    Fresh Sound New Talent
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