“Give”, The Bad Plus
“Give”, The Bad Plus, Columbia, 2004
If you have not heard them, it may be difficult to decipher the hype about the Bad Plus. They are presented like a really weird jazz trio that does covers of trendy rock songs. On this release, though, they are actually a sort-of-avant-garde jazz band and only do three covers.
Their music is a bridge to totally free jazz, with classical elements. Although they keep changing, there are recognizable melodies and rhythms. And once you get used to it, it sounds pretty good.
It sounds at first like pianist Ethan Iverson takes off on improvisations on each of the eleven tunes, and Reid Anderson on bass and David King on drums follow him. Keith Jarrett is the only artist that comes readily to mind for this type of thing, although Iverson plays with a much more percussive style and does not play any parts without his bandmates.
On repeated listenings, it seems that the songs are carefully worked out. The songs are all pretty tight, without a lot of aimless noodling. King always keeps steady time despite an extremely busy style, while Anderson tends to anchor everything.
I suspect that if you look past the shaved heads and space age persona, these guys are traditionalists that want to cross over. There seems to be a lot of classical feel in Iverson’s style, and it probably explains his virtuosity on songs like “Do Your Sums-Die Like A Dog- Play For Home.”
There are only two of the rock interpretations that the band is known for. “Veloria” gives a classical feel to the song by “Charles Thompson”, better known as Frank Black of the Pixies. “Iron Man” does the same to Black Sabbath, but in this case the drama of the pounding chords seems a bit tongue in cheek. The third cover is Ornette Coleman’s “Street Woman.”
“Give” indicates that the critical acclaim given to this rather new band is justified. The trio has a sound that is quirky but still accessible to anyone willing to give it a chance.
- Dave Howell, 6/04
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)
If you have not heard them, it may be difficult to decipher the hype about the Bad Plus. They are presented like a really weird jazz trio that does covers of trendy rock songs. On this release, though, they are actually a sort-of-avant-garde jazz band and only do three covers.
Their music is a bridge to totally free jazz, with classical elements. Although they keep changing, there are recognizable melodies and rhythms. And once you get used to it, it sounds pretty good.
It sounds at first like pianist Ethan Iverson takes off on improvisations on each of the eleven tunes, and Reid Anderson on bass and David King on drums follow him. Keith Jarrett is the only artist that comes readily to mind for this type of thing, although Iverson plays with a much more percussive style and does not play any parts without his bandmates.
On repeated listenings, it seems that the songs are carefully worked out. The songs are all pretty tight, without a lot of aimless noodling. King always keeps steady time despite an extremely busy style, while Anderson tends to anchor everything.
I suspect that if you look past the shaved heads and space age persona, these guys are traditionalists that want to cross over. There seems to be a lot of classical feel in Iverson’s style, and it probably explains his virtuosity on songs like “Do Your Sums-Die Like A Dog- Play For Home.”
There are only two of the rock interpretations that the band is known for. “Veloria” gives a classical feel to the song by “Charles Thompson”, better known as Frank Black of the Pixies. “Iron Man” does the same to Black Sabbath, but in this case the drama of the pounding chords seems a bit tongue in cheek. The third cover is Ornette Coleman’s “Street Woman.”
“Give” indicates that the critical acclaim given to this rather new band is justified. The trio has a sound that is quirky but still accessible to anyone willing to give it a chance.
- Dave Howell, 6/04
(This article first appeared in the FMSound music site.)