The Bad Plus are a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trioTrio is generally used in any of the following ways:*Three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.*The performance of a song by three people.*The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
from the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, consisting of
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
Ethan IversonEthan Iverson is a pianist and composer best known for his work in the post-modern piano trio, The Bad Plus, with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King....
,
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Reid AndersonReid Anderson is a bassist and composer originally from Minnesota. Anderson is best known for his work in The Bad Plus with pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Dave King...
, and
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
Dave KingDavid King is a drummer and composer active in Minneapolis, Minnesota since the 1990s. He is a founding member of Happy Apple and The Bad Plus, both of which are jazz trios, although neither play traditional styles...
, originating out of Minneapolis, MN.
Iverson, Anderson and King first played together in 1989 but established The Bad Plus in 2000. The band recorded their first album, a self-titled effort released on Fresh Sound, after playing only three gigs together. A live performance at the
Village VanguardThe Village Vanguard is a jazz club in Greenwich Village in New York City on 7th Avenue South. The club opened on February 22, 1935 by Max Gordon...
was heard by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
representative Yves Beauvais, and the band was signed to Columbia in 2002.
The Bad Plus are a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trioTrio is generally used in any of the following ways:*Three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.*The performance of a song by three people.*The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
from the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, consisting of
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
Ethan IversonEthan Iverson is a pianist and composer best known for his work in the post-modern piano trio, The Bad Plus, with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King....
,
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Reid AndersonReid Anderson is a bassist and composer originally from Minnesota. Anderson is best known for his work in The Bad Plus with pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Dave King...
, and
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
Dave KingDavid King is a drummer and composer active in Minneapolis, Minnesota since the 1990s. He is a founding member of Happy Apple and The Bad Plus, both of which are jazz trios, although neither play traditional styles...
, originating out of Minneapolis, MN.
History
Iverson, Anderson and King first played together in 1989 but established The Bad Plus in 2000. The band recorded their first album, a self-titled effort released on Fresh Sound, after playing only three gigs together. A live performance at the
Village VanguardThe Village Vanguard is a jazz club in Greenwich Village in New York City on 7th Avenue South. The club opened on February 22, 1935 by Max Gordon...
was heard by
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Columbia Records went on to release records by an array of notable singers,...
representative Yves Beauvais, and the band was signed to Columbia in 2002. Their major label debut album,
These Are the VistasThese Are the Vistas was the second studio album released by the jazz trio The Bad Plus, and the band's first album for a major label . The album was the listening public's first widespread opportunity to hear the band's music, which combines the improvisatory aspect and complexity of jazz with the...
, was released in 2003. This was followed by
GiveGive is the third studio album released by The Bad Plus. It contains covers of Ornette Coleman's "Street Woman", The Pixies' "Velouria", and Black Sabbath's "Iron Man".-Track listing:#"1979 Semi-Finalist" – 5:18...
in 2004 and
Suspicious Activity?Suspicious Activity? is the fourth studio album by the jazz band The Bad Plus. The band had previously garnered attention for covering well-known rock songs in an "acoustic power trio" style, but Suspicious Activity? includes only one cover version: the theme to the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
in 2005. After parting ways with Columbia, the group signed to Heads Up Records (a division of Telarc), and released the album
ProgProg is the fifth studio album recorded by The Bad Plus, released on May 8, 2007.- Track listing :#"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - 5:34#"Physical Cities" - 9:08...
in 2007. In early Spring of 2008 they finished recording their next studio album,
For All I CareFor All I Care is an album by The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis on vocals. It was released on October 20th, 2008 in Europe and on February 3rd 2009 in the U.S. This is the first Bad Plus album to include a vocalist, which is a switch from their past albums which feature all instrumental pieces. Also,...
, which features vocalist Wendy Lewis. It was released in autumn 2008 in Europe and in spring 2009 in the US.
Anderson and King are originally from
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
, and Iverson is from neighboring
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
.
King is also part of the Minnesota-based groups Love-Cars;
Halloween, AlaskaHalloween, Alaska is a Minnesota-based band consisting of James Diers , Jake Hanson , Matt Friesen , and David King . All of the group's members live in the Twin Cities. Original keyboardist and programmer Ev Olcott left the band in 2008...
; and
Happy AppleHappy Apple is an American jazz trio.Formed in 1996 in Minneapolis, members of the band are David King , Michael Lewis and Erik Fratzke ....
. However, he has said that he is only in three working bands because Halloween, Alaska is more of a studio band.
The trio's music combines elements of modern
Avant-garde jazzAvant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
with
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
and
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
influences. The band have recorded versions of songs by
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
,
Aphex TwinRichard David James , aka Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born English electronic musician described by The Guardian newspaper as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music." He founded the record label Rephlex Records in 1991 with his friend Grant Wilson-Claridge.-Early...
,
BlondieBlondie is an American rock band founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk rock scenes of the mid 1970s...
,
Ornette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, Pixies,
RushRush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
,
Tears for FearsTears for Fears are an English pop rock duo formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesizer bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
,
Neil YoungNeil Percival Young, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and film director. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1995 and also as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997....
,
David BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. Active in five decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
,
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
,
InterpolInterpol is an American indie rock band formed in 1998 in New York City. The band's line-up is Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Sam Fogarino ....
, and
Black SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members...
.
Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo includes a
coverIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
's "
We Are the Champions"We Are the Champions" is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury, recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. One of their most famous and popular songs, it has since become an anthem for sporting victories and has been often used or referenced in popular culture...
" along with the jazz standard "
My Funny ValentineFor the album by Miles Davis, see My Funny Valentine "My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms...
".
Suspicious Activity? contains a cover of the theme from "
Chariots of FireChariots of Fire is a 1981 British film loosely based on historical events surrounding the British athletic team before and during the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
", while a version of "
Karma Police"Karma Police" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead from their 1997 third studio album OK Computer. The song's title and lyrics derive from an in-joke among the band, referring to nonsensical retributive enforcement of karma...
" by
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
appeared on the 2006 album
Exit Music: Songs with Radio HeadsExit Music: Songs with Radio Heads is a tribute album to British band Radiohead released in 2006 on Rapster Records and Barely Breaking Even Records...
. The band has said that they changed their sound a little bit for their sixth album,
For All I Care.
Studio albums
- The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus is the eponymous first album released by The Bad Plus. It contains covers of Abba's "Knowing Me, Knowing You", Rodgers and Hart's 1934 classic "Blue Moon", and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"...
(2001)
- These Are the Vistas
These Are the Vistas was the second studio album released by the jazz trio The Bad Plus, and the band's first album for a major label . The album was the listening public's first widespread opportunity to hear the band's music, which combines the improvisatory aspect and complexity of jazz with the...
(2003)
- Give
Give is the third studio album released by The Bad Plus. It contains covers of Ornette Coleman's "Street Woman", The Pixies' "Velouria", and Black Sabbath's "Iron Man".-Track listing:#"1979 Semi-Finalist" – 5:18...
(2004)
- Suspicious Activity?
Suspicious Activity? is the fourth studio album by the jazz band The Bad Plus. The band had previously garnered attention for covering well-known rock songs in an "acoustic power trio" style, but Suspicious Activity? includes only one cover version: the theme to the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
(2005)
- Prog
Prog is the fifth studio album recorded by The Bad Plus, released on May 8, 2007.- Track listing :#"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - 5:34#"Physical Cities" - 9:08...
(2007)
- For All I Care
For All I Care is an album by The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis on vocals. It was released on October 20th, 2008 in Europe and on February 3rd 2009 in the U.S. This is the first Bad Plus album to include a vocalist, which is a switch from their past albums which feature all instrumental pieces. Also,...
(2008 Europe, 2009 North America)
Live albums
- Authorized Bootleg: New York 12/16/01 (2002)
- Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (2005)
Other contributions
- WFUV: City Folk Live VII
WFUV: City Folk Live VII is a compilation album released by WFUV in November 2004 to highlight songs performed live in the studio by some of the year's favorite guests...
(2004) - "And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation"
- Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads
Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads is a tribute album to British band Radiohead released in 2006 on Rapster Records and Barely Breaking Even Records...
(2006, Rapster/Barely Breaking Even) - "Karma Police"Karma Police" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead from their 1997 third studio album OK Computer. The song's title and lyrics derive from an in-joke among the band, referring to nonsensical retributive enforcement of karma...
"
External links