The Bad Plus - Definition and Overview

The Bad Plus are a jazz piano trio consisting of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King. The three musicians first played together in 1999, but didn't come together as an enstablished act until 2000. Perhaps to make up for lost time, they proceeded to record their first album, a self-titled effort released on Fresh Sound, after playing only three gigs together. In 2002, after playing a show at the Village Vanguard which was heard by Columbia Records representative Yves Beauvais, the band was signed to Columbia. They released their major label debut, These Are the Vistas, in 2003, and followed it up in 2004 with Give.

The trio's music combines elements of tradional and free jazz with rock and pop influences; These Are the Vistas included a version of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', and Give features covers of tunes by the Pixies and Black Sabbath.

External Links

• The Bad Plus website (http://www.thebadplus.com/)
• Glide Magazine, The Bad Plus: Give and Take (http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles100.html)