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the bad plus

by The Bad Plus

supported by
Michael Strmiska
Michael Strmiska thumbnail
Michael Strmiska I have been a fan of this band for 18 years. I loved their original, hard-hitting piano trio incarnation up through the early 2010s when I felt they were running out of inspiration. This new guitar and sax quartet feels like a new birth. The music seems to me more meditative and textured, still with sparks flying but a more searching, reflective mood. Long live The Bad Plus! Favorite track: Not Even Close To Far Off.
Paul Godfrey
Paul Godfrey thumbnail
Paul Godfrey Great gig at the Turner Sims in Southampton. Lovely to see you guys again. My favourite track is the Dandy. Not heard that word since Adam Ant and the Dandy Highwayman in Stand and Deliver in the 1980s.
Matt H
Matt H thumbnail
Matt H The Bad Plus has a special place in my heart. Their music exposed me to music structures that I had never heard before. Back in 2005. silence is the question
Krzysiek Sobiecki
Krzysiek Sobiecki thumbnail
Krzysiek Sobiecki For 20 years together. A memorable concert in Królikarnia in Warsaw. A new chapter, may it be musically successful. Beautiful album Favorite track: Motivations II.
Carlos Ibanez
Carlos Ibanez thumbnail
Carlos Ibanez The great plus! Favorite track: Motivations II.
Robert Middleton
Robert Middleton thumbnail
Robert Middleton So good to have the Bad Plus back in a new quartet format. The new songs are awesome and only wish I didn’t have to wait until Sept 30 to hear the rest!
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Sun Wall 05:17
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Sick Fire 04:04
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The Dandy 05:07

about

Twenty-one years after making their landmark debut as a genre exploding piano-bass-drums trio, the always adventurous group have reinvented themselves as a dynamic quartet.

“If after more than 20 years you can put out a record that has the energy of a debut album, to me, that’s saying something. It’s what reinventing yourself is all about.” Reid Anderson

“We believe we’re making the same statement we did with the piano twenty-one years ago, just with a completely different instrumentation.” Dave King

“Evolution is necessary for life and creativity. We’ve evolved, but we’re still The Bad Plus.” say Dave King and Reid Anderson, founding drummer and bassist respectively of the groundbreaking band known then and now as The Bad Plus.

This new iteration of The Bad Plus makes its vital eponymous debut The Bad Plus (Edition Records) now, as always, challenging convention by pushing their inimitable approach to jazz in boundary-breaking new directions. Though the components may have changed, what remains is The Bad Plus’s unique musical language and their undeniable drive and intent. Reid Anderson says; “If after more than 20 years you can put out a record that has the energy of a debut album, to me, that’s saying something. It’s what reinventing yourself is all about.”

“We believe we’re making the same statement we did with the piano twenty-one years ago,” says Dave King, “just with a completely different instrumentation.” Reid Anderson continues, “To me the music on this record feels as fresh as anything we’ve ever done.”

Of course, The Bad Plus have been at this crossroads before, changing their original lineup in 2017 with pianist Orrin Evans taking the seat previously occupied by founding member Ethan Iverson. Two acclaimed albums – including 2019’s inspired Edition Records debut, Activate Infinity – followed, but in 2021 the decision was made to reinvent the ensemble once again.

“We purposely walked away from getting another pianist,” King says. “Instead, we went this other way. We found a new sound and a more expansive range.”

This is a defining album for The Bad Plus in many ways; in their 21 year journey, in sound and in change of personnel. But the consistent core thread remains. Reid continues, “Dave and I grew up playing in bands and loving bands. We wanted to form a band and make whatever sacrifices were necessary to be in that band. We’re here to make the best music we can collectively and not in service of anyone’s personal ego. But to talk about what The Bad Plus is, it’s the writing and the song, and the perspective of what a song can be as a personal statement. That’s what we’re fighting for; a personal identity and respect for the imagination and the Song.”

Rather than simply seeking out a new pianist, Anderson and King took a hard left turn and enlisted a pair of remarkably gifted musicians in Ben Monder – a visionary guitarist known for his work both as leader and as sideman with David Bowie (Black Star), Theo Bleckmann, Guillermo Klein, and Paul Motian, to name but a few – and saxophonist Chris Speed, an award-winning leader/co-leader of myriad modern ensembles and longtime musical running buddy of both King and Anderson.

“These are not some young kids we found from a music school,” says King.

Notwithstanding the new members’ extraordinary pedigrees, the process of developing this new ‘Bad Plus took hard work and perseverance. A series of intense rehearsals began in the summer of 2021. The quartet pored over new and old compositions by Reid and Dave and emerged with a singular group sound.

The results are a thrillingly energetic approach that retains all of the band’s vaunted adventurousness while simultaneously setting them on a new pathway of genre-agonistic musical exploration. Working with engineer Brett Bullion, the band have fully maximised the sonic and dynamic possibilities of the new lineup, showcasing the virtuosity and musicality of Speed and Monder while maintaining their trademark pursuit of relentless invention and excellence. From breakneck avant-garde explosivity (“Sun Wall”) to majestic psychedelia (“In The Bright Future”) to dreamy meditation (“The Dandy”), the new LP blazes with the very same punk attitude that has defined The Bad Plus for over two decades.

Invention and evolution have always been key to The Bad Plus’s creative ethos. A jazz group that has never been a jazz band, they have propelled the genre towards a new plane that might not have been discovered without them. Having recontextualized their own chemistry, The Bad Plus not only affirms the band’s continuing relevance and longevity, it burns bright on its own terms as an extraordinarily powerful debut from an all-new creative force to be reckoned with.

“We feel like we’ve pulled off a magic trick,” Dave King says, “changing the lineup from a trio to a quartet with guitar and saxophone that still sounds coherent as The Bad Plus. Having two main composers was our greatest card to play. Our language remains, and that’s the magic.”

credits

released September 30, 2022

The Bad Plus is:

Reid Anderson - Bass
Dave King - Drums
Ben Monder - Guitar
Chris Speed - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet

Motivations II - (Anderson)
Sun Wall - (King)
Not Even Close To Far Off - (King)
You Won't See Me Before I Come Back - (Anderson)
Sick Fire - (King)
Stygian Pools - (Anderson)
In The Bright Future - (Anderson)
The Dandy -(King)

All songs written by Reid Anderson (Dirty Showtunes Music BMI) and Dave King (Franz Kline in the Dunktank BMI).
Produced by The Bad Plus
Executive producer Dave Stapleton

Album artwork by Oli Bentley, Split
Art direction by Dave King

Dave King plays Zildjian Cymbals with Vic Firth sticks
Recorded by Brett Bullion and Evan Bakke at Power Station New England, September 2021
Mixed by Brett Bullion October 2021 in Minneapolis
Mastered by Huntley Miller for HM Mastering Minneapolis
Managed by Tina Priceman and Chris Weller at Big Fish Management
Booking in North and South America, Asia and Australia by Karl Morse for Arrival Artists
Booking in Europe by Good Music Company
Thanks to Dave Stapleton and all at Edition Records, Tina, Chris & Ryan at Big Fish and Ken Weinstein, and our families, friends and fans.

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The Bad Plus New York, New York

The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, They've won critical acclaim and a legion of fans with their unique sound and flair for live performance. ... more

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