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Moscow City Jazz Festival 2008
ByDecember 4-5, 2008
16 Tons
Moscow, Russia
Erik Truffaz
December 4

The Bad Plus with Wendy Lewis
December 5
Music by Stravinsky, Ornette Coleman and the three band members was on the bill in a typically distinctive set from The Bad Plus. Two things let them down. First, the sound engineer: Ethan Iverson's piano was far too low for the instrumental tunes, meaning it struggled for leverage against drummer Dave King's trademark scampering rhythms and skittery beats. A bigger, balanced sound to match the players' personalities was needed. The band's inclusion of indie rock singer Wendy Lewis for recent tours and the upcoming album has raised many eyebrows, and justifiably so. Her presence, although it clearly dominated the sound check, did not lend matching gravity to the overall performancewith a limited vocal range and negligible on-stage charisma, it felt like she was getting in the way more often than not, distracting from the fine creative work of Iverson, King and bassist Reid Anderson. The group's desire to explore new territory is understandableeven after a series of highly acclaimed trio recordsbut one couldn't help thinking they might have made a better choice of vocalist.
Photo Credit
Elmira Kuznetsova
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