Ten years ago the Bad Plus came together in a warm rush of camaraderie and with a clear grasp of novelty. Here was a jazz piano trio with the heart and gall of a stadium rock band, grappling wryly but directly with anthemic covers and its own scarcely less anthemic originals. The group was brash and clever, its crooked sincerity often mistaken for smug acidity. A debate arose in jazz circles over the entitlements of such a group, what it meant and whether it deserved what it got.
The band outlasted the debate; outsmarted it besides. Over the last decade, its fraternal order of contributors—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the bassist Reid Anderson and the drummer David King—have held fast, patiently refining their brand of superhero jazz. Their habit of addressing pop tunes has settled into something like a continuing art project, a thing unto itself. Meanwhile their discernment and rapport have only deepened. “Never Stop" (E1), released this week, is their most cohesive album, and it's possible that they've never sounded better than they did at the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night.
“Never Stop" is the band's first release of strictly original music. Until the encore—which included the jazz standard “Have You Met Miss Jones?" and Aphex Twin's “Flim"—this show nearly followed the same restriction.
The band outlasted the debate; outsmarted it besides. Over the last decade, its fraternal order of contributors—the pianist Ethan Iverson, the bassist Reid Anderson and the drummer David King—have held fast, patiently refining their brand of superhero jazz. Their habit of addressing pop tunes has settled into something like a continuing art project, a thing unto itself. Meanwhile their discernment and rapport have only deepened. “Never Stop" (E1), released this week, is their most cohesive album, and it's possible that they've never sounded better than they did at the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night.
“Never Stop" is the band's first release of strictly original music. Until the encore—which included the jazz standard “Have You Met Miss Jones?" and Aphex Twin's “Flim"—this show nearly followed the same restriction.
