Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Bad Plus: These are the Vistas

184

The Bad Plus: These are the Vistas

By

View read count
The Bad Plus: These are the Vistas
Sure, the Bad Plus is a piano trio. Just a modern take on one. On These Are The Vistas, the group's major label debut, these three players present a decidedly more contemporary vision of the concept. "Big Eater" begins ominously, before its disjointed beat turns martial. Drummer Dave King's attack is alternately aggressive, delicate, and swinging. Contrast this with Ethan Iverson, whose piano most often shimmers, but rumbles when called for. Join the two with Reid Anderson's steady bass that more often than not sets the mood of the song: chunky and resonant on "Keep the Bugs Off Your Glass," active and insistent on "Boo-Wah," or pulsating on "Everywhere You Turn," suggesting someone watching out the window of a train. Vistas, in addition to originals, offers standards, but to the Bad Plus this means Blondie, Aphex Twin, and Nirvana. Their version of "Heart of Glass" captures the offhand wistfulness and nonchalance of the original, while adding their own abstract touch. The band throws everything they have at the melody. "Flim" recreates a shuffling Cool Britannia beat, bolstered by Anderson who keeps time between Iverson and King. And on "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Iverson suggests the vocals and lyrics, Anderson causes you to reconsider the importance of the bassist to the song, and King reminds you that whatever else is going on, it's the drummer that gives a trio its power. King roars as Iverson and Anderson pound and pluck dramatically. Producer Tchad Blake gets a crisp, expressive sound from the band, recalling the work he's done in the past for Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits. It's clear and dynamic. The CD closes with a lyrical Anderson original: a delicate bass and piano duet gradually joined by distant drums. The tune, “Silence is the Question,” peaks as each instrument repeats its individual melodic line until the conclusion, and we have our answer.

Track Listing

1. Big Eater 2. Keep The Bugs Off Your Glass And The Bears Off Your A** 3. Smells Like Teen Spirit 4. Everywhere You Turn 5. 1972 Bronze Medalist 6. Guilty 7. Boo-Wah 8. Flim 9. Heart Of Glass 10. Silence Is The Question

Personnel

The Bad Plus
band / ensemble / orchestra

Ethan Iverson: Piano Reid Anderson: Bass David King: Drums

Album information

Title: These are the Vistas | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Columbia Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



The Bad Plus Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.