The Bad Plus © Andrea Canter

The Bad Plus

It was just a few years ago that three young musicians with Midwest roots joined (or rejoined) together to create music that stretched the boundaries of modern jazz like elastic. They made two low-profile recordings before all hell broke loose with a big-label, chart-topping CD, These Are the Vistas (Columbia, 2003). And it wasn’t a fluke, as The Bad Plus proved with more commanding sets for Columbia on Give (2004) and Suspicious Activity (2005). The Bad Plus is a totally original, daring, and—above all—increasingly sophisticated melding of high talent and hot combustion. Bringing a surreal yet symphonic approach to an original and “borrowed” repertoire, this acoustic trio features Ethan Iverson’s gorgeous, percussive piano, Reid Anderson’s often-melodious, never laid-back acoustic bass, and the incredible resumé of rhythm and sound from Dave King’s drum menagerie, all united in the spirit of true collaboration

The Bad Plus

At least in instrumentation and compatibility, the Bad Plus resembles the great trios of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and, in a more modern vernacular, Keith Jarrett. And if you listen for a while, you might even hear some homage paid to those masters, particularly Jarrett. Of their contemporaries, the Bad Plus sometimes has been compared to the very hot Swedish trio, E.S.T. (Esbjorn Svensson Trio), a group that fuses acoustics and electronics, yet emerges with a softer, less edgy result than their all-acoustic American cousins.

Who are these guys who have graced the covers of both Downbeat and Jazz Times; whose story has hit Newsweek, the New Yorker, Esquire, and Rolling Stone; who in the confines of one year played the Village Vanguard, Newport Jazz Festival, and Kennedy Center; who are revered as rock stars throughout Europe? Anderson and King grew up in Minneapolis and jammed together as teenagers, listening to such bands as Mike and the Mechanics and Sting, and then turning to modal music and free jazz. Iverson met Anderson in college and the two played free jazz in area restaurants, hooking up with Dave King informally in 1990. "The one time we played, it was an informal jam session. It was 10 years until the band was formed," Iverson says. Going their separate ways, Anderson headed to Philadelphia where he studied classical bass at the Curtis Institute of Music and Iverson jumped into the music scene in New York, while King found plenty of outlets around home.

After graduating from Curtis in 1993, Reid Anderson moved to New York, where he played with other up-and-coming musicians such as Mark Turner, Jorge Rossy, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and, yes, Ethan Iverson, and led groups at Smalls that included future star pianist Orrin Evans. He’s been the leader on three recordings for Fresh Sound, including Dirty Show Tunes, Abolish Bad Architecture, and The Vastness of Space, and has performed and recorded with numerous artists. Says David Adler (All About Jazz), Reid Anderson is “a bassist and composer of rare gifts who simply must be heard and appreciated by a wider audience.”

Dave King © Andrea Canter

Meanwhile, Dave King worked a while as a session musician in LA in the early 90s before returning to the Twin Cities, where he is the Energizer Bunny of drummers, both in terms of his frenetic musical wizardry and his simultaneous association with no less than eight bands. In addition to the Bad Plus, most notable has been Happy Apple (Youth Oriented), with saxophonist Michael Lewis and bassist Adam Linz, a band straddling avant garde jazz and alternative rock that has an immense following among the 20-something generation. Traditional approaches to percussion have never appealed to King, whose technique is described by Matt Peiken (St. Paul Pioneer Press) as relying “on incredible finger control to nuance his fills, which often defy the neat subdivisions of typical beats.” Similarly idiocyncratic is King’s collection of “instruments” that includes walkie talkies and children’s toys.

Pianist Ethan Iverson is the one member of this trio who can not claim inspiration from a background in rock music. As a 17-year-old high school student, the classically trained Iverson moved to New York in 1991 and studied privately with Sofia Rosoff and jazz pianist Fred Hersch. Iverson has been engaged in a number of solo and ensemble projects, the latter involving work with Mark Turner, Dave Douglas, Bill McHenry, Billy Hart, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and old jamming buddy Reid Anderson. His debut recording, School Work (Mons, 1995), featured sax legend Dewey Redman. With his trio, Iverson has released Live at Smalls, The Minor Passions, and Construction Zone (Originals) / Deconstruction Zone (Standards) for Fresh Sound, ­each cited by The New York Times as one of the ten best recordings of 1998, 1999, and 2000 respectively. Iverson has also served as the musical director for the Mark Morris Dance Group, performing with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Yo Yo Ma. Notes the Penguin Guide, “Iverson is an original thinker and likely to be a very major force... implacably opposed to anything predictable, conventional or otherwise previously-done."

Jason Moran and Bandwagon

Jason Moran Bandwagon

Named the first Playboy Jazz Artist of the Year for 2005, 31-year-old Moran has followed a fast-rising trajectory since his days touring with hot alto saxophonist Greg Osby. With “one of the most independent minds now working in jazz” (New York Times), Moran’s music crosses genres and generations with a singular energy and imagination, as “one of the most potent suppliers of unpredictable music around” (JazzTimes).

Born and raised in Houston, Jason Moran and his brothers were surrounded by opportunities to explore the arts and particularly music. His father, banker Andy Moran, was a jazz enthusiast who served as house photographer for La Bastille, Houston’s premiere jazz club in the 1970s. The elder Moran built a collection of over 10,000 records that provided young Jason with the eclectic foundation that would inform his own music. The Morans introduced their sons to the arts of Houston through trips to the symphony and art museums, and enrolled them in the Suzuki Music School of Houston. There, the brothers studied classical piano with Russian immigrant, Yelena Kurinet, and soon each had his own piano. Kurinet remembers Jason, at age five or six: “It was obvious he was talented. He was a pretty serious young man."

Jason Moran

Moran is always experimenting. Recently, with the help of a grant from Chamber Music America, he has been developing compositions based on tapes of speaking voices in different languages (Italian, Japanese, Turkish) and has integrated loops of telephone conversations in different languages into the music of his ensemble. He also recently premiered “Rain,” a work commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center, featuring The Bandwagon with Abdou Mboup (kora, djembe and talking drum) and Ralph Alessi (trumpet). In 2005, Moran and Bandwagon released Same Mother (Blue Note), a tribute to his mother. Described by Ben Ratliffe (New York Times) as “a reconsideration of the blues that doesn’t depend on clichéd dynamics and sound structure,” the recording infuses blues and even a little honky tonk with modern grooves of hip hop and rock.

Nasheet Waits © Barry Quick

Moran’s compatriots in The Bandwagon are well-established artists with acclaimed careers of their own. Drummer Nasheet Waits was encouraged to follow in the footsteps of his father, drummer Fredrick Waits, who played with such legends as Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. Hired by Max Roach as a member of the M’Boom ensemble, Waits went on to work with Antonio Hart, with whom he continues to record and tour. He has also worked as a member of Andrew Hill’s Nonet and holds the percussion chair for the Fred Hersch Trio. His recording credits include Geri Allen, Hamiett Bluiett, Jaki Byard, Ron Carter, Steve Coleman, Joe Lovano, Jackie McLean, Joshua Redman, Wallace Roney, Jacky Terrason, Mark Turner, and many others. Bassist Taurus Mateen has managed the pulse for many of today’s top jazz artists, including Greg Osby, Marc Cary, Wessell Anderson. With Waits, he has appeared on each of Moran’s ensemble recordings since Facing Left. The most recent addition to the Band Wagon, guitarist Marvin Sewell is a native of Chicago who grew up influences by the many genres of the Windy City, from rock to gospel to blues and jazz. He had many opportunities to play with the local greats, including Von Freeman, Ramsey Lewis, Billy Branch, Jody Christian, Big Time Sarah, and Barbara La Shore. After studying composition at Roosevelt University, he headed to New York. In the past 15 years he has played with David Sandborn, Marcus Miller, Greg Osby, Joe Lovano, George Benson and Jack DeJohnette.

Together at the Blue Note

It’s hard to imagine a more combustible billing that the Bad Plus and Bandwagon at the Blue Note, September 12-17. Be sure to wear an asbestos jumpsuit and bring along a fire extinguisher—this booking will be a sonic meltdown. Information and reservations at www.bluenotejazz.com