By: Joe Lang
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| The Bad Plus - Publicity Photo by Michael Dvorak |
What can I say about the Bad Plus that hasn’t already been said? How about this: Along with the distinction of the most important and original force in jazz in the 21st century, they are probably the most prolific. Never mind that they were the only jazz band not chopped off Columbia’s roster after cleanup. Never mind that they decided to leave the label to take the ethical high ground after Columbia’s “suspicious activity” regarding the label’s rootkit debacle last year. Ignore the fact that they just released Prog (their fifth studio album in five years!) last month on their own Do The Math label, or the fact that they hit the road about as hard as any other band in jazz today. After taking the stage at the Carleton Concert Hall, put on by ArtOrg, Northfield’s arts gallery and community organization, the trio plunged into a long set of mostly unrecorded unreleased material. Ethan Iverson’s response: “We just like to keep moving forward.”
Because I know the fury that is Dave King on the kit, I decided to take a seat in the balcony just above his translucent Ellis set to see the crashin’ in action. The ensemble whole was compromised for a crystal clear drum sound and close up view of the sonic chemist himself.
The set began with “People Like You,” a slow hypnotic groove propelled by Iverson’s simple and effective melody lines and King’s alternation between tom massaging, brush strokes, and occasional reserved sticking. Picking up the pace, the group moved into the brisker “Blue Candy,” a song dedicated to the band’s favorite type of sweet. The group decided to rechart familiar (but deep) territory by playing These Are the Vistas’ “Big Eater.” The familiar track had King going into overdrive, pummeling the kit left and right like a relentless prize fighter going for a knockout early in a bout. But the trio was just getting warmed up.
Pacing again, they played the leadoff track from Prog, a slow balladic cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” And then, more new songs. Mixing madness, melancholy, chaos, care, and humor, the band cruised through a trio of new tunes: “Who’s He?” “Old Money,” a song set in Duluth, and King’s “My Friend Meditron,” about a large and badass robot who you want on your side when a fight goes down.
Then it was Reid Anderson’s time to play ball. After a melodic and soulful bass solo, the band jumped into Reid’s “Giant,” another in a long series of Anderson’s strong and melodic ballads.
Next up was a song about the great Jimmy Carter. The final in a trio of Dave King’s songs about sports heroes, sung and unsung, “1980 World Champion,” is not about the president, but a raucous anthem about a 1980 skiing champion whose excessive celebration on the front lawn of his residence got him into some trouble. Propelled by King’s steaming stick work, it proved to be the second most intense song of the night.
Again, this adequate pacing (King can’t sustain a whole set of the kind of full throttle intensity he burns in top gear without slowing it down some. He is just a mortal, right?) led to the slowed and somber cover of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars,” showcasing the wonderful and subtle melodic interplay between Iverson and Anderson. The band closed out with Reid Anderson’s magnum opus, the anthemic battle cry summoning up the spirits of the baddest motherfuckers to ever play jazz, “Physical Cities.” Constructed on Anderson’s funky bass work, Iverson’s arpeggiated ascents and Kings unrelenting rhythmic surges, the song climaxed with a furious, epic syncopated rhythmic breakdown by King, garnering a standing ovation. King stumbled off the kit like Ali late in “Thrilla in Manilla,” and smiled to the crowd. Winner and still (2007 world) champion.
Coming back one more time for Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” the band once again brought it on home for the home town crowd. Too “busy” to drive 45 minutes to check the band out? The bad news: You might need to have your head examined and conduct a thorough investigation of your priorities and musical preferences (just to make sure the tongue is not the only barometer of taste). The good news: According to Iverson, the band should be playing the land of 10,000 lakes at least once more before their annual Christmas hits at the Dakota. Don’t miss out.
Setlist:
People Like You
Blue Candy
Big Eater
Everybody Wants To Rule the World
Who’s He?
Old Money
My Friend Meditron
Reid Anderson Solo/Giant
1980 World Champion
Life On Mars
Physical Cities
Encore:
Tom Sawyer
Location Info:
Carleton Concert Hall
Artist Info: The Bad Plus
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