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The Bad Plus


Muskrat Ramble

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These are the Vistas by the Bad Plus is an outstanding album that I highly recommend to anyone remotely interested in contemporary jazz--or just great music, for that matter. (Fwiw, critics seem to agree.) The album has hard-driving ballsy rock energy and deep grooves--a "power trio" album to be sure--but refined playing and subtle group interplay that put many other jazz albums I've heard to shame. Some people blow them off because of the (justified) hype or the fact they've covered rock tunes (an inane, childish reason to slag a jazz group), but these guys seriously have the goods.

Here's a cool free streaming concert/interview :tup

New album comes out this March, btw.

Edited by Muskrat Ramble
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I second a :tup for Bad Plus ... the covers are interesting, but they sound like they really have their own thing going, too. For example, I've also got MMW's "Tonic," the one on which Medeski plays piano instead of organ, providing an interesting opportunity to compare two semi-similar piano trios ... I found myself preferring the Bad Plus in this context.

On the other hand, perhaps MMW playing out of their regular format had an effect, too.

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Another :tup for the Bad Plus. While I don't think they are "THE new thing" or the "new face of jazz", they are a fine group regardless and the album is very good and well worth checking out, especially for the $9.99 price tag at most stores.

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Yeah, it's a shame they've been hyped so much because more than a few hardcore jazz fans have a sort of reflexive aversion to anything popular. But those cats can really play and compose damn well. I'm really looking forward to checking out their side projects, too: both AMG and the Penguin Guide rave over most of those discs.

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Hype is certainly a problem here. I have seen and talked to these guys well before the hype started and they on the level as well as being creative musicians of the highest order.

I can't wait for their next disc.

Their individual side projects all stem from well before Bad Plus was taken up by Sony. All are worthwhile and some are touched by something special

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