The progressive jazz scientists found a way for jazz to be rock-oriented while still respecting its forward-thinking heritage. The Bad Plus is a well-known, genre-bending jazz group that plays originals and covers. They blur the lines between post-bop and instrumental jazz. The group was formed in 1990 and originally included long-time friends Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, as well as drummer David King. In 2017, however, Iverson left the group to be replaced in his place by pianist Orrin. Anderson and King were both born in Minnesota. Ethan Iverson was raised in Wisconsin. After meeting in unlikely places like high school rock shows and tentative free jazz performances in Upper Midwestern diners in the Upper Midwest, they formed the Bad Plus in 1990. However, they would continue to perform together as the Bad Plus throughout the 1990s. Each musician would develop a distinct musical language, which would eventually become the iconic jazz template. Anderson released three albums through Spanish indie Fresh Sound. Iverson was the music director at New York City’s Mark Morris Dance Group. King performed with his Happy Apple and 12 Rods combos. The Bad Plus was released by Fresh Sound in August 2001. The Bad Plus proved that they were not afraid to break from jazz’s confines, but also confident enough to create stimulating music. The debut was a critical success and won best-of honors by The New York Times, Chicago Reader, and others. In 2002, an “official” bootleg was released. It eventually went out of print. Columbia Records signed the Bad Plus after a memorable performance at New York’s Village Vanguard. In February 2003, These Are the Vistas was released by Tchad Blake, a stranger to jazz and an ex-Latin Playboy. Each musician contributed original compositions to the album, along with a few musicians from other musical genres. Although their reimaginings of “Smells like Teen Spirit”, Blondie’s song “Heart of Glass,” as well as Aphex Twin and Blondie’s songs “Flim”, caused tails to wag. But it was the Bad Plus’ unique combination of personality and performance that truly defined them. In support of their major-label debut, The Bad Plus toured the country throughout spring and summer 2003. In spring 2004, the band released Give, their second album. The album, 2005’s Suspicious activity?, was produced by the trio with Blake at Real World Studios in England. PROG followed in 2007. The Bad Plus teamed up in 2009 with Wendy Lewis to add a new dimension and sound to their sixth album, “For All I Care.” They released Never Stop, their first album of original material, in the following year. In September 2012, the studio album Made Possible was released. The Bad Plus recorded their own version of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring after extensive touring and side projects. The album was released by Sony Masterworks on March 14, 2014. Inevitable western, an original collection, followed in August. The Bad Plus Joshua Redman was the result of the trio’s collaboration. The album was recorded during Redman’s weeklong stay at New York’s Blue Note jazz Club in 2012. It featured new compositions and reworked versions of the Bad Plus songs, “Dirty Blonde”, and “Silence Is the Question.” Redman’s performance in “Friend or Foe” earned the album a Grammy nomination. They returned in 2016 with It’s Hard. This eclectic collection of cover songs includes reworked songs by Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. Never Stop II Iverson left the Bad Plus at the end of 2017. All three members stated that they were able to do so because they had creative differences and a desire to try new things. Anderson and King hired Orrin Evans, a long-time associate and highly acclaimed jazz pianist, as a permanent member after his departure. Evans recorded his debut with the trio in 2018’s Never Stop II. This album is a follow up to 2010’s Never Stop, which was the first album featuring all-original material. Never Stop II featured original compositions from the band, many of which were written by Evans. Allmusic
