PROGnosis Positive

I prefer to review a CD before or right around its release date. Nevertheless, I'm weighing in now to add my two cents to the pile of superlative reviews for The Bad Plus's May release, Prog. Why? Because it's not every day I rock out to Burt Bacharach.

The Bad Plus, a progressive jazz trio that includes pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King (all originally from the Midwest), is known for stretching the definition of "jazz" today. On Prog, the trio rocks out harder than they ever have—but they do it without playing the hardest rock in their repertoire. There's no Nirvana or Sabbath on this record. Besides covering Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love With You," the band opens the CD with Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and after a powerful, nine-minute original piece by bassist Reid Anderson called "Physical Cities," lays it on thick with David Bowie's "Life on Mars." The seventh track on the album is a rendition of Rush's "Tom Sawyer."

When I saw The Bad Plus play Ted Mann last fall, there was a moment when the forces of each individual musician collided with a jarring intensity. The group played a bunch of their songs off the new record, including "Physical Cities," "Mint," "Thriftstore Jewelry," and "1980 World Champion." Because I'd heard these songs at that performance and again at the Dakota in December, Prog immediately felt familiar. Even so, the album has impressed me as one of the most powerful and cohesive collections I’ve heard in quite a while.

All of Anderson's songs on the record are long. In addition to "Physical Cities," "Giant" and "The World Is the Same" both come in around nine minutes. There’s no self-indulgence here, though—each of these compositions needs that space to develop. These songs weren’t written as glorified solos; each player is an integral part of the whole, and they take turns creating a highly emotional but balanced musical conversation. That's what I love about The Bad Plus—their strength lies in their intense synchronicity, and they control and develop it better than ever on this album. When they do a solo, it's for the greater good of the piece, not to drop some ego bomb on the listener.

When King and Iverson pound on the drums and piano in unison on "Physical Cities," it is loud and emotive, yet polished and controlled. The buildup during "Life on Mars" is so intricate and powerful that I've actually found myself conducting in the air while bobbing my head to the beat.

The Bad Plus's covers have always made it clear that although they are extremely serious musicians, they also have fun with music. On Prog, however, this playful quality is especially evident in their original pieces, most notably Iverson's "Mint" and King's "1980 World Champion," which is a follow-up to These Are the Vistas' "1972 Bronze Medalist" and Give's "1979 Semi-Finalist."

If you haven’t picked up Prog yet, it’s time to expand your CD collection. Better yet, pick up a copy at their show later this month. The Bad Plus plays at Carleton College in Northfield on June 22. You can buy tickets here.

Here's what The New York Times and the Washington Post said about Prog.

Comments

[Lefty]

Well said. Terrific album.

[Dave]

Our group is organizing the June 22 concert in Northfield, and we are excited. Rob Curto's Forro For All, Brazilian music from New York, will start us off at 8pm with a short set. Then after The Bad Plus tears up the stage, we will have a party in our gallery which is 4 blocks away from the concert hall. TBP will be signing CDs, we will open a new art exhibit called "Summer Solstice". Northfield is about 42 miles south of Minneapolis on Interstate 35. Tickets for this small venue are $18. Thanks!

[Megan]

Thanks for the additional info on the Northfield show, Dave. It will be fun to see artwork by Cloud Cult's Scott West at "Summer Solstice."

[stevemarsh]

The BP can't touch Noel Gallagher's straight cover of Bacharach's "This Guy's in Love with You." Beautiful. I used to have that &%^! on Napster back in the nineties. Maybe I'll go to that BP show in N-field though. Just to dance the Forro.

[Brian]

This is a rad record. I've been heard to complain that the BP gets too much press for their covers ("A JAZZ group playing ROCK AND ROLL?? Why, have you ever heard of such a thing?!") and not enough for their compositions, but the "Life on Mars" on here is definitely a highlight of the album.