The Bad Plus Story aired: Tuesday, July 08, 2003
"The Bad Plus" are a group with roots in the Midwest, and in jazz, it seems, at first listen. But then the plot thickens, and you quickly start to get why they've been called "The Foo Fighters of jazz."
On their new album, the have deconstructed versions of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Blondie's "Heart of Glass" along with some wild, free-form originals. All of it, as one reviewer said, is as "accessible as it is fearless." That may be among the reasons the group has found fans among the flannel shirt and denim crowd, while it also plays at the worlds most sophisticated and respected jazz festivals: Montreaux, Montreal, and Newport.
The new CD is called "These are the Vistas."
Guests:
The Bad Plus: bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King.
