The Bad Plus

From Minnewiki

Photo by Mike Dvorak.

Page contents

1 History
2 Members
3 Discography
4 Audio
5 Related web sites
6 Related groups

History

The Bad Plus is a jazz trio formed (officially) in 2000 in Minneapolis MN. The members -- pianist Ethan Iverson, drummer Dave King, and bassist Reid Anderson -- had been friends and sometime musical collaborators since their teenage years but spent much of their professional lives living and working in separate cities. Upon their impromptu 2000 reunion in the Twin Cities for what was initially intended as a one-off gig, the trio, donning the name the Bad Plus, decided to record together.

While the band was releasing music and gigging at the start of the '00s, it was their third album and major label debut, 2003's These Are the Vistas, that broke them through to the indie rock scene, who devoured their covers of pop/rock staples like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Blondie's "Heart of Glass."

The band has continued to release music, including a live album, throughout the past several years, and continue to tour. All of the band members maintain other musical projects, with drummer Dave King playing in several Minnesotan indie ensembles including Halloween, Alaska, Happy Apple and the late, great 12 Rods.