Biography
Renowned for pushing boundaries within the jazz idiom, the Bad Plus operate as a trio that fuses self-penned material with reinterpretations drawn from outside sources, producing a hybrid that merges post-bop sensibilities with rock textures. The ensemble came together in 1989 when pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King—already longtime acquaintances—began working collectively. Their 2001 debut album, issued on Fresh Sound and bearing the group’s name, featured transformed versions of ABBA’s “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” From the outset the musicians treated the piano trio format as an evolving proposition, with every participant contributing compositions and taking solo space. Their affinity for rock and pop repertoire persisted. The 2007 release Prog placed jazz alongside classical references in addition to pop; the entirely cover-based 2008 album For All I Care introduced vocalist Wendy Lewis for the first time. In 2014 the group delivered a precise, note-for-note trio rendering of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Iverson departed in 2017, after which pianist Orrin Evans joined for Never Stop II and 2019’s Activate Infinity. Once pandemic restrictions eased, Anderson and King reconstituted the band as a pianoless quartet featuring guitarist Ben Monder and saxophonist Chris Speed, then moved to Mack Avenue for the 2024 album Complex Emotions.
Anderson and King both originated in Minnesota, whereas Iverson grew up in Wisconsin. After encountering one another in settings as disparate as high-school rock events and early free-jazz sets in Midwestern diners, the three convened as the Bad Plus in 1990, yet spent the remainder of the decade pursuing separate paths that allowed each to cultivate a distinct vocabulary later absorbed into the trio’s unorthodox jazz language. Anderson issued three recordings on the Spanish independent label Fresh Sound; Iverson served as music director for New York City’s Mark Morris Dance Group; and King maintained activity with his Happy Apple ensemble as well as with 12 Rods.
In August 2001 the musicians set aside ancillary projects and issued The Bad Plus on Fresh Sound, a recording that demonstrated their willingness to move beyond jazz conventions while retaining sufficient assurance to render those excursions provocative rather than merely novel. The debut earned widespread critical acclaim, appearing on year-end lists compiled by The New York Times and Chicago Reader. An “official” bootleg surfaced in 2002 before eventually disappearing from circulation.
A standout engagement at New York’s Village Vanguard prompted Columbia Records to offer a contract; the resulting February 2003 release These Are the Vistas was produced by Tchad Blake, previously unassociated with jazz and formerly a member of the Latin Playboys. The album contained original pieces from each member alongside several selections sourced from outside jazz. Reinterpretations of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”—a track Iverson had reportedly never encountered previously—“Heart of Glass” by Blondie, and Aphex Twin’s “Flim” attracted attention, yet the defining characteristic remained the trio’s potent blend of individuality and execution.
Throughout spring and summer 2003 the Bad Plus toured in support of the major-label debut. Their follow-up, Give, appeared in spring 2004. For the 2005 album Suspicious Activity? the musicians again worked with Blake, this time at Real World Studios in England. Prog arrived in 2007. In 2009 the group collaborated with vocalist Wendy Lewis, expanding the sonic palette of their sixth album, For All I Care. The next year they continued to experiment by issuing Never Stop, their initial collection devoted exclusively to original material. Made Possible reached stores in September 2012. Following further road work and individual side pursuits, the Bad Plus reconvened to record their own treatment of Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring, released by Sony Masterworks in March 2014 and succeeded in August by Inevitable Western, another set of original compositions.
The trio subsequently partnered with saxophonist Joshua Redman for the 2015 joint recording The Bad Plus Joshua Redman. Stemming from a session that took place after a weeklong residency at New York’s Blue Note in 2012, the album presented newly written pieces together with reworked versions of the Bad Plus compositions “Dirty Blonde” and “Silence Is the Question.” Redman’s solo on “Friend or Foe” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. In 2016 the group returned with It’s Hard, an assorted program of covers that included reworkings of material by Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Ornette Coleman, and additional artists.
At the close of 2017 Iverson exited, the three musicians attributing the shift to creative divergences and a mutual interest in fresh directions. Anderson and King then recruited longtime colleague Orrin Evans as a permanent member. Evans made his first appearance on record with the trio on 2018’s Never Stop II, a sequel to the 2010 all-original album Never Stop. Like its predecessor, Never Stop II spotlighted band-composed material, several contributed by Evans. Following intensive touring the Bad Plus aligned with Edition Records in the United Kingdom and delivered their label debut, the eight-track collection of originals Activate Infinity, in October 2019.
While the ensemble, like countless others, suspended activity during the pandemic, the Bad Plus revealed in March 2021 that Evans had departed and that the group would no longer function as a piano trio. In August Anderson and King disclosed a revised configuration incorporating guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. The resulting quartet released The Bad Plus on Edition Records in September 2022. Two years later, after an extended period of touring across the United States and Europe, they signed with Mack Avenue and entered Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, in June 2023 alongside engineer Brett Bullion and assistant Nick Tveitbakk. Each member supplied original material, with Anderson and King contributing the majority. The resulting eight-track album Complex Emotions appeared in November 2024.
Anderson and King both originated in Minnesota, whereas Iverson grew up in Wisconsin. After encountering one another in settings as disparate as high-school rock events and early free-jazz sets in Midwestern diners, the three convened as the Bad Plus in 1990, yet spent the remainder of the decade pursuing separate paths that allowed each to cultivate a distinct vocabulary later absorbed into the trio’s unorthodox jazz language. Anderson issued three recordings on the Spanish independent label Fresh Sound; Iverson served as music director for New York City’s Mark Morris Dance Group; and King maintained activity with his Happy Apple ensemble as well as with 12 Rods.
In August 2001 the musicians set aside ancillary projects and issued The Bad Plus on Fresh Sound, a recording that demonstrated their willingness to move beyond jazz conventions while retaining sufficient assurance to render those excursions provocative rather than merely novel. The debut earned widespread critical acclaim, appearing on year-end lists compiled by The New York Times and Chicago Reader. An “official” bootleg surfaced in 2002 before eventually disappearing from circulation.
A standout engagement at New York’s Village Vanguard prompted Columbia Records to offer a contract; the resulting February 2003 release These Are the Vistas was produced by Tchad Blake, previously unassociated with jazz and formerly a member of the Latin Playboys. The album contained original pieces from each member alongside several selections sourced from outside jazz. Reinterpretations of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”—a track Iverson had reportedly never encountered previously—“Heart of Glass” by Blondie, and Aphex Twin’s “Flim” attracted attention, yet the defining characteristic remained the trio’s potent blend of individuality and execution.
Throughout spring and summer 2003 the Bad Plus toured in support of the major-label debut. Their follow-up, Give, appeared in spring 2004. For the 2005 album Suspicious Activity? the musicians again worked with Blake, this time at Real World Studios in England. Prog arrived in 2007. In 2009 the group collaborated with vocalist Wendy Lewis, expanding the sonic palette of their sixth album, For All I Care. The next year they continued to experiment by issuing Never Stop, their initial collection devoted exclusively to original material. Made Possible reached stores in September 2012. Following further road work and individual side pursuits, the Bad Plus reconvened to record their own treatment of Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring, released by Sony Masterworks in March 2014 and succeeded in August by Inevitable Western, another set of original compositions.
The trio subsequently partnered with saxophonist Joshua Redman for the 2015 joint recording The Bad Plus Joshua Redman. Stemming from a session that took place after a weeklong residency at New York’s Blue Note in 2012, the album presented newly written pieces together with reworked versions of the Bad Plus compositions “Dirty Blonde” and “Silence Is the Question.” Redman’s solo on “Friend or Foe” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. In 2016 the group returned with It’s Hard, an assorted program of covers that included reworkings of material by Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Ornette Coleman, and additional artists.
At the close of 2017 Iverson exited, the three musicians attributing the shift to creative divergences and a mutual interest in fresh directions. Anderson and King then recruited longtime colleague Orrin Evans as a permanent member. Evans made his first appearance on record with the trio on 2018’s Never Stop II, a sequel to the 2010 all-original album Never Stop. Like its predecessor, Never Stop II spotlighted band-composed material, several contributed by Evans. Following intensive touring the Bad Plus aligned with Edition Records in the United Kingdom and delivered their label debut, the eight-track collection of originals Activate Infinity, in October 2019.
While the ensemble, like countless others, suspended activity during the pandemic, the Bad Plus revealed in March 2021 that Evans had departed and that the group would no longer function as a piano trio. In August Anderson and King disclosed a revised configuration incorporating guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. The resulting quartet released The Bad Plus on Edition Records in September 2022. Two years later, after an extended period of touring across the United States and Europe, they signed with Mack Avenue and entered Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, in June 2023 alongside engineer Brett Bullion and assistant Nick Tveitbakk. Each member supplied original material, with Anderson and King contributing the majority. The resulting eight-track album Complex Emotions appeared in November 2024.
Albums
The Bad Plus
2022
Activate Infinity
2019
Never Stop II
2018
It's Hard
2016
The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
2015
Inevitable Western
2014
The Rite of Spring
2014
Made Possible
2012
Never Stop
2010
For All I Care
2008
Blunt Object Live In Tokyo
2006
The Bad Plus 3 Pak
2005
Suspicious Activity?
2005
Give
2004
These Are The Vistas
2003
Motel
2000
Singles
