Every so often a band or album comes out that is simply beyond anything else out there. On the jazz end of things THE BAD PLUS is that band.
THE BAD PLUS is a 3 piece (piano, acoustic bass & drums). They play a combination of jazz/latin/x. “X” is a measurement of an unknown factor. Really, I am at a loss of words to describe what these guys are like and how they play but if you are a musician, these guys will blow you away.
I saw THE BAD PLUS live this summer from the FRONT row. Let me tell you the drummer is INSANE and insanely good. The piano player must have two brains because his right hand can be playing one tune/tempo/key, while his left plays another. The bass player is solid, dynamic and strangely looks just like the bass player in my band. And dynamics? No band has more.
Their second album “Give” was recorded in October of 2003 at Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England. Does that studio sound familiar? It should. It is the studio owned by Peter Gabriel.
“Give” is The Bad Plus’ second collaboration with Tchad Blake, maestro of binaural recording. Binaural recording is interesting and a whole other subject matter for another day. In short they record with a “head” that has microphones in the ears. This captures a 3D aural image just like the human ears do.
You can download The Bad Plus’ music on iTunes if you want to get it quick after reading this article. Do it, it will change your musical life.