The Bad Plus May 12, 2008

“Deviously expands the possibilities of what jazz is and will become.”—Paste

This visit is the third time the Bad Plus have played here since we offered them their first gig outside of New York City in 2002—and their expanding local following now requires a bigger hall to express their enthusiasm. The collective—featuring Reid Anderson on bass, Ethan Iverson on piano, and irrepressible drummer David King—have gained avid fans from the jazz world and attracted scores from the indie scene with the rockin’ spirit that underscores their approach. Their eclectic playlist combines restlessly exploratory originals with a prescient collection of today’s “standards” (as in instrumental takes on Bowie’s “Life on Mars” or Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”).

Their latest release, Prog, continues to open up fresh territory. As All Music Guide put it: “anyone who thinks jazz is dead, that the great innovators have come and gone, needs to listen to the Bad Plus to be proven dead wrong.”

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/pa/index.php?eventid=2655