by: Sun-J
No normal jazz ensemble would ever attempt to remake Blondie's "Heart of Glass," though this trio from the Midwest are fresh and funky. They bring a new flavor of raw talent and undeniable eloquent skill to the Jazz table by fusing in a bit of that good "old time rock 'n roll." On a more serious tip, Bad Plus with their first major label release are for real. Ten tracks long, this LP is sure to keep any avid music appreciator interested, and there aren't even any vocals. Initially it blew me away that three men would be able to pull off a successful jazz sound, but one listen to the remake of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" made me a believer. Fueled by a wicked piano loop resembling the sluggishly upbeat guitar riff of the original, the whole sound seems to follow the path of the sound created by the ivory keys and ends in a fury that can instill the vision of Kurt Cobain screaming and yelling harmonically in the mind. The CD opens up with "Big Eater." Pianist Ethan Iverson seers, sheers and soars through Dave King's sporadic drums and Reid Anderson's thundering bass. Similar to the name, "Keep the Bugs off Your Glass and the Bears off your Ass," the following song is long and simple, but efficient nonetheless. The sound is chunky and resonates in the ear as the piano marinates over the smooth bass. "Everywhere You Turn," pulsates with hints of loneliness as the piano transcends through different feelings invoking emotions. On "1972 Bronze Medalist," Iverson steps up on the piano and delivers a performance that is ridiculous and raunchy to say the least, and on "Boo-Wah," Iverson's playing is active and insistent. The Aphex Twin remake "Flim" recreates a shuffling Cool Britannia beat while "Silence is the Question" peaks as each instrument repeats its individual melodic line until the climatic conclusion is reached and the sonic emotion is released in a splash fashion. Don't misunderstand, overlook or judge this CD solely on its genre. Though it is jazz it provides enough "rock" to let the good times "roll."
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