The Bad Plus in St. Louis Reviews

A recent show from The Bad Plus, gets some noise.

The audience present for the 8:30 p.m. Bad Plus set last evening leaned more toward curious observers than diehard fans. It was difficult to suspect the sort of crowd that would take interest in the piano, bass, and drum trio, and even harder to guess what aspect of the group appealed to whom. Some seemed to favor the band’s groove-heavy material, nodding their heads when Reid Anderson‘s limber upright-bass figures coalesced with Dave King‘s propulsive beats in a way that has drawn comparisons to the similarly marketed jazz/jam band crossover trio Medeski, Martin and Wood. Others appeared to be more moved by Ethan Iverson‘s piano work, which recalled the classical-influenced phrasing of Iverson’s peer Brad Mehldau, particularly when the group pushed into ballad territories.

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