The Bad Plus
Suspicious Activity?
(Sony)
The Bad Plus is one of the finest bands of the new school of free jazz. Adding a rock and pop fusion while covering Black Sabbath, Blondie, Nirvana and Aphex Twin has made them one of the most loved and eclectic jazz trios. With disc number three The Bad Plus switch around a variety sounds with a more straight ahead fashion. That’s not say they have crossed the line and turned into a sulky smooth trio. Built almost entirely of originals with only a cover of Vangelis’ “(Theme from) Chariots of Fire,” the pounding rhythms and intricate chops are still there. Suspicious Activity? helps to take jazz back to the masses and out of the hands of stodgy pseudo-intellectuals with its unique, forward-thinking ideas. A jazz necessity.
—Trevor MacLaren
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.