The Bad Plus on BBC...

[tonym]

Just wondering, did anyone catch said trio on BBC radio 3's Jazz on 3 (Fi. 21st March)?

How do you all feel about their interpretation of pop/ rock tunes, 'Heart of Glass' etc.?

The pianist does seem like a funny guy though.

[Swiss Toni]

Hi tonym

I heard the Bad Plus gig on radio 3 - it was enjoyable, but nothing was played (as far as I can recall) that can't be found on the album. I'd been listening to the album recently and when I heard the gig on the radio, it was a bit too similar to hearing the album, except for the clapping from the audience, and some speech from the pianist - the sound, style and arrangements were virtually the same.

I think those fellas have found themselves a nice niche - their blend of rock/dance/jazz is very accessible to a wide range of people (i would imagine). There can be no doubting their talents, individually, and as a tight unit, but I personally tire too quickly from this type of music - its difficult for me to explain (partly to due to a very reasonable intake of beer this evening) but I prefer music which is a bit more spontaneous. I like originality very much but its almost too original for its own good - maybe too much of a novelty.

I'd be interested to hear more opinions about this band.

[David Williams]

It seemed a bit soft-centred to me - a little like the Esbjorn Svensson Trio has become (or perhaps always were?).

[tonym]

i've been listening to it all week on my md and your points are increasingly valid. sure it's all quite groovy, plus their selections do provoke interest, but i did get the nagging suspiscion that if i bought the cd i wouldn't hear anythinh different.
have to say though i am a big fan of e.s.t and maybe this is because they tend to steer clear of 'true' covers although they do come across a bit proggy and radiohead at times.
comparisons have been made with brad mehldau's trio but i have to say apart from mehldau's fondness for pop/rock songs there isn't much in terms of execution that relates the two bands. maybe i'm wrong but that's how i hear it.

thanks for responding fellas, i thought a post that lacked any overt hard bop content may take a while to ellicit responses.

BTW, you're not the real swiss toni are you? 'cos i swear there's a guy who works around the corner from me who fits that particular profile!

[David Williams]

He could be - he's in Brighton, where all the showbiz luvvies live.

Isn't John Thomson a jazz fan?

They may not be similar stylistically, but EST and Brad Mehldau gave me a the same feeling of boredom live. I like Goodbye Soho quite a bit, but not Gagarin or the tracks I've heard from the recent album. I like what I've heard of Mehldau on CD, but live he literally made me fall asleep - and I was in the front row.

There may be a trend developing that I really don't like at all. Possibly, it's just that some artists are realising that there is a larger audience for there music if they just lower the intellectual (sorry to use that word) element a bit.

[RogerFarbey]

Described by Sony liner as a 'power piano' trio and I'm not quite sure what that means - why not apply it to Oscar P Trio too for that matter or Cecil Taylor? But as for 'These are the vistas' - IMHO its not bad and 'Smells like teen spirit' preys on the mind somewhat hauntingly. But there is a degree of marketing jazz to the youth culture (or whatever) involved which I find resistable. Now MMW is what I call a power piano trio (when he's not playing organ that is).