Give
Recorded in England after a stretch of continuous touring,Giveis a more-than-worthy successor to 2003'sThese Are the Vistas, the major-label debut that launched the Bad Plus as a significant musical force. The Midwestern piano trio doesn't just link the worlds of abstract jazz and big-beat rock--instead, they smash them together, fusing bombast and subtlety with wit and art in consistently surprising ways. It's most apparent in the covers. ThePixies' "Velouria" develops a heady layer of Spanish impressionism, whileOrnette Coleman's "Street Woman," showcasing Reid Anderson's propulsive bass, is much closer to jazz expectations--the earlyPaul Bleytrio, say, if jazz expectations get that high.Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" becomes a manifesto, pianist Ethan Iverson combining the elementary theme with an anarchic, trip-hammer right hand straight from the playground of free jazz. The originals cover even more ground--from the colliding ironies of Iverson's "Cheney Piñata" to the sweetness of drummer David King's "Frog and Toad." Produced, like the last CD, by Tchad Blake,Givedemonstrates just how effectively pop production values and jazz spontaneity can interact. King's drumming alone is a sonic and creative highlight throughout. Along with a new aesthetic, the Bad Plus has already begun to define a new audience, and this CD should both delight and enlarge it.--Stuart Broomer