THE BAD PLUS
(Artist Management & Booking Worldwide excluding EU/UK)
CONTACTS:
MANAGEMENT: Tina Priceman for Big Fish Booking Company
PUBLICIST: Michael Krumper & Bobby Crane for Missing Piece (USA) / Casey Conroy for We Are Flex (rest of world)
LABEL: Matthew Jurasek for Mack Avenue
BOOKING IN EUROPE: Reno De Matteo at Anteprima Productions
LINEUP:
The Bad Plus:
Reid Anderson- bass, Dave King- drums, Ben Monder- guitar, Chris Speed- tenor saxophone
TOUR:
2025 - Available upon request
2026 - Available upon request
NEW ALBUM:
THE BAD PLUS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, COMPLEX EMOTIONS, OUT NOVEMBER 8, 2024, VIA MACK AVENUE RECORDS + RELEASES FIRST SINGLE “FRENCH HORNS”
The upcoming release is the boundary-defying quartet’s second LP with its current lineup of founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) along with Ben Monder (guitars) and Chris Speed (saxophones).
“With this new album and this new batch of music, we're planting a flag to say that this version of the band has really come into its own,” Anderson explains. “A big part of what the sound of this band is is the willingness to explore complex emotions. That's something that we're not only comfortable with but that we've embraced from the beginning of the band.”
The title comes from a phrase that Anderson and King have used since the early days of the band – a mission statement to describe the wide range of territory they’ve always explored. Just as calling its predecessor The Bad Plus made a statement about continuity in the midst of change, finally branding an album with this long-held mantra declares that the reconfigured group has discovered ways to delve deeper and venture further.
Somewhat paradoxically, Complex Emotions strikes out in stunning new directions, often sounding radically different than anything The Bad Plus has done before, while at the same time maintaining the band’s vital and unmistakable identity. Credit that to all four members’ instinctual attraction to song form, the compelling immediacy of their collective improvisations, and, yes, their willingness to drill down into the full gamut of emotional complexity. That the band can veer into so much unexplored terrain yet still emerge sounding like The Bad Plus on Complex Emotions is a testament to their finely crafted identity and insistence on constantly evolving.
Since their debut in 2000, The Bad Plus have pushed the boundaries of what jazz music could and should be. From their earliest days, their indelible compositions coexisted with an unconventional array of covers from outside of the strictly-policed jazz bubble: everything from Ornette Coleman to Black Sabbath to Aphex Twin, Cole Porter to the Pixies to Nirvana. Their eclecticism was often misinterpreted as snark, when in actuality it was a means to reach for expression unachievable through other avenues – something very much in keeping with the dauntlessness of the true jazz tradition. Their now-legendary 2003 LP These Are Vistas was named one of the 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade by NPR’s All Songs Considered, and now on their 18th album, the band is still making music that is wild and unexpected, with a refusal to conform to convention.
BIO:
The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus has won critical acclaim and a legion of fans worldwide with their unique sound and flair for live performance.
The Bad Plus continues to push boundaries as founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) embark on a new piano-less incarnation of the band with Ben Monder (guitar) and Chris Speed (tenor saxophone) – instigating a new wave of excitement and anticipation within the band that is re-energizing their sound and inspiration. The Bad Plus have constantly searched to bridge genres and techniques while exploring the infinite possibilities of exceptional musicians working in perfect sync.
The Bad Plus is set to release their 18th album via Mack Avenue Records on Friday, November 8th. “Evolution is necessary for life and creativity,” say Dave King and Reid Anderson. “We’ve evolved, but we’re still The Bad Plus.”
VIDEOS:
DISCOGRAPHY:
PRESS:
#3 Best Album of 2022 - SPIN Magazine:
”…whether the band is uncovering the art-rock muscle beneath Anderson ballad “In the Bright Future” or digging into the anthemic crunch of King’s “Not Even Close to Far Off,” it becomes clear that the Bad Plus is still playing standards — the only difference now is that these are ones you haven’t heard before.”
– Hank Shteamer, SPIN Magazine
Featured today on All Songs Considered New Music Friday:
“In this current configuration, they’ve reinvented themselves as a quartet but with that same genre-blending sound which we know and love…The group is now sans piano, which is certainly indicative of the risks they’re willing to take…They’re giving us so much to work with in the way of sound. You really can’t put them in a box…The saxophone and guitars really bring out something different in these compositions.”
– NPR ALL SONGS CONSIDERED
JazzTimes: The Bad Plus Is A Quartet, For Now - cover story by David Fricke
"Welcome to the invigorating contradiction of the Bad Plus, one of the most enduring and acclaimed working bands in jazz, reborn for the second time in four years with an unexpected shift in instrumentation and a firm declaration of creative ownership."
- David Fricke, JazzTimes
The JAZZIZ Podcast #4: DAVE KING AND REID ANDERSON (THE BAD PLUS)
"the band’s objective of challenging conventions and pushing their unique approach to jazz in boundary-breaking new directions remains unaltered. Their music, as well as this podcast conversation, testifies to their passion, drive and intent."
- Matt Micucci, JAZZIZ
The Times UK:
"A welcome rebirth for a beloved band."
PopMatters:
”…has never sounded more weighty and potent.”
WRTI:
"melodies both wistful and grand converge with a spirit of collective endeavor and a trademark eagerness to push the output into the red."
- Nate Chinen
No Treble: An Interview with Reid Anderson
"The record evokes the same wonder and mystery elicited from their earlier catalog, retaining their unique harmonic sense and driving rhythms."
- Kevin Johnson, No Treble
Glide Magazine: The Bad Plus Move On As Reconfigured Quintet On Inventive Eponymous Recording (ALBUM REVIEW)
“The new Bad Plus is heavier and in some ways more exciting…the instrumental lineup offers more sonic possibilities.”
- Glide Magazine
Relix Magazine
“a harbinger of more unbridled creativity to come.”
- Jeff Tamarkin, Relix Magazine
The Guardian:
”The Bad Plus (Edition Records) features classy new recruits to the long-running band in saxophonist Chris Speed and guitarist Ben Monder...on a quirky, still unmistakably Bad Plus tracklist."
- John Fordham, The Guardian
UK Vibe: 5 Star Album Review
"The chemistry between the foursome sounds incredible, burning brightly with endeavour and fierce originality that doesn’t just take this band into a new era, but actually launches them head-first from an exploding cannon."
- Mike Gates, UK Vibe
Qobuz Feature:
"The new instruments add fresh flavors and not surprisingly, provide more avenues for expression...This is a bright new beginning and well-timed change of direction for that rare rhythm section that can and will lead."
- Qobuz
JazzThing: The Bad Plus Now Without Piano
"Because the original members Dave King and Reid Anderson were tirelessly searching for the spirit of earlier days, they now decided on a radical cut: no more piano, just guitar and saxophone. Surgery successful, patient doing well!"
- Reinhard Koechl