The problem with jazz is... well, I'm not exactly sure. I can tell you that I'm getting tired of opening jazz reviews with a survey of the genre's problems. In the end, it's probably no worse off than any other music predating rock and roll, and that it at least still has a Grammy category should be encouraging. Perhaps the only real problem is that big labels have a tough time marketing it (see if you can name any one of Billboard's current Top 40 jazz albums). However, unlike, say, contemporary polka (also a tough sell, especially in our war-torn economy), people are still making interesting, creative statements in jazz. For experimental music listeners, jazz is probably as vibrant now as it ever was. You just have to live with a dimmer spotlight, if that matters.
And so, along comes The Bad Plus, from the heart of the Midwest, and with big Columbia dollars paying for their hotels and, presumably, Blender blurbs. They have the shiny blue CD cover, have snagged Sheryl Crow and Tom Waits' producer, get in-store promotion at Tower and Borders, and press releases that-- wouldn't you know it-- herald them as jazz's saviors! Of course, none of this really covers the various musical contributions that pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King (a member of the Minneapolis jazz combo Happy Apple, and replacement drummer for the legendary Christopher McGuire in 12 Rods) may have made to their own record. As you probably shouldn't be surprised to know, their press hasn't really done them too many favors except to garner them raves from the NPR and Good Morning America crowd.
The three members of The Bad Plus, hailing from Minnesota and Wisconsin, have been playing together off and on since the early 1990s. They released their self-titled debut in 2001 independently, and had a follow-up available last year (now out of print), recorded live at the Village Vanguard. They've steadily built a following of fervent jazz fans and alert critics, though are likely as surprised at their exposure this year as anyone. These Are the Vistas, beyond the production and fanfare, is pretty squarely along the lines of much new, young straight-ahead jazz: integrated use of new beats and electronic music touches, covers of various Gen-X hits, and the will to sporadically launch brief, free improv blowing sessions. Naturally, those sessions are much fewer and farther between than your average Tim Berne disc, but then again, Columbia doesn't invest in 20-minute Bloodcount tunes for a reason.
First, the covers: supposedly pianist Iverson had never heard the song previously (only in Wisconsin, folks), but the trio's rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is, er, spirited. Iverson favors broad, dramatic chord clusters and liberal use of his sustain pedal, so instead of ragged rock glory, we get faux-cinematic\ grandeur. Anderson does a nice Ron Carter impression underneath, linking the performance to what must have been a big inspiration for them: Miles Davis' mid-60s similarly eccentric quintet. They hit Aphex Twin's "Flim" with kid gloves, almost too delicately. Producer Tchad Blake incorporates a few filters to make King's drums sound computerized, but it's my feeling that you can't really hide a jazz band. Their version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is probably the most ambitious song on the entire record, if only because they try out about three completely different moods before arriving at the song proper. I'm not so sure they're as convincing way out there as they are straight up, but points for giving it a go.
The Bad Plus is at their best when they step out of the jazz chair entirely, as on the marvelously kinetic "Big Eater", which opens the album. King is an amazing drummer, certainly a treat for anyone loving modern jazz percussionists like Ben Perowsky, Kenny Wollesen or Jim Black, and his performance on Anderson's piece is fantastically, aggressively precise. Likewise, Iverson's block chords, serving as melody, are straight out of the great-lost post-rock riff book, and would undoubtedly make Tom Jenkinson mighty jealous. If only they could keep up that intensity throughout, as other tunes seem either flat homages to the avant-garde ("Boo-Wah"), or small-group MOR jazz balladry ("Silence is the Question")-- though there is a download-only ballad titled "What Love is This" that's a lot more engaging than most of the ones here.
Marketing aside, I wouldn't be surprised to see The Bad Plus become pretty successful. They have a knack for hitting the melody where some more experimental outfits might opt for a diverse array of craziness. The three performers are also very good musicians (particularly King and Anderson), and I imagine they put on a good show. It's not their fault some record company guy thought they could be the new face of jazz, so I'd urge hipsters to keep an open ear, and everyone else not to expect fireworks. Hey, it could be worse-- you know Elvis Costello is giving Diana Krall Mitchell Froom's number.
