The Bad Plus
Ethan Iverson · 2001
45 min · 8 tracks · jazz
A daring blend of avant-garde jazz and rock covers, showcasing intricate interplay and unexpected rhythmic shifts.
Top tracks — play these first
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Smells Like Teen Spirit — This track exemplifies The Bad Plus's innovative approach, transforming a grunge anthem into a complex jazz exploration filled with dynamic shifts and improvisation.
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Labyrinth — Featuring intricate melodies and tight harmonies, Labyrinth showcases the trio's exceptional musicianship and tightly woven arrangements that define their sound.
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Knowing Me, Knowing You — The reinterpretation of this ABBA classic highlights the band's ability to infuse emotional depth into familiar pop melodies through avant-garde techniques.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
InstrumentalThe album showcases strong composition and craft through its unique jazz interpretations of rock songs.
What we noticed
- The album opens with a cover of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', featuring a slow build-up that transitions into complex rhythmic patterns.
- Each track features extensive improvisation, with the piano, bass, and drums engaging in intricate dialogues rather than following a strict melody.
- The arrangement of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' incorporates unexpected tempo changes and dissonant harmonies, diverging significantly from the original rock version.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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8/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady progression with climactic build
- intricate improvisation for deep listening
- adventurous reinterpretations of familiar songs
- engaging background for focused work
Maybe skip if you
- seeks instant gratification tracks
- prefers straightforward song structures
Where this album fits
- Career context
- When The Bad Plus was released in August 2001, the band was still establishing its identity in the jazz scene. This debut album marked their introduction to a wider audience, following their formation just a year earlier in 2000. It set the stage for their innovative approach to jazz that would challenge genre boundaries.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Jason Moran· Brad Mehldau· Tigran Hamasyan
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Knowing Me, Knowing You 5:46
- 2 Blue Moon 3:04
- 3 1972 Bronze Medalist 5:10
- 4 The Breakout 5:23
- 5 Smells Like Teen Spirit 6:35
- 6 Labyrinth 5:14
- 7 Scurry 5:24
- 8 Love Is the Answer 8:22
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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