Although The Bad Plus (bassist Reid Anderson, drummer David King and pianist Ethan Iverson) have spent most of 2009 touring with vocalist Wendy Lewis in support of their album For All I Care, it was back to basics, if that word can be applied to anything the trio does, for a pair of shows that were part of the Highline Ballroom’s piano series.
Of course, late August is a bad time for a series of anything in NYC, except for buses out of the city perhaps, which led to a full, but hardly packed room for Friday night’s late show. The Highline, a venue that opened with five nights of moe. followed by a series of gigs from the Disco Biscuits, has done plenty to make itself into the only larger jazz club in New York (aside from the relatively conservative Jazz at Lincoln Theater), hosting old masters like Charles Lloyd and McCoy Tyner and luminaries like Josh Redman and Brian Blade – mostly headier, edgier characters who can draw double the capacity of more storied clubs like Birdland and the Village Vanguard. So it was no surprise that the always hip and quirky Bad Plus found themselves featured artists during the weeklong celebration.
They opened the late show with Metal, a tightly syncopated composition seemingly designed to showcase King’s energetic, playful percussion in a series of solos (even if it is a cover). As the song progressed, those solos grew bigger and looser, an early indication of the set’s theme: the show was an exposition of David King and his huge personality and smile.
READ ON for more from Dan on The Bad Plus at Highline…
