The Bad Plus
Interview with Reid Anderson
Words: Christian Crider
Photo: Michael Dvorak

Appearing:
March 8, 2008
Langerado Music Festival, Big Cypress Indian Reservation

The Bad Plus are a trifecta whose refreshing take on jazz has lead them down many unexpected roads. Their most recent release, PROG (2007), is a striking blend of post-rock and progressive jazz, with covers of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” and Bowie’s “Life on Mars.” REAX caught up with bassist Reid Anderson to discuss the nuances of the jazz life. The Bad Plus will bring their grooves to the stage of Langerado on March 8th.

REAX: With The Bad Plus, there seems to be a great deal of crossover between jazz and rock. How do you think these two styles influence each other?
Reid Anderson: I think that the thing about jazz is that it always has incorporated other music, and it’s responsive to the popular music of its day. So it’s just a natural extension because we grew up listening to, and surrounded by, rock music and pop music, and we’re fans, but we also love jazz and the history there. We just try to incorporate it naturally without trying to think about it too much.

REAX:  The Bad Plus is known for eccentric choices of cover songs. Describe the decision making process behind choosing “standards.”
RA:  It has to be a song that we like, and it has to have a strong identity. We have to feel like it’s going to be recognizable, even though we push it and pull in all kinds of different directions. We’re open to pretty much any genre. Not as a rule, but a lot of times we like to choose songs that are very popular, you know, like big-hit kind of rock tunes. But we’re open to any genre.

REAX:  How does the atmosphere of a venue lend to the dynamic of your performances? Is it easier to play for smaller crowds?
RA:  That’s an entirely subjective thing. Hopefully, in the best-case scenario, whether large or small, the acoustics are good and the audience is there to listen to the music. When those things come together, it flows really naturally. I think our job as performers, and part of being an improviser as well, is to kind of take in the ambiance of the situation and react to it. So we do our best to make every situation work. Some are easier than others, though.

REAX:  Do the improvisational elements of jazz ever take over during your live performances?
RA:  Of course, we’re always improvising. At some points in the concert, it might be entirely free improvisation and all the way back to a few songs that we have. There’s not a lot of outright improvisation, but you still have to be an improviser to play them. That’s something that’s very central to who we are, playing improvised music.

REAX:  What does it feel like to bring jazz to new audiences?
RA:  It’s a great feeling. If people are coming to check out The Bad Plus, and get turned on to other great jazz, I think that’s fantastic. I think it’s a music that takes some searching, and a little bit of guidance and personal motivation to get in to just because it’s not there in front of us in the popular culture every day, but it’s so rich and rewarding – if we can be a door to that, that’s great.

REAX:  If you could recommend some contemporary jazz artists to our readers, who would they be?
RA:  Brad Mehldau is fantastic. A guy named Guillermo Klein is an amazing composer and arranger; he has some records on Sunny Side. Jason Moran is very cool and he has some great stuff. A player named Bill McHenry has a really personal style, and is a great composer. Those are some names I’d throw out there.

REAX:  Do you have plans to enter the studio any time soon?
RA:  Yes, plans are for April.

thebadplus.com