Customer Reviews

Give

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Bad Plus, quintessential bad boyz of jazz, are at it again, wreaking havoc, running roughshod over bebop sensibilities, and just mangling and destroying everything in their path.

Bravo!

One thing the stodgy jazz press seems to have missed is how funny this disc is. Things start out with a bang on "1979 Semi-finalist" as the boyz paint a glorious sound picture of a local bowler who's just missed enshrinement in the neighborhood bowling hall of fame dejectedly making his way home. Right outta The Big Lebowski. Things reach an early high with "Cheney Piñata," a demented boleroish mariachi number, in which the lads perform a not-so-sly send-up of our revered Vice President. You can almost see the outraged citizenry taking their turn at bashing the piñata-veep. Should provide vicarious catharsis for all those disgusted with the war. The ball keeps right on rolling with "Street Woman," a marvelous deconstruction of the famous Ornette Coleman tune, with Reid Anderson slinging some righteous, gloriously twangy bass, David King basically freaking out on his kit, and Ethan Iverson thundering out fabulous faux-classical chords. It's simply amazing how they manage any coherence from such aural mayhem, but they do, all the while maintaining a too-cool, bash-it-up, deconstructionist mentality. And their fake-rockabilly number, "Layin' a Strip for the Higher-self State Line" seals the deal. Probably among the most hilarious instrumentals ever recorded, you can tell the guys are just having a ball with it. That should give you a taste of what the proceedings are like.

The biggest problem for the nay-sayers, I'm sure, continues to be David King, he of the brashly insouciant drum pyrotechnics (check out his moves on "Veloria"), undoubtedly mistaken for kit cluelessness. Can't people get it through their heads that this is the way he wants to play, that his playing is perfectly apposite for the soundscape and aural signature the band stakes out and almost always magically achieves? But I don't think the grousing stops there. Ethan Iverson's pianisms also grate, I'm sure. The fact that he's mastered practically the entire range of jazz, pop, Latin, and classical keyboard literature and can pull any of it out whenever he wants comes across for many as empty virtuosity. But he's also a master of mood, as his delicate playing on "Veloria," eventually building to colossal proportions and then morphing into deconstructed madness, brilliantly demonstrates. He also finds an unlikely stark and melancholly beauty in the Black Sabbath tune "Iron Man," imbuing it with irony and turning it into a kind of instrumental analog to Dion's "The Wanderer." And check out his emotional range on "Do Your Sums - Die Like a Dog - Play for Home," where he effortlessly moves between aching delicacy and Rimsky-Korsakov-ish explosiveness. Then there's Reid Anderson, who seems to have completely rethought double bass playing. His instrument occupies a sound space never before conceived for it, and he gets a tonal richness to match its prominence in the sound image. Which brings up Tchad Blake's production, another irritant, I'm sure, but to these ears one of the great production/engineering achievements in the history of jazz. Indeed, the way he's sculpted the sound palette, with all the players receiving absolute equal space, perfectly suits the band's basic MO, which is expressionistic extroversion.

Yes, one might wish for more aural diversity - things here are pretty much of the throttle-all-the-way-open, pedal-to-the-metal, full-throated-roar variety save for the ersatz ballad, "Neptune (The Planet)," which gets its own bit of bashing near the end.

But I'm not complaining.

Right now, this is a unique band, occupying a place somewhere between traditional jazz piano trio, rock power trio, and punk-metal. OK, it's not jazz, per se. But so what? Let's just give it a rest, critics. What it is, is smart, twenty-first century Nu Jazz-Pop-Rock.

Deal with it.

There's a great scene in an old episode of "Murphy Brown", where Murphy Brown snuck one of her toddler's finger paintings into an abstract art show. Two critics start arguing over it - one calling it brilliant, the other calling it childish. Murphy Brown looks and notices it's been sold. So she asks the buyer what he saw in it. He said he hadn't even looked at it... he just saw two critics arguing heatedly over it and considered it a good investment.

The way critics spar over The Bad Plus, consider this album a good investment!

That being said, i don't know which amuses me more... watching the band making devil horns at the stuffy jazz establishment, or watching them getting kids raised on alt-rock headbanging away on avant-garde acoustic piano trio music. They're neither the saviors of jazz non-jazz critics say they are, nor the enemies of jazz culture that some jazz critics think. They're just three guys playing what THEY like, and not giving a Cheney what anyone else thinks. For a narrow segment of broad-minded Gen-X music fans, they're like coming home. And for a lot of other people, they're an invitation to an exotic new world.

As for this particular album, "Give" is a bit heavier than "These are the Vistas", less accessible and more abstract. But it's a minor difference. I love them both.

If you care enough to even be reading this review, you owe it to yourself to listen to this album yourself. If you love it, you love it. If you hate it, give it to someone who WILL love it!

The Bad Plus's Sony debut, "These Are the Vistas," twisted the rules of jazz even further by adding a few rock touches and performing admirable covers of Nirvana, Blondie and Apex Twin. It's a hard formula to improve on, and they don't exactly do that on their solid followup "Give." Here, the trio of Reid Anderson (bass), Ethan Iverson (piano), and David King (drums) remains quite faithful to the formula that made their predecessor a success. We have the laid-back feel of "1979 Semi-Finalist," a touch of Latin flavor on "Cheney Pinata," and the elegant "And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation." They're slices of delectable jazz that pay respect to their elders (Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck) while remaining modern and fresh. But the track that made me stop everything is their creative rendition of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," which is nearly worth the price of this whole CD. They do a cover that's faithful to the mood of the original while injecting their own flavor, and it's sure to please jazz lovers and Sabbath fans alike. This CD also has an enhanced portion that will take you to their website, where you can read updates, download stuff, and watch live performances (best viewed with a broadband connection). While "Give" may lack some of the unexpected punch of "These Are the Vistas," it's a completely likable effort that dodges the sophomore slump.

Hey, if you don't know The Bad Plus yet, go back a start with their sophomore release These Are the Vistas. Just do it.

If you've heard that, and liked it, you might like Give. You might not. They might be anti-establishment. They might be secretly conventional enough to be quasi-establishment. Who cares. Give isn't as strong as Vistas, and their debut Motel isn't as strong as either, and that's what folks reading these reviews want to know: Should I buy it?

Yes, probably. But only after you buy Vistas.

I bought "Give" two days ago and I've listened to it from one end to the other eight times since then. There's a lot of hype surrounding the group about their covers of hard rock songs, but in fact, about 2/3 of the tracks on this CD are brilliant original compositions.

The album as a whole has a definite flavor. A little bit darker and more abstract than their last album, These Are The Vistas. Personally, I love the raw energy of this album, and while These Are The Vistas is great, I definitely prefer this one.

Some of my favorite tracks from the album are:

1979 Semi-Finalist
And Here We Test Our Powers Of Observation
Neptune (The Planet)

As has previously been said, Cheney Pinata, while entertaining and worth listening to, is probably the weakest track on the album. However, the rest of the CD is so excellent that one hardly notices.

I would give a slight warning to people who have spent years listening to the "verse, chorus, verse, chorus" music on the radio because they may find this album a bit of a shock due to its abstractness. However, anyone acquainted with jazz should find this quickly becoming one of their favorite CD's.

This is the best (new) jazz CD that I've listened to in a VERY long time. I can't recommend it enough.

The Bad Plus are a band that most people should listen to, but never will. Their lack of mainstream appeal is understandable: after all, when was the last time you heard chaotic jazz without vocals on good old casey casem's show? However, Give is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year. Filled with a variety of styles, ranging from salsa to post punk to heavy metal, all with an undeniable jazz spin, Give feels like listening to the most experimental, creative lounge act there has ever been playing their favorite songs for 4 people, 3 of them not paying attention, in the smallest hole in the wall jazz club in NYC. Its a wacky mix, but it works better than anyone, including myself, could have expected. Covers, like black sabbath's iron man and the pixies velouria, are just as innovative as the original peices and truly lend somthing new to the songs, not just a tired rehash. Standout tracks include both the aforementioned covers as well as "And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation," "Frog and Toad," "Dirty Blonde," and "Layin a Strip for the Higher Self State Line." If you like jazz, chaos, metal, improvisation, creativity, or just damn good music, Give is an album for you.

i first heard the song "and here we test our powers of observation" on a public radio station (89.3 the current) and immidiately thought it was one of the coolest things i'd ever heard. i initially noticed the extremely complex drumming behind the incredible piano and how the band seemlessly changes tones and feel within a song. i got the album and soon found that i didn't want to listen to anything else. its complexity makes very repeat-listen-friendly. "velouria" is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful cover. this is a great listen for those new to post-bop jazz.

There are few albums out there that I could listen to over and over again and never get tired of it. This album is jazz musicianship at its absolute finest. The writing is gripping, aggressive, outrageous, flamboyant and exciting. The arrangements are astonishing. The improvisation is nothing short of musical pyrotechnics. This ensemble plays as a unit whether any one member is being featured or not. They all support eachother creating a tight knit musical web. The diversity of the album spans all gaps, we see everything from Ornette Coleman to Black Sabbath. It is one of the most well crafted albums I have heard in years. Great, but not exactly for someone looking for classic jazz. It's very edgy and contemporary. Nevertheless, the mature listener will enjoy this album more with each listen. Stand-out tracks include Ornette Coleman's "Street Woman," Bad Plus originals "Layin a Strip for the Higher Self State Line" and "Neptune (the Planet)" and of course, the amazingly creative arrangement of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."

For anyone unfamiliar with the Jazz-rock trio, Give could be a poor starting point next to their textbook debut dazzler. Yet I am surprised by some fans and critics who dismissed the harder-pushing sophomore major as a primarily atonal indulgence. For sure the disc pushes a little too stubbornly at times, building showy heaps of cryptic melody and time signatures into epic posturing without the slightest hesitation- but for every masturbatory musical off-ramp we are privy to, the boys flaunt double in the way of sheer triumphant virtuoso synergy. Listen, and listen again.

I think this album, along with anything else with that you can find these guys playing on, is a great listen each and every time you listen. I am constantly hearing new things that I never heard before and my respect for these guys is always increasing. They love what they're doing and it shows. Thanks