These Are the Vistas

The Bad Plus | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 11, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• ASIN: B000087N0V
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,599 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Here's a major label debut that doesn't disappoint. For starters, Midwestern piano trio the Bad Plus--in the same vein as Dave Douglas or Brad Mehldau--clearly know a thing or two about how to mix pop music with forward-thinking jazz. The group covers Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and Aphex Twin's "Flim" with wit, virtuosity, and respect to the originals--these interpretations never sound in the least bit cliched or overwrought. But even the new material on These Are the Vistas is loaded with infectious hooks. Ethan Iverson uses the entire range of his piano with speed and dexterity; David King's drum fills are deftly placed, at times harkening more to electronica music's lightening fast percussion flourishes than anything on the jazz scene; and bassist Reid Anderson somehow keeps up with the madness and maintains a steady beat. Amidst all the fun is a dynamic record that holds your attention. A wonderful effort. --Jason Verlinde

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I never do this . . . November 7, 2003

By Jan P. Dennis VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

. . . That is, write a second review of a disc I've already reviewed, but since I wrote my first review, a lot of problematic reviews have appeared.

For example, to say that this isn't jazz is just wrong. Ethan Iverson has been on the New York jazz scene for at least five or six years. During that time he and Reid Anderson have played and recorded with some of the most prominent names in jazz such as Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard, and Billy Hart (see their five records on the Fresh Sound New Talent label). A close listen to these albums will validate their jazz credentials beyond dispute. To characterize people of this standing in the jazz world as imposters is simply ludicrous.

David King is a little bit of a different case. He comes from the rock world, and has had a fusion trio, Happy Apple, for several years. Thus, his rhythmic concept and sense of time, let alone his basic approach to his kit, are anything but traditionally jazzy, giving the band a very different flavor than the traditional jazz trio (check out the vibe he creates, and his astounding playing, on "Boo-Wah," e.g.). To me, his imaginative, off-kilter drumming is one of the things that makes this record so special.

There is a certain melodic and harmonic simplicity to this record that could be characterized as unsophisticated, but that's not really true (I really don't know where the idea that it's rhythmically simplistic comes from). It's more of a case of on-purpose accessibility and a desire to connect with a wide (esp. younger) audience than unsophistication. OK, there's a fine line between helping people get into something outside their comfort zone and pandering, but these guys are firmly on the right side of that line. Yes, they can be bombastic, even crude, but that's not because they don't know what they're doing. Again, it's an artistic choice, and one they use very effectively, at least to these ears.

As far as them not being able to play the blues, didn't these people listen to "Guilty"? Moreover, a close listen to Ethan Iverson will confirm that he is a pianist with monster chops.

What's really going on here with the negativity toward this record, I think, is what the French call ressentiment: a deep jealousy, even hatred, toward what is considered unworthy, common, or even just widely accepted. Its perpetrators, the cognoscenti, disdain what they regard as a concession to popular taste. Its upshot is always a counterposition that affirms the "real" thing, culture that is not the province of "imposters."

The negativity is also fueled, certainly, by all the hype this disc has received. Instead of being thrilled that a jazz record has broken out of ghetto, the naysayers grump and grouse about all the money and promotion thrown at the group and record. What's that? We should all be glad the record companies have finally decided to support jazz and that the music is reaching new audiences. Not to do so is small minded.

Startling, brilliant group conversation, exciting improv, an unusual and dynamic soundscape, stellar recording technique, imaginative yet accessible compositions, sly, intelligent covers--that's what I heard in this thoroughly remarkable disc when I first heard it and still do after scores of listenings.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, accessible, fresh - one of the best CDs in years! September 23, 2004

By Ron Cronovich TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

The instrumentation of The Bad Plus is quite traditional: a trio with piano, acoustic bass, and drums. The music is anything but traditional. These cats push the boundaries and achieve something magical with their energy, enthusiasm, and talent.

This CD, the first major US release for The Bad Plus, contains mostly originals, plus a couple covers of rock tunes that are done very well. All arrangements are fresh & original, and each member of the trio is showcased on a few different tracks. Here are some of the highlights:

The CD opens with "Big Eater," an exciting piece with changing time signatures (7/8 to 3/4 to 4/4), lots of open fifths on the piano and bass, an amazing piano solo that starts out great and builds to an awesome climax. The pianist, Ethan Iverson, can - better than anyone else I can think of - play completely different things rhythmically with both hands, even over (what to other players would be) awkward time signatures. Actually, each member of The Bad Plus has a miraculous sense of time and the ability to anchor to any time signature. More importantly, they make these odd time signatures actually work for the listener, rather than being novelties meant to "show off" their talent.

The second track, "Keep the Bugs Off Your Glass and the Bears Off Your Ass" reminds me a bit of Mingus, with the bass playing the laid-back melody at times (even acappella in some spots), a great acappella bass solo by Reid Anderson, and an absolutely brilliant and exciting piano solo that is one of the few relatively straight-ahead swinging jazz solos on the album.

"Boo-Wah" reminds me a bit of Ornette Coleman and Thelonius Monk. High energy, playing fast & loose with the tempo, and some brilliant playing by all three cats.

"Flim" is a showcase for the drummer David King. I'd describe the tune as almost a lullaby, with a funky drum track on top. Sounds weird, huh? But it works brilliantly. You will be playing this track over and over.

The Nirvana cover "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is maybe the last thing you'd expect a jazz piano trio to cover. But The Bad Plus does a wonderful arrangement of it, and will likely bring some young rock fans into the jazz fold with this one.

On all tracks, The Bad Plus deliver performances that have the energy and intensity usually heard only live. Somehow, they capture that energy in the studio and it burns through your speakers and into your gut. Hearing this CD really is an emotionally engaging experience.

More recently, The Bad Plus have released a newer CD entitled "Give." If you're more into the jazz-rock sound, you may like "Give" better. If you're more into straight-ahead jazz (but are not too conservative in your tastes), you may like "These Are The Vistas" better. I think both are amazing, though I prefer "These Are The Vistas" because it seems to have more jazz improvisation and more tunes that come close to resembling what I think of as jazz.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Does Not [Stink} February 20, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I am a very fluent jazz musician and listener, and to tell you the truth... most new jazz albums I have heard in the last year or so (beside reissues)... well, have [stunk].

Not this, though. I purchased The Bad Plus' new album "These Are the Vistas" just yesterday and can say that this is by far one of the greatest records I have ever heard.

The tunes that this piano-bass-drum trio play (and write) are just so fresh. If you're looking for a set of standards, do not buy this. Such tracks as "1972 Bronze Medalist" and "Big Eater" are just so new and revolutionary sounding. And the deconstruction they did of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"... just absolutely insane. I know that having such a tune on a jazz record seems cheesy, but its not. The song swings like nothing else.

The chemistry that this trio seems to have is outstanding too. The flowing groovy bass-lines of Reid Anderson, the stylistic and very sophisticated drumming of Dave King, and the harmonically rich and intelligent piano lines of pianist Ethan Iverson all add together to produce this wildly cinematic sound.

This, here, just proves how jazz is so alive.