+ The Bad Plus releases September 30, 2022! Pre-order it now on CD or vinyl at www.thebadplus.com.
The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding easy categorization, The Bad Plus has won critical acclaim and a legion of fans worldwide with their unique sound and flair for live performance.
Now in their 21st year, The Bad Plus continues to push boundaries as founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) embark on a new piano-less incarnation of the band with Ben Monder (guitar) and Chris Speed (tenor saxophone) – instigating a new wave of excitement and anticipation within the band that is re-energizing their sound and inspiration. The Bad Plus have constantly searched to bridge genres and techniques while exploring the infinite possibilities of exceptional musicians working in perfect sync.
The Bad Plus is set to release their 15th studio recording and debut self-titled album as a dynamic new quartet via Edition Records on Friday, September 30th. “Evolution is necessary for life and creativity,” say Dave King and Reid Anderson. “We’ve evolved, but we’re still The Bad Plus.”
Check this site or follow the group on Facebook/Twitter for updates.
Reid Anderson | bass
Dave King | drums
Ben Monder | guitar
Chris Speed | tenor saxophone, clarinet
Golden Valley Is Now
Reid Anderson (electric bass, electronics)
Dave King (acoustic and electronic drums)
Craig Taborn (synthesizers, electric and acoustic piano)
Broken Shadows
Tim Berne (alto saxophone)
Chris Speed (tenor saxophone)
Reid Anderson (double-bass)
Dave King (drums)
Broken Shadows is a quartet of kindred spirits communing over shared loves and common inspirations, radiating not only homage but aspiration – to make music with deep roots reach out into the present moment, alive and attuned and moving through our air now. These four musicians hailing from the urban northern half of America – Tim Berne, Chris Speed, Reid Anderson and Dave King – have banded together to reinterpret the timeless sounds conjured by great men from the rural South and heartland of the country: Ornette Coleman, Julius Hemphill, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden. These iconic figures created an ever-resonant avant-garde out of the folk-art influences of their early surroundings, a canon that comprises the hard blues and deep lament, keening celebration and hollering protest. Wound through the DNA of such avant-jazz classics as “Dogon A.D.,” “Lonely Woman,” “Civilization Day,” “Walls- Bridges” and “Song for Ché” are the age-old sounds of back-alley bars and carnival midways, funeral processions and holiday parades, the rave-ups of Saturday night shading into the hymns of Sunday morning. The way saxophonists Berne and Speed perform this music with the bass-and-drum team of Anderson and King has a rocking, roughhewn harmonic convergence wholly in keeping with the source materials, even as their improvisations have a searching, burning modernism of their own. To channel the cultural history of this music, the players of Broken Shadows can rely on their personal history as friends and collaborators; among various associations, Speed played in Berne’s Bloodcount band in the 1990s, while Anderson and King are two-thirds of the genre defying band The Bad Plus. This foursome is onto something special here – the emotive breath and beat of this music being undeniable, infectious; these are players known for their ability to take it out, but Broken Shadows gives them a vehicle to get down. — Bradley Bambarger
Erik Fratzke - Fender bass
Dave King - drums
Michael Lewis - saxophone
DOWNLOAD HALLOWEEN, ALASKA’S NEW ALBUM, LE CENTRE, ON ITUNES NOW!
HALLOWEEN, ALASKA took root in the early '00s as a semi-electronic diversion from its members' primary rock/jazz projects (The Bad Plus, 12 Rods, Love-cars, Happy Apple, et al). A self-titled debut album made sufficient waves to inspire more recording, more shows, more expenditures, more experimentation. Over the course of three more albums, a string of US/UK tours and couple of lineup changes, the group has continued to expand its palette outward from a dedicated core of arty, ambient rock. As of 2015, the band is completing a fifth full-length album in its hometown of Minneapolis in collaboration with engineer/producer Brett Bullion. There's more to tell...
James Diers • voice, guitars, keys
Jacob Hanson • guitars, voice
David King • drums, keys
William Shaw IV • bass guitar, keys
Erik Fratzke - guitar
Dave King - drums
Chris Morrissey - bass
Chris Speed - tenor saxophone
Brandon Wozniak - tenor saxaphone
Matt Mitchell - piano
Billy Peterson - bass
Dave King - drums
Perhaps you know Dave King as the drummer in The Bad Plus, or any number of avant-improv/indie-rock/Americana/electronic experimental bands rooted in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. But somewhere in that mix is a deep fondness for the jazz tradition. The Dave King Trio, featuring a rhythm section of pianist Matt Mitchell and bassist Billy Peterson, investigates jazz standards with a modern interpretation.
Dave King is one of the most celebrated drummers in modern jazz. His contributions to the Minneapolis and New York jazz scenes are incalculable, and his imagination and boundless enthusiasm behind (and around) the drum set are singular and stunning. He has performed in 75 countries on six continents, and has been a member of bands like The Bad Plus, Happy Apple, Halloween Alaska, 12 Rods, Love Cars, The Gang Font, and others. He has also recorded or performed with Bill Frisell, Joshua Redman, Jeff Beck, Tim Berne, Mason Jennings, Mark Morris Dance Company, Haley Bonar, Meat Beat Manifesto, Craig Taborn, Jason Moran, David Torn, Atmosphere, and many others.
Matt Mitchell currently composes for and leads several ensembles featuring many of the current foremost musicians and improvisers, including Tim Berne, Miles Okazaki, Ches Smith, Chris Speed, Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, amongst others. He is an anchor member of several significant creative music ensembles which integrate composed and improvised music, including Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, the Dave Douglas Quintet, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Bird Calls, Jonathan Finlayson’s Sicilian Defense, Dan Weiss’s Large Ensemble, Steve Coleman’s Natal Eclipse, the Darius Jones Quartet, and more. He is also a 2015 receipient of a Doris Duke Impact Award and a 2012 recipient of a Pew Fellowship from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.
Billy Peterson is one of the premier bass players in the world, as well as being a successful producer and arranger, having worked with Ben Sidran, Eddie Harris, Leo Kottke, Bob Dylan and Steve Miller, to name a few. Billy has been the bassist for the Steve Miller band for 15 years and they are currently touring. He is also the musical director for a cooking show which is produced in the south of France, soon to be seen in the US.
Lights Cameron Jackson is a new episodic series from Dave King, acclaimed drummer/composer for groups such as The Bad Plus and creator of the cult-favorite YouTube project Rational Funk.
Directed by Noah Hutton (Deep Time), Lights Cameron Jackson stars King as a wandering post-idealist with an ambitious vision for how to improve the world, or at least his own prospects in it. Improvised scenes and conversations are woven together into an existential mystery that's both funny and foreboding.
RATIONAL FUNK is a complete instructional program for musicians of all skill levels, featuring tips, tricks, inspiration, and industry secrets from acclaimed drum professional Dave King.
As a musician and connoisseur, Dave King brings a unique perspective to jazz, and you can hear him curate a special playlist every Sunday night on The Current 89.3.
Find it here
Julian Lage - guitar
Jorge Roeder - bass
Dave King - drums