Whoa...The Bad Plus version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the shizzy!

[Elidor]

My girlfriend has been introducing me to a wide assortment of jazz, and the thing that really knocks me out so far is The Bad Plus doing Cobain's anti-anthem. They've deconstructed the song and put it back together as very punky jazz with a hardcore feel. The upright bass part is depraved, the piano maniacal. Discordant and chaotic, angry and powerful. Eloquent and disturbed. Incredibly good. If RATM had done jazz, they would have sounded something like this.

At http://www.thebadplus.com/ you can go to 'Releases' and hear a clip. Well worth checking out, IMHO. I'll buy their albums on the strength of that one song.

[MrSoundAndVision]

1. Bad Plus

I really thought their renditions of some Aphex Twin song was very innovative. But overall, I was pretty disappointed by the band. The piano player seemed to be kind of, well, a coward, and a bit of a rambler of the keys. The bass player and drummer are pretty good. Guess maybe I've listened to too much Herbie Hancock (check out "Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters" (1971)). Try also any Django Reinhardt you can find.

[MrSoundAndVision]

2. Smells Like a Favor

And those guys have friends in high places at NPR. Last year, over a period of about 1 week, I heard them mentioned and/or interviewed on NPR at least 5 times. Every major show covered them.

You should really, really own that Herbie album. You shiz yourself when you realize that it's just one guy playing more than one synth or keyboard. He's just super on that album. Often boring elsewhere, but that album is highly explosively complex funk jazz. Nothing better.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

4. Nepotism

Is the only explanation. Parallel harmonies and straightforward jazz instrumentation does not "avant-garde" make.

Mediocre players with mediocre arrangements with friends in high places.

Polestar. Seattle School.

[MrSoundAndVision]

5. Completely Agree

I've been seeing what seems like a lot of that sort of thing on NPR recently. Like the whole "invention" which will get you more leg room on airplanes. Some guy named Ira invented it, and NPR plugged and plugged this product and his website. It was everywhere on NPR, Ira sounded so smart and pleased with himself.

So who is (are) your jazz recommendation(s)? I must admit that I haven't actually check out most jazz. I have a lot of Coltrane, but find him at times a nuissance (his arrogance comes out in his playing, and in particular his self-appointed roles in the group, I know, it's HIS gig).

I d-loaded probably 5 Bad Plus songs, and I really only liked the Aphex Twin song, namely because it could be excused as extremely repetitive and more rythmic than melodic because that's how the actual song sounds. BP needs to stop being such cowards and write some new music for god's sake.

Ever heard of "Hella." Two man band, kind of experimental jazz-rock, pretty kicking for two guys. Look them up online sometime, well worth it for a fresh listen.

[Lisa0825]

3. LOVE your vivid description!

Too bad I couldn't play it. I have a crappy old computer at home. But I will check it out at the music store. Sounds like it's up my alley!