The Bad Plus

[811952]

My younger brother and his wife turned me on to The Bad Plus last night.  Their rendition of Comfortably Numb makes my brain melt in all the right ways...
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar30KyQFnIc  
 
John

[georgie_boy]

Superb!!
 
But..........reveal all.......what bass and strings were used in this???
Sounds just so beautifully upright
 
 
George

[darkstar01]

I've said it on here before, The Bad Plus are the best band on the scene right now, and have been for several years. The new record with Wendy Lewis isn't really my favorite, but it's still great.  If you ever get the chance to see them, do it. Some of the best shows I've ever seen are Bad Plus shows.  I'm not sure what Reid (the bass player) uses now, because he was changing his rig a lot for a while... but it's definitely all upright.

[David Houck]

This was pretty interesting until the last sung verse, then it got very interesting!  I was reading through some other threads while the tune was playing, until it got to that verse; then I was listening.  That was interesting!

[rraymond]

Dang!

[lembic76450]

I can't believe that they sang through that.
 
Pretty intense.

[811952]

It's as though the sea is rolling beneath the distant ship on the horizon, at least in my mind...
 
John

[David Houck]

I found the piano part to be very interpretive.  Listening to all the parts together through that section, it seems to me that when all the parts are considered together, it works.  The drummer somehow ties the piano and the bass together, and the vocal lines on top of it all hold everything in place, while the bass provides just enough of a familiar ground to hold on to for the vocals not to get blown away altogether.  And of course everything preceding that section sets up it all up and makes it possible.

[811952]

Not knowing much of music theory, it seems that the pianist builds an exceptionally fat chordal structure then removes the foundation.  All that's left is *wrong* yet so very right.  Does that make sense?
 
John

[David Houck]

John, it's beyond my level of knowledge as well.  But I think what's happening is perhaps some form of serialism where he takes a repeating string of notes and moves the starting point of the string chromatically.  The right hand string is a descending pattern and the starting point of each string descends chromatically, while in the left hand are some ascending chromatic figures.  Another interesting thing is that the patterns are not consistent rhythmically; he speeds up and slows down the patterns for an ephemeral effect like the reflection of the moon on choppy water.

[David Houck]

Another interesting note; the bass player is singing the harmony vocal.

[basicvoo]

One of my faves! I first saw these guys after reading a review... If bad still means good, then these guys are absolutely miserable. I think I am pre-disposed to the bass/drums/piano combo, having grown up on Charlie Brown cartoons.(Vince Guaraldi Trio)
Serialism? Hmmmm.... Their stuff does kill me

[811952]

For me, the rhythmic inconsistencies force listening to it emotionally rather than academically.  I can't keep track of what's happening, so I just let it in (for lack of a better term) without trying to understand what I'm hearing.  Brilliant.

[hydrargyrum]

I don't know, I was loving it, until the last verse.  It just seemed to be too random for my ears.  I suppose I appreciate it more on the academic level (now that Dave has explained what is happening), but on an emotional level it sounds forced to me.  I will certainly be looking at their other songs, and I am very intrigued by their arrangements.  I guess I am still inclined to more of a punk sentiment.  If that can be said for pink floyd, or jazz.

[peoplechipper]

I liked comfortably numb, but I found thier take on Lithium to be too stretched, trying to make the song fit their repetoir too much?
cool  try, though....Tony