The Bad Plus: Complex Emotions Release Tour

Since their debut in 2000, The Bad Plus have pushed the boundaries of what jazz music could and should be. From their earliest days, their indelible compositions coexisted with an unconventional array of covers from outside of the strictly-policed jazz bubble: everything from Ornette Coleman to Black Sabbath to Aphex Twin, Cole Porter to the Pixies to Nirvana. Their eclecticism was often misinterpreted as snark, when in actuality it was a means to reach for expression unachievable through other avenues – something very much in keeping with the dauntlessness of the true jazz tradition. Their now-legendary 2003 LP These Are Vistas was named one of the 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade by NPR’s All Songs Considered, and now on their 18th album, the band is still making music that is wild and unexpected, with a refusal to conform to convention.