The Bad Plus Banff = inspired jazzers

by Debra Hornsby

Buenos Aires. Berlin. Zurich. Moscow. New York City. The Bad Plus’s 2008 tour schedule reads like a travel junkie’s dream. Yet remarkably this internationally-renowned trio, whose rock-infused tunes have turned the jazz world on its ear, found time to drop into Banff last spring. In doing so, they revisited old ground and expanded the creative boundaries of participants in The Banff Centre’s jazz program.

Bad Plus bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King came to Banff in May as faculty in the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. For Iverson the trip represented a return to a program that played a pivotal role in his early career. In the summer of 1990 at the age of 17, he participated in what was then called the International Jazz Workshop. Trained as a classical musician, the program was Iverson’s first immersion into the world of jazz.

“It was an incredible experience. The faculty were very celebrated and I was thrilled at the opportunity to see how musicians interacted with each other and what ‘real life’ was like. For many of us in the program that moment was pivotal,” he says. In particular, he recalls classes in African rhythm led by Abraham Adzenyah, a fifth-generation master drummer from Ghana. “Jazz is intimately connected with the African diaspora, and being exposed to that explicit connection was important.”

Elemental rhythms more akin to rock than the politeness of a traditional jazz trio are integral to The Bad Plus’s distinctive sound. Reviled by some jazz purists, the group connects viscerally with audiences. Bassist Reid Anderson says that high-energy connection was part of what he wanted to convey to last spring’s jazz program participants.

“I wanted them to understand how important it is for a group to commit to a sound. It’s surprising what you can sell with the right energy. In our experience when we play things that are considered avant-garde, we work to convey that we like this music, and our energy is that you’ll like it too,” he says.

As part of the program, Anderson worked closely with an eight-person ensemble. “We started from scratch. We sat down together and wrote the tunes. We talked about how to take what’s on the page and make it a complete performance, how everyone on the stage needs to commit to their role and to the group sound.” Three short days later, the ensemble was performing the newly-minted Songs in the Key of C before a live audience in The Club.

Vocalist Robin Dann was part of the ensemble and says working with Anderson and the other faculty in the program gave her a renewed sense of direction and purpose. “It confirmed my commitment to pursue a career as a performing musician focusing on my own original music.”

Dann came to Banff fresh from completing a jazz performance program at the University of Toronto. “I had just finished my degree and I was overwhelmed by a sense of vast empty space with no plans. This experience reminded me why I was in music.”

“Reid told us again and again to find your sound and go for it. He talked about having confidence on stage and in our music, and you could see that when The Bad Plus performed. They were entertaining to watch. They were having fun, as if they were in on some wonderful secret, and that stuck with me.”

The Bad Plus’s relentless international touring schedule means that, other than an occasional master class, group members rarely find time to teach. “But Ethan has been talking for years about getting back to Banff, and when Dave [program director Dave Douglas] gave us that opportunity, we jumped on it,” says Anderson.

“We were impressed by how committed participants and faculty were to rehearsing and performing together, how appreciative they were of all advice. Banff doesn’t feel like a school. Music is a social art form and this program delivers that human experience.”

Bad Plus bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King made the most of their Banff sojourn, spending long days collaborating with Banff jazz program participants, and heating up Centre stages in the evenings. Photos: Laura Vanags.