The Bad Plus: Live at the Barbican

There are some gigs that leave you spell-bound and last night’s UK outing from The Bad Plus with Chris Potter and Craig Taborn was absolutely that: a dynamic and demanding collection of tunes, performed and improvised brilliantly.

Taborn, Potter, Anderson and King (c) Roger Thomas

Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet is regarded as one of the genre-defining ensembles and this new version is much, much more than a tribute. It takes the tunes and ethos from the original and bends it for the 21st century. There’s everything you could want - swinging grooves and free jazz, folk influences and absolutely inspired and inspiring improvisation.

As bassist Reid Anderson said at one point in this wondrous show: “The American Quartet doesn’t reflect Jarrett’s most famous music, but it is still inspiring.”

The set was filled with tunes by Keith Jarrett, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, combined superbly with the interpretation and improvisation of The Bad Plus - Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) - with special guests Chris Potter (sax) and Craig Taborn (piano).

I spoke to Taborn for Harmonious World back in 2021 and his own ensembles are wonderful, but there was something extra special about seeing him in this group. Each musician takes inspiration from the others and from the original music, while bringing their own individual touches.

Some of the best moments of this project were when the quartet broke down into solos or duos (bass and drums especially) and built back up as the others rejoined. There was a special sort of telepathy going on from these outstanding musicians who clearly know both the music and each other inside and out.

Tracks segued into the next and others stood alone and my favourite of the night was (If The) Misfits (Wear It), which seems to sum up the freedom of the jazz and the collective and distinct personalities of both the American Quartet and this new ensemble.

As we approach Jarrett’s 81st birthday, it was a real pleasure to see such outstanding musicians adapting his music - and an audience absolutely loving it.

The Bad Plus Farewell Tour is taking them around the world for the next few months - catch them if you can and I promise you won’t regret it