The Bad Plus | Complex Emotions

Today, the legendary jazz group The Bad Plus releases “Casa Ben,” the second single from their upcoming LP Complex Emotions, out November 8 via Mack Avenue Records. Composed by drummer Dave King, the track’s steadfast percussion, spacey synths and cascading sax bounce around an airy sonic landscape. They’ve also announced additional dates on their extensive fall/winter tour including shows in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and more.

“I’m a really big fan of The Police and I always wanted to write some ‘modern jazz’ music that feels like it’s directly inspired by their work,” shares King. “This is not exactly that, but it’s nice to stay inspired.” 

The band has already shared the new album’s high-energy first single “French Horns”, which garnered attention from BrooklynVegan, Jazziz, Bass Magazine and more. The upcoming release is the boundary-defying quartet’s second LP with its current lineup of founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) along with Ben Monder (guitars) and Chris Speed (saxophones) and its first with Mack Avenue Records.

“With this new album and this new batch of music, we're planting a flag to say that this version of the band has really come into its own,” Anderson explains. “A big part of what the sound of this band is is the willingness to explore complex emotions. That's something that we're not only comfortable with but that we've embraced from the beginning of the band.” 

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 now-legendary 2003 LP These Are the 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.

Their album tour kicks off next month and will include their annual four-night residency at the Dakota in their hometown of Minneapolis and five nights at New York City’s famed Birdland Jazz Club. For a full list of dates, please see below or visit thebadplus.com.  

Tour Dates

• November 12 - Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater
• November 13 - Portsmouth, NH @ Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club 
• November 14 - South Orange, NJ @ SOPAC
• November 15 - St. Louis, MO @ City Winery 
• November 17 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery
• November 30 - Orlando, FL @ Judson’s Live at Dr. Phillips 
• December 1 - Orlando, FL @ Judson’s Live at Dr. Phillips
• December 25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota 
• December 26 - Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota 
• December 27 - Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota 
• December 28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota 
• February 6 - Pittsburgh, PA @ City Winery *
• February 7 - Cleveland, OH @ The Bop Stop 
• February 8 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Jazz Kitchen 
• February 9 - Franklin, TN @ Franklin Theatre
• February 10 - Atlanta, GA @ City Winery *
• February 12 - Rochester, NY @ The Little Theatre *
• February 13 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase Lounge * 
• February 14 - Portland, ME @ One Longfellow Square * 
• February 15 - Northampton, MA @ The Iron Horse
• February 16 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
• February 18 - New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
• February 19 - New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
• February 20 - New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
• February 21 - New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
• February 22 - New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
• February 23 - Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall