
September 17, 2010 – Berklee Performance Center
1:00 PM – The Clinic
One of the biggest treats of being a student at Berklee is getting to attend exclusive artist clinics – and the Bad Plus clinic was no exception. I had never seen The Bad Plus perform live, so I was especially excited for the beginning of the clinic when the members of The Bad Plus — Ethan Iverson on piano, Reid Anderson on bass, and David King on drums — entered the stage to huge applause and then began to play two original tunes. The combination of synchronization and yet total individuality among the members was probably the most striking feature of the group. Every member functioned as a feature instrumentalist as well as a traditional rhythm section member, as if riding the chord structure and rhythmic meter like a wave while intermittently providing the rhythmic and melodic foundation. The overall effect was intense, flirting with chaotic while never running off the rails. Essentially, very rock and roll.
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