The Bad Plus Played City Winery [photos]

Last Tuesday night The Hot Sardines (@hotsardines) opened for The Bad Plus (@thebadplus) at City Winery, a perfect lineup for the relaxed venue. With tables surrounding the stage and the option to grab a fantastic meal during some classy jazz, it’s absolutely nothing like the standard NYC indie setup. The Hot Sardines were a reserved three piece with lots of smiles. They play the kind of jazz you listen to on your old record player and pretend life is in black and white.

It’s easiest to describe The Bad Plus, also a three piece, as jazz, but they’ve pushed the boundaries of the genre so far that it’s almost as though they’ve created their own. Their music, for the most part, is incredibly difficult to follow. At times, it appears as if they’ve lost all structure and each band member is in his own musical universe — that is until they surprise you by actually hitting the same notes at the same time. This is by no means a bad thing. The Bad Plus invites you into their world; completely unreserved. Whatever they are feeling, they play. The trio has been together for ten years so far and show no signs of stopping.

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