The Bad Plus

Reconfigured and reinvigorated following last year's critically acclaimed Never Stop II, The Bad Plus - one of America's most celebrated contemporary jazz trios - brings its powerful presence back to Baldwin Auditorium. Following the departure of co-founder Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King continue to press forward, still committed, after two decades, to honoring the genre's heritage while skillfully flirting with less common sounds and styles. The group's new pianist is 2010 Pew Fellowship winner Orrin Evans, last seen at Duke Performances' MONK@100, and a formidable bandleader in his own right, known for his work with the Captain Black Big Band, Tarbaby, and his solo projects. The Bad Plus' recent lineup change has hardly altered the combo's reliable tightness or its musical potency, with The Washington Post hailing this latest incarnation "as sublime as the 1.0 version."