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This is a hard, focused album that should both piss off and impress the jazz and rock clientele in equal measures.
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Amidst all the fun is a dynamic record that holds your attention.
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They have a knack for hitting the melody where some more experimental outfits might opt for a diverse array of craziness.
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What is impressive is that the trio manages to sound contemporary using only piano, bass, and drums, and without resorting to electronic gimmicks.
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Their songbook bravado and grip of extreme dynamics are vividly caught in the poleaxed cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
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A fun and decidedly unsnobby listen for both jazzophiles and newbies alike.
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I hope that These are the Vistas doesn't go down in history as "that record where the jazz guys played Nirvana", because it is much more than that.
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Merges jazz, pop, and the conservatory in a heady and original way, accessible and seriously playful.
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MojoThis is exhilarating stuff. [Mar 2003, p.111]
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The Bad Plus plies a refreshingly playful, forcefully dynamic, and knowingly irreverent sensibility that stretches the boundaries of the format without dislodging the music from its foundation.
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BlenderAn acoustic jazz trio for the future: funny, imaginative and completely unbeholden to the traditions of the music. [#14, p.130]
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Entertainment WeeklyWith equal measures of beauty, terror, and comedy in their own stuff, there's plenty going on besides stunt covers. [2 May 2003, p.71]
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UncutThe band achieve an impressive impact with a wide dynamic range. [Jun 2003, p.109]
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[The Bad Plus] aren't exactly reinventing jazz, but they are up to the task of aggressively disdaining genre conventions, in terms of upending arrangements, going with eclectic programming, and revamping their instruments' respective roles.
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