The Bad Plus in Santa Cruz

About the artist

The Bad Plus is an American jazz quartet, formerly a trio, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, consisting of founding bassist Reid Anderson and drummer David King, as well as guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed. The trio's music combines elements of modern avant-garde jazz with rock and pop influences. The band have recorded versions of songs by Nirvana, Aphex Twin, Blondie, Pink Floyd, Ornette Coleman, Pixies, Rush, Tears for Fears, Neil Young, David Bowie, Yes, Interpol, and Black Sabbath. Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo includes a cover of Queen's "We Are the Champions" along with the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine". Suspicious Activity? contains a cover of the theme from "Chariots of Fire", while a version of "Karma Police" by Radiohead appeared on the 2006 album Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads. The band has said that they changed their sound a little bit for their sixth album, For All I Care. In August 2021, the band revealed a new lineup featuring guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed.