I never have burst out laughing at a jazz concert, The Bad Plus changed that. The witty, one sided repartee of our host pianist Ethan Iverson, who played brilliantly despite his cramped space, has a way with a story. The entertaining antics of drummer David King who could be a hairless version of Animal (The Muppets) has a good time and who knows if he’s even aware of our presence. He is the only drummer I’ve ever encountered with a cooking pot in his kit. Reid Anderson, the bass player also seems to be in his own zone. But somehow these worlds collide into a kaleidoscope of jazz.

The sound is fresh, it’s all over the place and it is incredible, one song combining the simple melodies of the Police with an almost Charlie Brown-like bridge. Their original pieces are unique, diverse and have intriguing names such as “The Empire Strikes Backwards” (which is ‘kind of about America’) or “Anthem for the Earnest”. “Rhinoceros is My Profession” is the story of a bull fighting matador who has just slain the bull, but while he is enjoying his victory, a rhinoceros is let out a side door to take the matador on. The Bad Plus unanimously agrees: bull fighting is wrong on all levels.

This band is a tight unit, yet they capture the improvisational, free, creative spirit that is the essence of jazz. It makes me wonder how rehearsed these pieces are when they seem so in the moment. The band admits they like Rush and SCTV, “so they can’t be all bad”. Or maybe they are at the other end of the scale: Bad Plus.