Never Stop

Personnel: Ethan Iverson (piano); Dave King (drums).Audio Mixer: Brent Sigmeth.Recording information: Pachyderm, Cannon Falls, MN (03/2010).Photographer: Cameron Wittig.The Bad Plus, the leaderless trio comprised of bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King, have a well-deserved reputation for arresting and mischievous readings of rock, pop, and classical pieces ranging from Aphex Twin to Gyorgy Ligeti to the Flaming Lips. As a result, their own fine compositions have often been -- unfairly -- overlooked. Never Stop, the Bad Plus' eighth recording, is their first of completely original material. In a decade-long career filled with curve balls (the last being 2009's For All I Care, their first set of all cover material and the first to feature a vocalist), Never Stop pushes their margin and extends their reach far past canonical definitions of the "jazz piano trio." "The Radio Tower Has a Beating Heart" feels like a nearly six-minute classical intro, full of c