Written by Martin Keller
There are Jazz events and then there is a performance by the Ethan Iverson Trio that deserves a star on your calendar. Led by the revered New York City Jazz pianist Ethan Iverson, his must-see trio features two dynamic Twin Cities stalwarts, Anthony Cox on bass and Kevin Washington on drums, and they’ll be playing Crooners Main Stage August 31, 2024.
Intelligent. Deep. Boundary breaker. Shapeshifter. Gifted and Truly Great! Any one of these superlatives – and more – could be attached to Iverson who may be best known as one-third of The Bad Plus, a game-changing collective he co-founded in 2002 with two other renowned Twin Cities Jazz players, Reid Anderson and David King. The New York Times called that maverick trio “Better than anyone at melding the sensibilities of post-’60s jazz and indie rock.”
As noted on his 10-year-old abundant website/blog cum living autobiography, Do The Math (featuring a repository of musician-to-musician interviews and analysis), “The Bad Plus’ music was very tightly constructed,” Iverson says. “We really knew how to reach an audience in a different way. Live we’ll inevitably stretch out, but I myself enjoy tunes that you can’t stop listening to for the duration of the piece.”
Since leaving The Bad Plus, Iverson has released critically acclaimed jazz albums on ECM and Blue Note, often accompanied by bonafide jazz stars such as Tom Harrell or Jack DeJohnette. For his Crooners gig with Cox and Washington, you can prepare for a musical adventure bordering on mesmerizing.
Downbeat calls Iverson “A master of melody,” while NYC’s Hot House Jazz Guide recognizes his traditional roots and the ways he is pushing the idiom into the next zone: “Known for his intellectual depth and adventurous musical spirit, Ethan Iverson has traversed the boundaries of jazz tradition while leaving an indelible mark on its evolution.”
AN ASTUTE OBSERVER AND WRITER ABOUT MUSIC
If it’s not obvious by now, Iverson is something of a Renaissance man. On top of his activities as a pianist and composer, he has a long-standing relationship with the great modern dance choreographer Mark Morris, and still holds down the piano chair in drum legend Billy Hart’s long-running quartet with Mark Turner and Ben Street. Occasionally he even performs with an elder statesman like Albert “Tootie” Heath or Ron Carter.
Iverson also has an active side hustle as a writer, publishing significant criticism — like his current must-read account in The Nation of seeing the Rolling Stones, which is really a Master Class in the history of backbeat and the few drummers who own it, such as the Stones’ current drummer Steve Jordan. Iverson’s astute work has also been featured in JazzTimes, The New York Times, and the Culture Desk of The New Yorker, in addition to posting frequently on his own Substack, Transitional Technology.
It’s no wonder Stereophile calls him “a natural, consistent crowd-pleaser. For his entire career, he has been finding ways to be accessible while pushing the envelope.” Or that Time Out New York selected Iverson as one of 25 essential New York jazz icons: “Perhaps NYC’s most thoughtful and passionate student of jazz tradition—the most admirable sort of artist-scholar,” the publication gushed.
That sounds like all the incentive you need to catch this innovative pianist, band leader, thought leader, essayist and Jazz monster live and in person.
THE ETHAN IVERSON TRIO GIG AT A GLANCE
August 31, 2024
Crooners Main Stage / 6161 Hwy 65 NE / Minneapolis, MN 5543
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Cost: $25.00 – $35.00
Tickets: Available at Eventbrite and at the door:
