These Are the Vistas

These Are the Vistas
Studio album by The Bad Plus
Released	February 11, 2003
Recorded	Real World Studios, September 30, 2002 - October 5, 2002
Genre	Jazz
Length	52:28
Label	Columbia
Producer	Tchad Blake, The Bad Plus
The Bad Plus chronology
The Bad Plus (2001) These Are The Vistas (2003) Give (2004)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[2]
Pitchfork Media	(7.0/10)[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

These Are the Vistas was the second studio album released by the jazz trio The Bad Plus, and the band's first album for a major label (Columbia Records). The album was the listening public's first widespread opportunity to hear the band, which Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal called a "jazz power trio with a rock-and-roll heart."^[5] The album features several cover songs: Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and Aphex Twin's "Flim". In November 2009, NPR's All Songs Considered selected the album as one of the 50 "most important" recordings of the decade.^[6]

Production

According to JazzTimes, producer-engineer Tchad Blake, "comes to [jazz] from the world of Los Lobos, Tom Waits and Pearl Jam" and "approaches These Are the Vistas with an ear for acoustic frictions. His firm but unobtrusive direction showcases the Bad Plus in a way that's somehow both huge-sounding and stripped-down."^[7]

Track listing

1. "Big Eater" (Anderson) – 3:53
2. "Keep The Bugs Off Your Glass And The Bears Off Your Ass" (King) – 5:49
3. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana) – 5:57
4. "Everywhere You Turn" (Anderson) – 4:56
5. "1972 Bronze Medalist" (King) – 5:20
6. "Guilty" (Iverson) – 5:35
7. "Boo-Wah" (Iverson) – 3:55
8. "Flim" (Richard D. James) – 4:05
9. "Heart of Glass" (Deborah Harry, Chris Stein) – 4:47
10. "Silence Is The Question" (Anderson) – 8:11
11. "What Love Is This" (Iverson) (bonus track)

Personnel

• Ethan Iverson – piano
• Reid Anderson – acoustic bass
• David King – drums
• Tchad Blake – producer

References

1. Jarnow, Jesse. "Review: These Are the Vistas". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
2. Willman, Chris (2 May 2003). "Music Review: These Are the Vistas (2003) by The Bad Plus". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
3. Leone, Dominique (14 September 2003). "The Bad Plus: These Are the Vistas". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
4. Fricke, David (20 March 2003). "The Bad Plus: These Are the Vistas". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
5. Fusilli, Jim (21 February 2003). "Music Review: 'These Are the Vistas' from The Bad Plus". All Things Considered. NPR Music. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
6. "The 50 Most Important Recordings: A-C". All Songs Considered. NPR Music. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
7. Chinen, Nate (March 2003). "Bad Plus: These Are the Vistas (Columbia Jazz)". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2009-11-18.