The Bad Plus +1

Fri.-Sat., March 27-28, 8 and 10 p.m., $30, Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.

by Shaun Brady

JAZZ

Mike Dvorak

It's admirable that The Bad Plus wants to shake up the formula a bit. Since its 2003 breakthrough, These Are the Vistas, the band has largely been running in place with snarky pop covers and blustery originals that reimagined the piano trio as arena rock band. But with the addition of vocalist Wendy Lewis on For All I Care (Heads Up), the trio has succumbed to its worst instincts and jettisoned what worked. Lewis does nothing to engage with the trio, singing the songs straight and anchoring the trio's improvisatory instincts. Aside from a few brief contemporary classical pieces, the CD is all pop tunes, all slowed to a tortuous pace. The tactic makes sense for the stumbling take on Nirvana's "Lithium" and the Thorazine-haze "Comfortably Numb," but Yes' "Long Distance Runaround" seems stuck in the mud. Lewis will join the band for some portion of their weekend at Chris'; let's hope they loosen up a bit.

Fri.-Sat., March 27-28, 8 and 10 p.m., $30, Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.