After meeting in Humber College’s jazz program in Toronto, Canada, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, bassist Chester Hansen and drummer Alexander Sowinski found a shared appreciation for jazz and hip-hop music. Known for their imaginative interpretations of hip-hop songs, the group’s first wave of covers included artists like Gucci Mane and Odd Future.
BadBadNotGood released “The Odd Future Sessions Part 1” on Youtube, which caught the attention of lead rapper Tyler, The Creator who being rather fond of the video helped it go viral. In June 2011 the group uploaded their debut album “BBNG” to Bandcamp, which features a host of jazz interpretations of artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Waka Flocka Flame and of course Odd Future. The album was recorded in one three-hour session after which they performed their first show at The Red Light in Toronto, Canada.
In October 2011 BadBadNotGood recorded a live jam session with Tyler, The Creator in drummer Sowinski’s basement, which has gone on to receive over one million views. The group opened for Roy Ayers at the Nujazz Festival in early 2012, played for Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards in London, and played at a tribute to J Dilla in Toronto, covering his songs “Lemonade” and “Hard in da Paint”.
The trio’s sophomore album “BBNG2” this time recorded in a ten-hour studio session was released in April 2012. It features covers of well known artists Kanye West, James Blake and Feist. BadBadNotGood followed the release with being the band-in-residence at 2012’s Coachella festival, playing a total of six times including being the backing band of Frank Ocean.
A year later BadBadNotGood contributed to the production and composition of the soundtrack for “The Man with Iron Fists” and the lead single from their third album “Hedron” appeared on the compilation “Late Night Tales: Bonobo”. The groups third full-length “III” came out in 2014 and features the singles “CS60”, “Can’t Leave The Night” and the B-Side “Sustain”.
In 2014 its hard to imagine a Jazz band would be able to engage young audiences at all, let alone incite mosh pits at their gigs. For a trio of precociously talented individuals, BadBadNotGood put on a hell of a show.
Rising to prominence through a series of hip hop covers, BBNG now dazzle audiences with their own takes on everything from Flying Lotus to DOOM alongside their increasingly engaging original material. Using everything from arpeggiated synths to booming 808s, the guys make sure that audiences aren’t going to write this off as just another Jazz show. But don’t think its all a load of cheap tricks. Underneath the engaging cover choices and synth wizardry is a level of musicianship almost unseen in a contemporary setting. With expressive piano work, nimble bass and frantically finessed drumming, BBNG make sure their musicianship is always in the spotlight.
BadBadNotGood are making Jazz cool again which many would have said was nothing short of an impossibility. In doing so though, BBNG have pooled their influences into something much more than just Jazz and it makes for a truly unique live spectacle, one that would be just at home in a cramped basement as it would on a festival stage. But you can still impress your friends by saying you went to a jazz show…
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