The Bad Plus at Harbourfront's Enwave Theatre

Refreshing, rad and raw, The Bad Plus is probably as badass as jazz will ever be.

The American trio, which performed at the Enwave Theatre on June 28th as part of the 25th TD Toronto Jazz Festival, takes jazz’s signature element of spontaneity to the extreme. Pianist Ethan Iverson played with theatrical vivacity; bassist Reid Anderson brought sensitive touches to the rule-breaking tunes; and drummer David King shone on his multiple solos.

Most of the 90-minute concert’s setlist was drawn from their ninth album Never Stop. Appropriately, the band was constantly in a frenzy, often building to musical explosions, while dramatically swinging heads and rocking bodies. On the original "2 p.m.", Iverson led the group in a pleasing main piano melody supported by the bass and drums. Soon enough, though, the song - which began as a nice melodic minuet-ish tune - evolved into an unregulated composition that went completely off the hook.

In his introductions Iverson revealed the stories behind the compositions. For example - "Rhinoceros Is My Profession", is an autobiographical piece by bass player Reid Anderson; while the title track of their latest CD details the passion of the three instrumentalists through their decade-long experiments with alternative jazz.

The audience in the small, compact theatre was extremely attentive, almost meditative. As the high-energy concert came to an end, members of the packed house started yelling out song requests. After a booming standing ovation, the trio performed an upbeat and cheerful encore - Aphex Twin’s "Flim."

Bad Plus’s deconstruction of the genre has been embraced by some jazzers while scaring off others. Either way, it’s nice to see that rebellion lives in the long-established style of music.