The Bad Plus rocked out the Glenn Gould Studio last Friday night, while the rest of Toronto's concert-going crowd were at clubs and bars taking in NXNEshows.

Three standing ovations followed a tight set that featured original works by this progressive jazz trio (piano, bass, percussion) as well as an assortment of reworked cover tunes by Blondie and Queen as well as classics by Canadian icons Neil Young and Rush.

They draw from diverse and unlikely sources, creating massively deconstructed arrangements all their own. The deadpan introductions by pianist Ethan Iverson elicited giggles in the audience. Things like "This next piece is about Joe Morello, the 1980 World Ski-jumping Champion, not the guy with the same name who is in The Dave Brubeck Trio.

"The guy danced every morning outside his house for a year after winning," he continued. After hearing their composition, I too felt like getting up and doing a jig. But the rather staid, soft-seat venue didn't quite allow for this.

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