Unlike traditional jazz outfits, the Bad Plus have been known to deconstruct rock tunes – for instance, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which sounds like the original song for about five seconds.

There’s also pianist Ethan Iverson, who has been lauded as one of the modern greats. And the band plays at rock volume – Iverson bangs on the ivories, and drummer David King and bassist Reid Anderson match the intensity.

“I think there’s a really strong love of rock music in the band, and I think some of that energy comes across when we perform live, too,” Anderson told Pollstar a few years ago. “It’s definitely not a contained jazz energy; it’s a very physical performance. It can be quite loud, considering our instrumentation.”

The trio’s Blunt Object – Live In Japan was just released online. If you wanna hear the live stuff live, the band will be playing at Los Angeles’ Knitting Factory June 3.

In fact, with shows in New York and Pennsylvania included, the Bad Plus will be traveling through Europe into October. There’s even a date for February already, at Sioux Falls, S.D.’s Orpheum Theatre.