The Bad Plus Program

Meridian Arts Centre George Weston Recital Hall

The Bad Plus (Reid Anderson and Dave King), Chris Potter and Craig Taborn Postlude performance by Andrew McAnsh Trio

March 5, 2026

Lead partner

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Generously supported by

About TO Live TO Live is one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organizations, operating three iconic venues: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. In addition, TO Live presents a full range of performing arts, theatrical, and concert events at these venues in both downtown and uptown Toronto. With these two hubs of creativity and content creation, TO Live has a unique place and perspective to activate creative spaces by inspiring local and international artists, connecting audiences, stimulating new ideas, and elevating artistic potential, becoming a catalyst for creative expression that is reflective of Toronto’s diversity.

In 2025, TO Live proudly celebrates the 65th anniversary of Meridian Hall, a landmark in Toronto’s cultural life, and in 2026 we will mark 10 years as an organization—a decade of building a better city through the arts.

Photo credit: Jonathan Castellino 1

TO Live would like to acknowledge Tkaronto (TKahr-on-dOnH), which is a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.”

We live and work on the traditional territory of Haudenosaunee (HODE-en-ohshow-nee)-speaking nations, including the Wendat, Seneca, and Mohawk.

Haudenosaunee-speaking nations have been here since time immemorial, and were more recently joined by the Mississaugas of the Credit.

This place has many Indigenous ports, including where the Humber and Rouge rivers meet other waterways such as Lake Ontario. Ancient longhouses, typical Haudenosaunee housing structures, have been found along both rivers and in the north of Toronto as well (near modern-day York University). This territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) Confederacy and the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and the relationships around the Great Lakes.

What this means is that by living and working here, we all have a responsibility to the environment and to each other, to treat each other and the environment with peace and respect. This means we have responsibilities to honour, renew, and consistently uphold the values and relationships outlined in the ancient agreements.

Today, Toronto is home to Indigenous peoples and settlers from around the world. Let us all come together in an atmosphere of respect and peace to do Good Work together with Good Minds. Let’s start building stronger and healthier relationships with each other, and the spaces which we inhabit in Tkaronto, Ontari:io (on-dahr-EE-yo), Kanata (Gan-AH-dah).

Let’s hold our minds together in kindness.

Nia:wen. Thank you. ©Dawn T Maracle

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Welcome letter from TO Live It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the George Weston Recital Hall for tonight’s performance by Reid Anderson and Dave King—founding members of the innovative and boundary-pushing ensemble, The Bad Plus—together with pianist Craig Taborn and saxophonist Chris Potter.

The foursome will be performing the music of the legendary pianist and composer Keith Jarrett, whose music draws from jazz, classical, blues, and folk. With Jarrett’s blessing, and their unwavering commitment to improvisation and collaboration, Anderson, King, Potter, and Taborn will be treating us to renditions of tunes the artist himself hasn’t played since the ’70s. Tonight’s performance will be a showcase of the fearless creativity and musical excellence all four musicians are known for.

At TO Live, we are proud to present artists who expand artistic possibilities and inspire new ways of listening. This evening’s quartet exemplifies this spirit of exploration, offering audiences an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is exhilarating. Tonight’s show reflects our ongoing commitment to spotlighting worldclass talent and fostering meaningful connections between artists and our community.

We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our patrons. TO Live would like to thank Jamie Golombek for his valued support of tonight’s performance.

TO Live’s Music at the MAC series continues with legendary guitarist John Scofield leading his remarkable collaborators, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart; and a superstar ensemble featuring Béla Fleck, Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda, and five-time Grammy-winning drummer Antonio Sánchez performing under the moniker BEATrio.

Each performance promises a masterclass in improvisation, innovation, and sheer musical brilliance. The George Weston Recital Hall’s extraordinary acoustics make it one of the finest spaces in the country to experience live music.

These performances build on TO Live’s commitment to showcasing artistry in all its forms—from internationally acclaimed musicians to emerging talents featured in initiatives like Sound Break and Studio Sessions—creating platforms where innovation and discovery thrive.

We are honoured to welcome Anderson, King, Potter, and Taborn to our stage and grateful to you, our audience, for joining us. Your continued support enables us to bring exceptional performances to Toronto and to celebrate the richness and diversity of live music. Be sure to stay after the concert for a special postlude performance by the Andrew McAnsh Trio—a perfect encore to an unforgettable evening of music.

Clyde Wagner President & CEO TO Live

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About The Bad Plus, Chris Potter and Craig Taborn For Reid Anderson, Dave King, Chris Potter, and Craig Taborn, the music of Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet is more than just a source of inspiration—it is foundational. The quartet’s groundbreaking fusion of swing, freedom, and folk-like melodicism left an indelible mark not only on these four musicians but on an entire generation of jazz artists seeking to balance structure with spontaneity, groove with exploration.

With The Bad Plus Chris Potter and Craig Taborn, these acclaimed artists—each with their own storied careers in contemporary jazz—revisit this formative repertoire with deep reverence and fresh vision. Anderson and King, whose work with The Bad Plus helped redefine modern jazz, combine with Potter’s commanding tenor saxophone and Taborn’s pianistic brilliance to create an ensemble highly attuned to this music's melodic and rhythmic nuance. Together, they capture the raw, exploratory energy of the American Quartet while bringing their own distinct voices to the material.

This project is not simply a tribute—it is a continuation of the spirit that Jarrett, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian embodied: a fearless commitment to musical dialogue, emotional depth, and boundarypushing improvisation. By paying homage to this seminal music, The Bad Plus Chris Potter and Craig Taborn celebrates the American Quartet’s lasting influence while reaffirming its relevance for today’s jazz landscape.

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The Bad Plus, Chris Potter and Craig Taborn Reid Anderson Bass Dave King Drums Chris Potter Saxophone Craig Taborn Piano

Photo credit: Jazzport 5

Reimagining Jarrett: The Bad Plus’ bold tribute before goodbye After performing here over 10 times throughout the last 26 years, Dave King can’t wait to play again in Toronto.

“Very for real. People say we’re excited to be everywhere, but Toronto has been a town we’ve always felt blessed to come to,” the drummer, composer, and co-leader of American jazz band The Bad Plus shares. “We just love playing in Canada; our whole career we’ve felt that love and support. Plus, you’ve got these Glenn Gould ties, and Rush, and all these things we love…there’s something about Toronto that we’ve related to energetically the whole time.”

King’s show tonight at Meridian Arts Centre may be the last time The Bad Plus performs in the city—the group announced they will be disbanding amicably by the end of 2026. Originally formed as a piano trio with King, Ethan Iverson, and Reid Anderson in 2000, The Bad Plus became a quartet with Chris Speed (saxophone) and Ben Monder (guitar) in 2021 and is now made up of founding members King and Anderson.

Over the years, all members of The Bad Plus have contributed original compositions to the band’s discography.

“We all write separately, but we challenged this idea that there’s a leader. There’s no leader in The Bad Plus; it was very equal and democratic. The composer would bring something in, we all work on it as a band, make it sound like a blend, and everybody brings their unique personality. This way you play group music, not just a composer’s music.”

King believes this collaborative approach to creating new pieces is a big reason for the group’s success.

“I know it’s part of why we were together for 26 years. Because if everybody feels like they’re a part of a song, no matter if they wrote it or not, you feel like you’re a family. That’s how we approached the reinterpretations as well.”

During this evening’s show, audiences can look forward to interpretations of songs by another influential jazz ensemble, Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. The Bad Plus’ King and Anderson are teaming up with saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Craig Taborn for this special project that takes the legendary sound of Keith Jarrett’s quartet in bold new directions.

“We chose Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet because we were really inspired by that specific band as young musicians, and it’s music that hasn’t been explored very much in a contemporary lens,” explains King.

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“It felt like the true outsider art band—members Dewey Redman, Paul Motian, Charlie Haden, and Jarrett were iconoclastic to us, almost the island of misfit toys, in the most respectful way.

We loved those records, and it felt like music we’d like to dig into.”

King and Anderson recruited Taborn and Potter to round out the quartet.

“We thought about Craig immediately, who we’ve had a long playing and life relationship with. And Chris, of course, is like the saxophone of saxophonists. And those guys were very into it right away.”

Having Jarrett’s blessing on the project makes it all the more meaningful.

“Keith himself hasn’t played any of those pieces of his writings since the ’70s, but we sought out permission to do this music and he gave it to us. So it’s a great honour to even know that he’s cool with us doing it.”

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MUSIC AT THE MAC JOHN SCOFIELD TRIO Meridian Arts Centre George Weston Recital Hall

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“Scofield is one of the most prolific and admired jazz musicians of his generation.”

—NPR

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Generously supported by

Jamie Golombek Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto

Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez

BEATrio Meridian Arts Centre George Weston Recital Hall

APRIL 25 Lead partners

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“[BEATrio]... may be one of the most unlikely trio configurations ever witnessed...”

—Glide Magazine

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Meridian Hall stage crew IATSE Local 58 Richard Karwat Head Electrician Steve McLean Head Carpenter

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