Giant Step Arts Presents Music With Its Roots in the Past & Its Eyes On the Future

 

TARBABY, the collective featuring Orrin Evans (piano, voice), Eric Revis (bass), and Nasheet Waits (drums), first started gigging together in the late 1990s but did not release its first album until 2009.  Over the course of five albums, they have railed in their own subtle and not-so-subtle ways against the racism and violence that continues to plague the United States. Their albums have usually featured guests such as Oliver Lake or JD Allen (saxophone), Nicholas Payton, Ambrose Akinmusire or Josh Lawrence (trumpet). The Trio may remind some of Jason Moran's Bandwagon (Mr. Waits is a member of that group as well) but the two groups each have their own personality and direction.

"YOU THINK THIS AMERICA" is TARBABY's sixth album

and first for Jimmy Katz's Giant Step Arts.  It's also the band's first live album and first true trio album (no guests). Of the 10 songs that compose the 54-minute program, three are originals (two from Mr. Evans and one from Mr. Revis) – the rest range from two pieces by Ornette Coleman, one each from Andrew Hill, David Murray, and Sunny Murray (no relation) plus the blues standard "Nobody Knows You When You Are Down and Out" (Jimmy Cox) and the 1970s soul classic "Betcha By Golly Wow" (Linda Creed and Thom Bell, sung by The Stylistics).  The album opens with Mr. Coleman's "Dee Dee" (from the 1965 Blue Note album "At The Golden Circle, Vol. I"). It's so fascinating to hear how the music has elements of blues and reggae. The sound of the cymbals jump out of the speakers while Mr. Revis's muscular bass lines are also so melodic.

Listen below to David Murray's "Mirror of Youth". Listen how Revis and Waits set the rhythm for Evans to then come state the theme. It's a gentle piece that illustrates how melodic the pianist and how his solo logically flows out of the melody. Nothing is rushed or overheated, certainly well-played.

The inclusion of "Betcha By Golly Wow" is a bow towards the great Thom Bell and the "Sound of Philadephia".  The trio plays it straight out of love and respect.  No solos, just a gentle melody that brings back so many memories.  "Nobody Knows You..." also gets a respectful presentation but it's the blues after all so there's a touch of light humor, good bit of swing, delightful brushes work, and a dancing bass solo.  

The album closes with Sunny Murray's "Tree Tops" (from the drummer's 2016 quintet album "Aigu-Grave").  TARBABY's version is half the 9+ minute version of the original yet it definitely takes its cue from the "free swing" of Mr Murray's take.  Bassist Revis is the catalyst here and his active phrases at first build of the melody (stated by the piano) and then joins with the skittering brushwork in pushing Evans to move kin and out of the melody during his solo.

"You Think This America" may be to some a confrontational title (as is the name of the trio) – perhaps it is. People have certain preconceptions and expect that creators of all stripes stay within a certain zone. TARBABY ignores all that and makes music that means something to them as people, as Black Americans, as musicians in the 21st Century. Orrin Evans, Eric Revis, and Nasheet Waits ask nothing more than to listen with open ears and an open mind. Believe me, it's worth the time and investment.

For more information, go to https://orrinevansmusic.com/portfolio/tarbaby/.  To hear more and purchase the album, go to https://tarbaby2024.bandcamp.com/album/you-think-this-america. 

Here's the Trio on "Mirror of Youth":

Nasheet Waits (drums and compositions) is in the midst of a very busy career. He leads his own groups, is tri-leader of TARBABY (see above), and has toured and recorded with more artists than fits this page, most notably Jason Moran's Bandwagon, Ron Carter, Andrew Hill, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, the late Geri Allen, pianists Fred Hersch and John Escreet.  The son of Frederick Douglas "Freddie" Waits, he was mentored by Max Roach, studied with Michael Carvin, and, as a young man, toured in Mr. Roach's M'BOOM and with saxophonist Antonio Hart's groups.  He's only released three albums over his career (now in its fourth decade), the first, "Equality" (on Fresh Sound New Talent), in 2008, the second, "Between Nothingness and Eternity" (on the French Laborie Jazz label) in 2016, and now in 2024 "New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet)" for Giant Step Arts). 

Waits organized an excellent Quartet for this gig, recorded live in 2021 and '22 in New York's Seneca Village section of Central Park.  Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Steve Nelson (vibraphone), and Rashaan Carter (bass) join the drummer for this six song program that featured two songs composed by the leader, two by John Coltrane, and one each by Andrew Hill and Jason Moran. The proceedings open with Moran's bouncy and mischievous  "Snake Stance"; everybody states the theme then Turner leaps out in front powered by the thundering rhythm section and Nelson's angular vibes work. There are numerous times throughout the performance that the music and rhythms reminds this listener of the sound of Eric Dolphy's classic Blue Note 1964 Lp "Out to Lunch" – that album featured the rhythm section of Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Richard Davis (bass), and Tony Williams (drums). Listen below to Mr. Hill's "Snake Hip Waltz" next to the Dolphy album and see if you don't agree.

The two Waits' originals include the lovely, ultra-slow, "Moon Child" and the high energy "The Hard Way AW". The former places Nelson's vibes over the gentle brushes work and resonant bass notes. Nobody is in a hurry so the song unfolds like a flower in the early morning sun. Turner's tenor enters about 2/3rds of the way through with a more energetic but also handsome solo.   The latter track, on the other hand, bursts out of the gates at a breakneck pace, Turner spinning out the melody and then roaring off atop the frenetic drums and throbbing then walking bass lines.  At nearly 12 minutes, it's the longest track on the album so one hears a number of dynamic changes. Nelson's rippling vibes solo– sans accompaniment – is a treat. The band gets seriously raucous as Turner and Waits converse with each other; then, the drummer plays a delightful solo, full of rhythmic twists and turns. The music then slows down into an impressionistic ballad that is 180 degrees removed from 7:30 of the songs.

The program closes with the two John Coltrane compositions. First up is "Liberia".  Opening in a rubato setting, Waits making odd noises on the cymbals (listen closely and you hear children playing near the bandstand) yet slowly and steadily the piece comes into focus.  Turner introduces the melody, the band kicks in and the music jumps forward. First recorded in 1964 for the Atlantic Lp "Coltrane's Sound", the band gets to stretch their improvisatory wings for nearly 11 minutes.  "Central Park West" (from the same Coltrane album) is the last track (although the Bandcamp version has a different sequence) – this is one of the saxophone master's more popular songs for artists to record because of its airiness, suspended chords, and gentle rhythms. It's a true pleasure to hear Carter and Waits interact, the deep bass notes bouncing off the drum patterns. The solos by Nelson and Turner are impressive while the park sounds makes the listener feel as if they are in the crowd.

"New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet)" is quite wonderful, covering a wide swath of musical territory in its 51-minute span. The sound of the recording is superb and everyone plays with respect, intelligence, fire, and creativity.  It's truly a joy to pay attention to Nasheet Waits when he plays as his approach to each song is so creative, making even the most recognizable tunes sound fresh and new!

To learn more, go to www.nasheetwaits.com/.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://nasheetwaits.bandcamp.com/album/new-york-love-letter-bittersweet. 

Listen to the Andrew Hill's "Snake Hip Waltz":

Hear What I've Been Listening To (7/21)

Photo: Adrien Tillman

Saxophonist (alto and soprano) and composer Caleb Wheeler Curtis has turned a lot of musical minds and ear over the past seven years since the collective quartet Walking Distance released its debut album, "Neighborhood",  in January of 2015. Since then, the Ann Arbor, MI, native has worked and recorded with pianist Orrin Evans (small group as well as The Captain Black Big Band, with bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza in the collective trio Ember, with trumpeter Josh Lawrence, with pianist Jason Moran, drummer Lennie White, and a slew of others. He's issued six albums as a leader or co-leader on a variety including SunnySide Records, Outside In Music, and pianist Evans' Imani Records.

Album # 7, "Heatmap", is also on Imani. The 10-song program finds the saxophonist/composer once again in the company of pianist Evans plus the rhythm section of bassist Eric Revis and drummer Gerald Cleaver.  What one hears is a splendid cross-section of contemporary music; take the rumbling title track which opens with a long dissertation from the pianist that takes its time to develop while the bass and drums build the fluid foundation beneath him.  Curtis enters over halfway through the piece, the urgency of his alto sax showing traces of Ornette Coleman and Henry Threadgill. The leader's fire ignites the rhythm section until the formal close of the piece. "Splinters" is a funky piece that must takes its name from the chopped-up Curtis uses to create the theme. Cleaver booms up from below pushing the saxophonist to a fiery climax.  Evans enters a bit circumspect but soon, aided by the active bass and drums builds an impressive statement.

Photo: Liz Brauer

There a slew of stand-out tracks. The rip-roaring "C(o)urses" opens the album with a red-hot soprano sax solo over rampaging drums, ferocious bass lines, and the pianist "cat-and-mouse" piano lines.  "Tossed Aside" opens as a quiet ballad with impassioned saxophone work. Revis's thick yet melodic bass lines along with gentle piano chords and phrasing over Cleaver's delightful traps playing give the music a feel of mid-1960s New York City r'n'b (to these ears, the music of The Drifters and Ben E. King).  "Limestone" opens quietly as if the music was tiptoeing into existence.  Revis rises up to create a wonderfully melodic solo which gives way to an alto sax solo reaches to the heights without losing the gentleness of its surroundings. Listen to "Trembling" below and its subtle mix of exciting rhythms, the low rumbling of the piano, the fervency in Curtis's lines that plead for release, and the energetic thrum of the bass. Listen deeply.

"Heatmap" closes with the appropriately-named "Whisperchant"––one of the most impressive aspects of this music is how this quartet can sizzle, explode, whisper, and float without ever sounding forced or unnatural. Caleb Wheeler Curtis composed this music focussing on both the musical and emotional content with both being equal. But you must sit down and listen; this is not background music, this is life!

For more information, go to www.calebcurtis.com.  To hear more of and purchase the album, go to  https://calebwheelercurtis.bandcamp.com/album/heatmap. 

Hear Curtis and the band "Trembling": 

Stepping Out From the Rhythm Section

Bassist and composer Eric Revis (pictured left) has got serious pedigree. He's graduated from the school of Betty Carter, has also worked with Steve Coleman, Jason Moran, Lionel Hampton, Andrew Cyrille, and Orrin Evan and Nasheet Waits in the collective trio Tarbaby.  Revis has spent the past 23 years in the rhythm section of the Branford Marsalis Quartet playing alongside Jeff "Tain" Watts and his successor Jason Faulkner. A prolific composer, he has contributed songs to the Marsalis Quartet repertoire and received several prestigious grants and fellowships.

His eighth album as a leader, "Slipknots Through a Looking Glass", is his first for Kris Davis's Pyroclastic Records label. The recording features Ms. Davis on piano plus his "working" quartet of Chad Taylor (drums, mbira), Darius Jones (alto saxophone), and Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone with afore-mentioned Faulkner on drums for two tracks. The resulting music (nine Revis originals, one each from both the saxophonists, and one credited to the bassist, drummer, and pianist) runs the gamut from funk to fiery blowouts to subtle ballads, and never a dull moment. The program opens with "Baby Renfro" (listen below), a serious slab of funk underscored by Faulkner's drums, Ms. Davis's "rhythm guitar-like" piano, and and the leader's thick bass lines.  The overdubbed saxes play a robotic rhythmic line plus there are several slowdowns but most of the piece romps forward.

Photo: Jati Lindsay

Faulkner also appears on "Earl and the Three-Fifths Compromise", a slinky piece that features a circular (and hypnotic) bass line, impressionistic piano chords, and a lengthy conversation feature the two saxophones.  It's Taylor's drums that set the torrid pace "Shutter" on which both McHenry and Jones tear a hole in the ozone layer with their powerful, frantic, and raucous solos.  Ms. Davis dances all over the keyboard while Revis rips out a thunderous walking bass line. "Vimen" opens with a bass and drums dialogue before the pianist joins the fray laying down a series of angular lines blended before Jones scrambles atop the rhythm section and leaps into action. When it's his turn, McHenry takes a softer approach but slowly builds towards a powerful climax.

The title track is split in three short parts, all of which features the bassist in both speakers, quiet piano in the background, and a high-pitched but barely intelligible squeals as white noise. The "second" "Slipknots..." leads into "House of Leaves" which unfolds over four minutes of jagged, rubato, interaction before dropping into a slow funky groove and turning into a moody, introspective, work.

The most intriguing song "SpÆ", an improvised work for bass, mbira, and treated piano that flows from Revis's opening pattern and quiet piano figures and the percussive mbira into a more steady pace. Also a three-part work, the music flows from section to section seamlessly. The trance-like effect of the overdubbed mbira takes over the final moments slowing down with the bass to the fade.  McHenry's lovely ballad "When I Become Nothing" features the band moving forward together with only Ms. Davis moving around the two saxophones.  While not a conventional ballad, the music has a subtle beauty and a yearning quality.

"Slipknots Through a Looking Glass" continues the impressive body of music that Eric Revis has produced over the past two+ decades.  The sound quality of the recording is quite impressive as you can clearly hear all the voices, even when there is a lot of noise.  This is neither simple music nor "art-for-art's-sake" but true creative Black American Music.

For more information, go to https://ericrevis.com.  To purchase the album, go to https://ericrevispyroclastic.bandcamp.com/album/slipknots-through-a-looking-glass.

Here's the deliciously funky "Baby Renfro":

Braithwaite & Katz · Baby Renfro - Eric Revis

Who better than drummer, composer, educator, and impressive human being Matt Wilson to bring a smile to one's face in the midst of the pandemic.  From a distance––a socially responsible distance––he and his musical cohorts (reed man Jeff Lederer, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, and bassist Chris Lightcap) have conspired to give a musical "Hug!" (Palmetto Records). And, darned if we don't need a big one (hug, that is) plus a reason to smile through our collective fears and worries.

It's been six years since the MWQ released an album of its own––the members all appeared on Wilson's 2016 "Beginnings of a Memory" album as part of his Big Happy Family ensemble. The band's 2014 recording, "Gathering Call", also featured pianist John Medeski but "Hug!" is just the four musicians making their own fun.  The 11-song program opens with Gene Ammon's rollicking "The One Before This", a joyous "blues shout" that features solid bass work, crashing drums and cymbals, and stand-out solos from Lederer (tenor sax), Knuffke, Lightcap, and the leader.  Everybody gets loose so the audience can sit back and rest assured the music will be top-notch!

Off they go into a collection that features pieces by Abdullah Ibrahim ("Jabaloni"), Charlie Haden ("In The Moment"), Dewey Redman ("Joie de Vivre"), five Wilson originals, one riotous collaboration with Sun Ra ("Space Force March/Interplanetary Music"), and a Wilson favorite from his youth, Roger Miller's "King of the Road". If you are a long-time Wilson fan, his choice of material shouldn't surprise but the Miller tune stands out for its delightful....well...."joie de vivre".  Lederer's clarinet leads the way, Knuffke gets a short solo, Lightcap contributes the foundational bass line while Wilson's subtle percussion sets an ambling pace––his "tap dancing solo near the close will are you smile even wider.

Photo: John Abbott

Another surprise is the presence of the voice of President Donald Trump. He's there to announce the Space Force initiative as the band contributes a Charles Ivesian background and then break into the "Space Force March" as the President serves as counterpoint to the musical mayhem. The Quartet then segues into Sun Ra's "Interplanetary Music" (hear the original) and creates a pastiche of bouncy blues riffs with a touch of New Orleans.  They sing Sun Ra's lyrics while the President interjects his "Space Force" words.

There are plenty of other highlights.  Wilson's "Every Day With You" is a lovely ballad, heartfelt, emotional, and richly melodic. "Sunny & Share", also an original, may be a tribute to the 1960s hitmakers but, in reality, it's a raucous and rapid melody line punctuated by short solos from each member of the band.  The title tune (listen below) may just bring Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass to mind. Complete with a string accompaniment (all parts arranged and performed by Matt Combs, a Nashville, TN-based fiddler), the piece is quite sweet and deserving of its title.

Photo: John Abbott

"Hug!" closes with the aptly-titled "Hamba Kahle (Goodbye)"––the title is from the Zulu language and the music hearkens back to the sounds of Abdullah Ibrahim.  The solid drumming, the dancing electric bass line, the sweet melody line (from the drummer), and the gentle fade all serve to close the album on a hopeful note.  Having attended numerous performances by Matt Wilson either in a leadership role or as a sideman, his music and playing are often imbued with joy.  He can be silly, and irrepressibly so at times, but he is always serious about making good music. The music of the Matt Wilson Quartet obliterates borders, ignores genres, and embraces melody and improvisation. You should partake of this bounty!

For more information, go to www.mattwilsonjazz.com.

Here's the title track:

Braithwaite & Katz · Matt Wilson - Hug

LIKEMIND Collective, Part 2 - Eric Revis Trio and JD Walter

Bassist Eric Revis is one of the busiest musicians in the world.  As I write this (7/08/13), he's on tour in Europe with both the Branford Marsalis Quartet and the Kurt Rosenwinkel New Quartet. He's also a charter member of the Tarbaby trio with Orrin Evans and Nasheet Waits making him a charter member of the LIKEMIND Collective as well (Part 1 is here).

"City of Asylum" (Clean Feed Records) share its name with a Community Arts Organization in Pittsburgh, PA (www.cityofasylumpittsburgh.org/).  It's Revis's 4th CD as a leader and features drum master Andrew Cyrille (born 1939) and the impressive young pianist Kris Davis.  The bassist brought the musicians together and they created the program on this CD.  Composed of 7 group improvisations and one piece each from Thelonious Monk ("Gallop's Gallop"), Keith Jarrett ("Prayer"), and Revis's "Question", the music is alive with interaction, possibilities, ideas and quite far from cliche.  The bassist has a "large" tone that blends well with Mr. Cyrille's fluid percussion.  Ms. Davis is one of the stronger improvisers in modern music, her ability to move in and out of the flow of the music, her striking choice of chords and melodic phrases, her percussive attack, all keep the listener on the edge of his seat (physically and mentally).  There is nothing "standard" about her approach (you can say the same about  Messrs. Cyrille and Revis as well) so these pieces feel "alive".  There are tens of thousands of covers of Monk tunes but few with the animation that this Trio imbues the song with.  Mr. Cyrille creates a wall of percussion while the bassist, more often than not, plays counterpoint.  The give-and-take of the bass and drums in the opening moments of "For Bill" is a fine example of how both musicians set up the dialogue and lay the table for Ms. Davis. She reacts to as well as acts on what her partners are creating. This piece is so quiet, at times, one must lean into the speakers, yet Mr. Cyrille never relinquishes the beat - in fact, he sets the level of intensity for the others.

This music is neither heartless nor humorless.  Witness "Harry Partch Laments the Dying of the Moon...and Then Laughs" - with Ms. Davis creating a "motor-rhythm" and Mr. Cyrille pushing an prodding beneath, the bassist creates a mysterious sound as he bows throughout the track.  Revis sets a furious pace on his unaccompanied opening to "Prayer" and, when the drummer enters, one can hear the musicians "conversing".  Ms. Davis plays with slowing down the piece, creating a solo that rises with the bass in pursuit. The lovely melody line the pianist creates on "Traylor"is reminiscent of Paul Simon's "An American Tune" - the drummer frames the piano beautifully with his cymbals and sparse use of the snare drum while the bassist creates a melody that moves in tandem with the piano.

"City of Asylum" is filled with with riches, a group conversation that is open and intimate. One can sense that as Kris Davis, Andrew Cyrille and Eric Revis continue to explore this collaboration, their interactions will become ever more expansive.  This CD is excellent yet one must see them live to complete the connection between musician, music and listener.  For more information, go to ericrevis.com or www.cleanfeed-records.com/disco2US.asp?intID=430.

Vocalist JD Walter is no stranger to experimentation, to taking chances in pursuit of creativity. He has recorded with saxophonist Dave Liebman, his 2006 CD "2Bass, A Face and Some Skin" found him in a session with 2 bassists and a drummer, and has co-led the group Luvpark with pianist Orrin Evans.  For the past 5 years, he's been issuing CDs on his own JWALREC label, including live recordings from Portugal.  "One Step Away" is his latest (ad)venture and he turned over the reins of the production to Evans and bassist Eric Revis.  Their choice was to record "live" in the studio utilizing Tarbaby (Evans, Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits) and guitarist Marc Ducret (who will be featured along with saxophonist Oliver Lake in the upcoming Tarbaby Rogue Art recording "Fanon").  The result is a fascinating blend of free improvisation, handsome ballads, inspired "instant" arrangements and smart choices of cover material.

Walter, who grew up in the Philadelphia, PA area, was most certainly aware of Todd Rundgren (who rose out of the Philly area to stardom) - he picks a Rundgren tune from his "A Capella" album, the soulful ballad "Pretending To Care."  The band beneath the emotion-filled voice moves ever-so-slowly with Evans playing a sweet piano accompaniment atop Waits' deliberate brush work. Ducret's guitar solo moans, exhales, flutters and roars even as Walter returns to bring the song to its climax.  Next is a rollicking rendition of Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." After Walter sings the opening verse (with Evans supplying some abstract counterpoint), the rhythm section comes in and the song drops into a raucous groove, Waits' mammoth bass drum leading the way with Revis weaving lines in and around the vocalist.  Evans' piano solo is a hard-edged forceful statement.  Walter has a great playing with the time, moving in and out of falsetto and getting into the "spirit."

Guitarist Marvin Sewell joins the band for the modern soul sounding of "If I Knew", a smooth blend of r'n'b, the "Philly Soul" sound of Thom Bell, and jazz. Walter bounces atop the band, overdubbing voices on the chorus, and truly digging into the words.

Several of the songs have an experimental edge, including the sensuous rhythmical treat that is "How To Die and Where To Fly." Walter duets with himself with Revis providing a funky bass figure and Waits supplying a very strong groove. "Inward" is just Ducret's electric guitar as accompaniment for the socially conscious lyric.  Walter's voice moves gracefully alongside the guitar, the articulated lyrics standing out as does the creative lines the guitarist supplies. The blues feel of "It's Raining Today" is juxtaposed with an electronic drone and Evans' dancing piano lines (only on the first verse) - the song has a fascinating bridge before returning to the feel and sounds of the first half of the piece.

The sound of "One Step Away" is wonderfully open (save for the tune with the drone); all voices instrumental and human can be heard with Nasheet Waits' drums right in the center of the mix and JD Walter usually on top of the band (the sole exception being "How To Die and Where To Fly" where the 2 voices are separated.)  After several times through the program, what might sound "strange" first time through loses that definition and one realizes how well these sounds mesh together.  JD Walter may have been challenged by the approach of his good friend and co-producer Orrin Evans but the results are exceptional.  Dig in and dig it!  For more information, go to www.jdwalter.com.

LIKEMIND Collective, Part 1 - Music by Orrin Evans and Tarbaby

The first Orrin Evans CD I purchased - "Captain Black" -  was, actually, his second as a leader for Gerry Teekens' Criss Cross Records.  Ed Krech, owner of Integrity 'N' Music in Wethersfield, CT, turned my attention to the label and this artist in particular.  Evans was 23 at the time of the release (early 1999) but played with the authority of a seasoned veteran (which, I soon discovered, he was.)

"...It Was Beauty" is Evans's 20th (!) CD as a leader and first for the Criss Cross label since February 2005.  Featuring his partner from Tarbaby, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Donald Edwards, who is featured on Evans' last CD for PosiTone Records, "Flip The Script", Evans opens up the concept for this program by featuring guest bassists on 4 of the 10 tracks.  Ben Wolfe, who also is featured on the PosiTone release, joins the trio for 2 tracks ("African Song" and "Commitment") while Hartford, CT. native Luques Curtis and Alex Claffy appear on one each ("Dorm Life" and "My Tribute" respectively.)  Anyone who follows Orrin Evans knows he has a far-ranging mind and no fear as well as an eclectic taste in material - that's why his recordings are so interesting.  Bill McHenry's "African Song" has the feel of a John Coltrane piece, open-ended with the 2 bassists moving independently of each other. Wolfe also enlivens "Commitment", a song that has several changes in tempo and direction - when both bassists start "walking", the drummer steps right in to keep the pace fluid.  Edwards' dancing "second-line" drums sets the funky pace for a Trio joyful "jump blues" reading of Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation."  This is the 4th time Evans has recorded "Dorm Life" for a Criss Cross release and, of course, the 4th different reading.  Curtis's bass locks in with Revis's, allowing Edwards to really drive the piece.  The various changes of pace are, on first listen, are as much fun for the listener as they must have been for the musicians.  Wolfe composed (but does not appear on) "Hats Off To Rebay", a bluesy meditation dedicated to Revis but featuring splendid brush work from Edwards.

This is one pianist who knows how to do "slow" as one hears on the Trio reading of Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair", a tune which Evans as a solo piece in 1998.  The deliberate pace of the song allows the melody to emerge easily - Revis plays few notes while Edwards caresses the drum kit with his brushes.  The CD closes with Evans in duo with the young Philadelphia bassist Alex Claffy on a slow and heartfelt reading of Andre Crouch's "My Tribute."   The ballads rarely stray from the melody yet never sound hackneyed or trite. Make sure to pay attention to the work of the rhythm section - they shy away from convention but neither sound superfluous nor radical.

"...It Was Beauty" is good music from beginning to end; creative, interactive, urgent, un-rushed and highly original, Orrin Evans illustrates how he has matured without surrendering his sense of adventure.  For more information, go to www.orrinevansmusic.com.

Add Nasheet Waits (drums) to Orrin Evans and Eric Revis - you've got quite a sound.The trio first recorded together for Evans' 2001 Criss Cross release titled "Blessed Ones" and came together in 2008 to record under their first CD as Tarbaby.   Their self-titled debut CD, released on Evans' Imani label, featured saxophonist Stacey Dillard as part of the group plus guests JD Allen (tenor saxophone) and vocalist T.C. III. What was noticeable from the start is that the band had no fear, blurring the lines of modern genres to get at a greater truth.  Their second CD, "The End Of Fear" (PosiTone), kept Allen and added the musical voices of Nicolas Payton (trumpet) and Oliver Lake (alto saxophone). The music and presentation had more of a political edge, more "in-your-face" than laid-back and compliant.

The Trio signed with Hipnotic Records and their initial release for the label is "The Ballad of Sam Langford." Langford (1883-1956), a Black boxer who hailed from Nova Scotia and settled in Massachusetts, was known as "the Boston Tar Baby" - he fought at a time when few Black boxers were allowed in the ring to fight Caucasian pugilists and was not well known outside of boxing circles. (If you are curious, do go to coxscorner.tripod.com/langford.html for more information.) The CD opens with "Title Bout (Opening Round") and closes with "Title Bout (Final Round"), both group improvisations, the only references to boxing.  Oliver Lake is back, appearing on 6 tracks and young trumpet star Ambrose Akinmusire appears on 7 cuts. The blend of saxophone and trumpet spar on the opening track over a rubato background, Waits' rampaging drums pushing the other musicians forward.  Lake, now 70 years old, is in fine fettle throughout. His combination of short phrases and long tones on his composition "Aztec" leads the band into a freer interaction (but not chaos.) Evans "When" is a slow ballad in which the melody is introduced by the alto sax and trumpet. As the piece unfolds, the short solos (Evans and Lake) display an emotional gravitas that turns the title into a question that one may feel is resolved in the gentle fade.

3 tracks into the program and you know this is music that respects the traditions of Black American Music, those of experimentation, of social commentary, of gathering disparate voices and giving them their say.  The insistent "swing" of Revis and Waits is at the core of Evans' "MBBS", giving Evans, Lake and Akinmusire the foundation to explore and interact.  "Rolling Vamp" is a funky piece from Lake built off a repeating bass line and propulsive drums - the melody line hearkens back to the work of the mid-1960s "classic" Miles Davis Quintet.  The soloists respond to the drummer's egging them on which only adds to the intensity level.  The piece slowly comes back down until it's just the wonderful bass line.

Akinmusire shines on Waits' "Korean Bounce", engaging in a lively give-and-take with the drummer while Evans and Revis provide support and counterpoint. The trumpeter contributes the lovely ballad "Asiam", a piece for trumpet and piano. One is drawn in to his breathy sounds, to the gospel inflections of the piano accompaniment and to how time seems to stand still as you listen.

The pianist's son Matthew joins the trio on finger piano (kalimba) for Revis's atmospheric "August" - Waits plays recorder as he keeps the beat on bass drum, high-hat and occasional cymbal splashes.  The bassist quietly yet insistently supplies both the structure and rhythm for the song.

Over the course of 3 CDs, Tarbaby has shown that their music has few, if any, boundaries; one would imagine this music is even more explosive, more interactive and far-ranging in a concert or club setting. Even as the final notes fade, one is drawn back to this inventive and enlightening music. "The Ballad of Sam Langford" makes you think, makes you sweat and, if you love creative Black Music, makes you smile. You can discover more about the Trio by going to any and all of the band-member's individual websites at www.ericrevis.com, www.nasheetwaits.com or www.orrinevansmusic.com.  Like minds, indeed!

Soon to follow is the group's "Fanon", a musical tribute to the French-Algerian psychiatrist/revolutionary writer Frantz Fanon, whose best-known work "The Wretched of the Earth" was published the year he passed away (1961).  Tarbaby's project features the Trio with Oliver Lake and guitarist Marc Ducret - you can see and hear excerpts by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3nstudK6E.