# CD review: Tarbaby Feat. Oliver Lake – Dance of the Evil Toys 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2022/06/18/cd-review-tarbaby-feat-oliver-lake-dance-of-the-evil-toys-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2022-06-18T09:28:35+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Tar-baby is the best known of the stories from “Uncle Remus”, a book by Joel Chandler
published in 1880. Through the stories of a fox, a rabbit and a doll made of tar
and turpentine passes a subtext about slavery, colonialism and commerce. global.
A story that can be read as much more than a folktale, as a work of political philosophy.**

Tarbaby is also the name of the trio that brings together Orrin Evans (The Bad Plus,
Captain Black) on piano (and vocals), Eric Revis on bass, Nasheey Waits on drums
and guests. There is no politics here, only music.

In fact, the trio is never a trio and Oliver Lake (a member of the World Saxophone
Quartet and Trio 3, with a very extensive discography that also includes some pop
rock collaborations such as with Bjork, Lou Reed, Material) is a permanent “guest”:
in first album “The End Of Fear” (2010), in addition to Oliver Lake, also played
Nicholas Payton and J.D. Allen. The second, “Ballad Of Sam Langford” (2013) features,
in addition to the usual saxophonist, Matthew Evans on Mbira and Ambrose Akinmusire
on trumpet. In “Fanon”, in quintet, they record Marc Ducret on guitar and Oliver
Lake, once again, on saxophone.

Now, in this new release on Portuguese Clean Feed, Tarbaby keeps inviting Oliver
Lake and adds Josh Lawrence on trumpet (and Dana Murray on percussion on one of 
the songs).

The CD has 11 songs and I started listening to it towards the end: “Sometimes It
Snows In April”, one of Prince’s best songs. It was chosen by the authors for the
closing but is irresistible for the beginning. What a sublime version with the piano
slowly exposing the structure of the song and the saxophone surrounding the melody,
never finding it. Only at the end is the junction and the song is played only once,
by the piano and saxophone, and then it ends.

Returning to the beginning, we hear “Blessed Ones The Eternal Truth”, by Trudy Pitts(
a 60s organist who, like so many – ex: Aretha Franklin – oscillates between Soul
and Jazz), a theme that is very dear to the pianist ( had already recorded it, precisely
on the album “Blessed Ones”, from 2001, with this trio that at the time was called
the Orrin Evans Trio). The one we hear now is a much more soul/hip-hop reinterpretation,
sung, very beautiful.

From there we went through a dictionary of current jazz with the saxophone playing
a leading and frontal role. We went through different environments. “Bonu” a slow
Apollonian theme that repeats the same phrase as if it had to unfold; “JRMJ” almost
lounge; “KE-KELLI” very abstract. We travel through different jazz and different
environments with a train journey in which the landscape changes but the transport
is massive, pulled by a loquacious saxophonist. We ended up in awe of Prince.

Tarbaby is a journal about current American jazz, going through several different
perspectives on this music. And being a newspaper, it’s politics.

**Tracks**

1. Blessed Ones the Eternal Truth 3:20
 2. Bonu 5:47 3. Bumper 4:09 4. Dance of 
the Evil Toys 4:35 5. JRMJ 1:12 6. KE-KELLI 8:21 7. House of Leaves 5:09 8. Paix
5:28 9. Purple 4:23 10. Round Robin 3:44 11. Sometimes it Snows in April 4:26

**Orrin Evans – piano**
 **Eric Revis – bass** **Nasheet Waits – drums** **Oliver
Lake – saxophone**

![Tarbaby feat. Oliver Lake: “Dance Of The Evil Toys” (Clean Feed)](https://i0.wp.
com/jazz.pt/media/_versions/pontoescuta/whatsapp_image_2022-06-13_at_10.49.53_large.
jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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