Dance of the Evil Toys cover

Dance of the Evil Toys

Released

Tarbaby is a collaborative trio featuring pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits. Their fifth album offers guest appearances from alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, a longtime collaborator, and trumpeter Josh Lawrence, new to the Tarbaby world but frequently present on Evans’ solo albums. They perform a few Revis compositions, including the title track, which also appeared on Branford Marsalis’s excellent 2019 album The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (Revis is a member of Marsalis’s quartet as well); a couple of collective pieces; one by Lawrence and two by Lake; and close it all out with a meditative version of Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows in April.” Lake’s “Bumper” has a Thelonious Monk-ish lurch and his horn lines possess a gospel-ish cry; Lawrence’s smeary trumpet on the title piece is equally compelling, balanced against Waits’ pounding drums.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Sun on Sand cover

Sun on Sand

Joshua Redman, Brooklyn Rider, Patrick Zimmerli
Sacred Ceremonies cover

Sacred Ceremonies

Bill Laswell, Wadada Leo Smith, Milford Graves
Legacy Holder cover

Legacy Holder

Jonathan Barber, Vision Ahead
Vade Mecum cover

Vade Mecum

Bill Dixon
Bending Bridges cover

Bending Bridges

Mary Halvorson Quintet