Tarbaby

Fri, Sep 12

The three members of Tarbaby – pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits – share a long history, dating back to well before the formation of the trio. They share core beliefs about acknowledging the over-arching tradition of the music while being true to one’s own story; they’re an ensemble of serious intentions and riotous humor, fervid spirit and fierce intellect, passion and purpose. All of that melds and collides in their provocative and risk-welcoming sound. The New York Times has hailed the trio as “a strong postbop collective with plenty of moves at its command: advanced rhythmic calculus, sly harmonic implication, [and] cohesive elasticity.” Lucid Culture described Tarbaby as, “Intense, enigmatic, often very funny… Darkly melodic, fearlessly spontaneous and bristling with combustible energy.” 2024 saw two bold new releases from the eclectic power trio. For the first time in a career marked by collaborations, You Think This Is America marks the first time that Tarbaby has recorded an entire album strictly in piano trio format. Recorded live at New York’s Hunter College for photographer/engineer Jimmy Katz’s Giant Step Arts imprint, the confrontational date mixes originals with wide-ranging covers by Ornette Coleman, David Murray, Andrew Hill, Sunny Murray, and The Stylistics. A yet-to-be-titled studio release will follow later in the year with several special guests: Philadelphia spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, the powerhouse tenor saxophonist JD Allen, the exploratory, tightrope-walking saxophonist Bill McHenry, and the pseudonymous “Prometheus Jenkins” (a few notes will suffice to identify the sax master behind the alias). “The story has its roots in Africa and then traveled across the ocean – just like we did.” – Nasheet Waits, drums. “I don’t want to hug the tar baby.” – Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary 2006-07 Nearly two decades later, the controversy that greeted the late Tony Snow’s use of the term “tar baby” remains indicative of the uncomfortable discourse around race in the country – a point that, ironically, is well illustrated by the very metaphor that he unwisely chose. Co-opted as a racial slur, the term “tar baby” has its roots in a folk tale that depicts the wily Br’er Rabbit becoming increasingly mired in a tar dummy the more he struggles with it – a vivid depiction of the sticky discussions involving race in 21st-century America. Tarbaby fully intended every one of those associations to arise, in all of their uneasiness, combativeness and contradictions, when they decided to adopt the name for their collective trio. “We knew the name would be controversial and misconstrued, but that it would ultimately encourage some discourse. That intent took precedence over any notions of ‘commercial’ success,” says Revis. The scare quotes that Revis places around the word “commercial” reflect the fact that such value judgments can be elusive. Still, it’s undeniable that all three bandmates have achieved considerable recognition and acclaim. If the total amount of beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum, a $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set. Important Notices: If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resale your seats with no refund. Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested 24 hours before the start of the performance.