Label: Giant Steps Records, 2024

Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Tarbaby is the cooperative trio of pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits, all well-established musicians in the jazz scene. Formed in the late 1990s, the trio reached a peak in its career in 2022 with the release of Dance of the Infidels (Clean Feed, 2022), featuring alto saxophonist Oliver Lake. Their fifth album, You Think This America comprises two originals - one each by Evans and Waits - along with covers from several genres.

The album opens with Ornette Coleman’s “Dee Dee”, a driving mid-tempo tune expressed with striking accentuations in a triangular dialogue that grooves and moves. The group is on the verge of swinging here without ever being explicit on that direction. Yet, they do it in-the-pocket on Jimmy Cox’s blues “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, with Waits sensitively brushing the skins of his drum kit.

Evans’ “Red Door” uncovers an elated theme with fragments of post-bop and Latin, showcasing a robust bass solo and effusive, technique-driven drum chatting. In contrast, Waits’ “Kush” is a waltzing ballad with some twists and a bluesy touch. Saxophonist David Murray’s “Mirror of Youth” is an unexpected and bold choice, with the members navigating different directions for a polyrhythmic feel that later coheres into a polished post-bop waltz wrapped in sweetness.

The level of engagement remains evident on Andrew Hill’s “Reconciliation”, expressed with churning detail, and on Sunny Murray’s “Tree Tops”, a triangulated open-ended cycle with a frenetically brushed rhythmic flux, pedal-anchored bass, and a reiterative melody on piano.

Although these talented musicians don’t quite surpass their previous heights, You Think This America remains a consistently enjoyable listening.