October 17 & 18
Tarbaby
Tula’s, 8:30 $18 general, $10 students Reservations: 206-443-4221

Sternly rejecting the “all too common cliches in modern jazz ideology,” Tarbaby seeks to reaffirm the practices and theories of their mentors, of the rich and critical history of jazz performance. Tarbaby is composed of the creative collective of Stacy Dillard (saxophone), Orrin Evans (piano), and the superb rhythm section (worth the price of admission alone!) of Nasheet Waits (drums) and Eric Revis (bass). Tarbaby’s self-titled 2009 release (Imani Records) opens mysteriously enough with a repeated, altered sample of former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow stating, “I don’t want to hug the tar baby.” From there, however, the music speaks most clearly, with hugely energetic and at times frightfully swinging jazz. The band plays with a great deal of surprise and ingenuity, while maintaining reverence for the music that has so clearly informed the group’s ethos. Catch the all-star quartet near the beginning of what we can hope is a long life of music-making together.