Tani Tabbal Trio — Now Then
Qobuz new release review, Nov. 2020
Tani Tabbal has been a pro jazz drummer for the last five decades, kicking off his career as a teenager playing with Oscar Brown, Jr. and collaborating over the years with artists ranging from Roscoe Mitchell, Sun Ra and Griot Galaxy to Geri Allen, Cassandra Wilson, and Karl Berger. Remarkably, Tabbal only began releasing albums as a leader in the mid-2000s, and it’s clear that even though he may have started late in his career, he has long had both the chops and the ideas to make exceptionally engaging releases. Now Then, his sixth, finds him working in a trio format with bassist Michael Bisio and alto saxophonist Adam Siegel. Surprisingly, for a drummer of Tabbal’s experience and ability, most of Now Then is not that percussive or even rhythm-forward. Rooted in the improvisational sensibilities he has honed over years of working with some of the best free jazz artists around, Tabbal gives a lot of space to his collaborators here. Siegel’s sax shines throughout and Bisio’s bass seems to get as much spotlight time as Tabbal’s light-touch drumming. “Scrunch,” for instance, is basically an improv masterclass, showing how skronk and cymbals can work best together, while “Just Woke Up” finds Bisio’s bass working out in a probing and methodical way. The only track that finds Tabbal stepping up front is “Inky Bud,” which is free and exploratory while the drummer takes an extended solo, but when the other players work their way back into the song, Tabbal’s playing instantly reverts to a fluid and responsive state. Most of the tracks here are spacious and airy, giving the players plenty of room to improvise. However, when the group locks into a groove — such as on the Arkestra-inspired “Khusenaton” or the loose and swinging “Oh See OC Revisited” — the years of experience Tabbal has logged as an empathetic and improvisational collaborator keep the proceedings feeling fresh and vibrant. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
