Tani Tabbal Trio: Now Then

  The Tani Tabbal Trio features the accomplished drummer/leader with bassist Michael Bisio and alto saxophonist Adam Siegel. Their new CD, Now Then, appears on Whit Dickey’s newly formed TAO Forms imprint. It’s the band’s third release; the first two came out on Tabbalia Sound, the drummer’s own label. But those are not easy to find, and Now Then effectively serves as an introduction of the trio to a wider audience. The trio plunges right into Arrested Confusion, a Bisio composition, sounding anything but confused. What you notice first is how closely attuned these musicians are to one another. Bisio’s résumé includes recordings with luminaries including Joe McPhee, Connie Crothers, and Matthew Shipp, while Tabbal is probably best known for his work with bandleaders Roscoe Mitchell, Geri Allen, and David Murray. The younger Siegel fits in perfectly, with a sound that melds such disparate influences as Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, and Henry Threadgill into his own personal conception. Bisio, who is as articulate with words as well as his bass, writes that Siegel’s “lines can be cold as ice, burn blue or burst supernova.” One of the disc’s many highlights comes with Tabbal’s scorchingly fast title track, where Siegel’s alto skitters and leaps, bursting forth with ever-bolder torrents of sound. Now there are echoes of Marshall Allen and Oliver Lake in his outbursts. With Siegel out front all the way through, the team of Bisio and Tabbal is exemplary in developing the dynamic contours and muscular flow of the music. Another high point is Bisio’s Oh See OC Revisited, where Siegel solos in a relatively subdued and bluesy style. He doesn’t sound much like Ornette Coleman here, while Bisio and Tabbal joyously evoke the camaraderie and bounce that rhythm teams like Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins brought to Coleman’s music. The band also gets into uncommon strategies for improvisation like the Tabbal’s atomized and quiet Midway Open and his edgy and occasionally grating Scrunch, which gives Siegel a chance to probe the upper reaches of his horn. Another Bisio composition, r. henry, is dedicated to American painter Robert Henri (1865-1929), The piece features a sweet melody articulated by bowed bass and alto, followed by a crafty solo section that balances guitar-like meanderings by the composer with quiet, mellow tones by Siegel and Tabbal’s alternating cymbals and tom-toms. Inky Bud, another smoking assault composed by Tabbal, concludes Now Then in style. Experiencing the music of the Tabbal trio at home one notes the richly detailed mix, the work of Jim Clouse, who also recorded the session. Listening to the set on headphones makes clear the nuances of the three-way conversations among these imaginative instrumentalists. Definitely recommended. 

Tao Forms TAO 03; Adam Siegel (as) Michael Bisio (b) Tani Tabbal (d); Brooklyn, NY, December 5, 2019; Arrested Confusion/ Just Woke Up/ Khusenaton/ Sun History Ra Mystery/ Now Then/ Midway Open/ Oh See OC Revisited/ Scrunch/ r. henri/ Inky Bud; 67:39. aumfidelity.com/collections/tao-forms