Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tara Minton & Ed Babar: Two For The Road

Tara Minton & Ed Babar: Two For The Road

By Hrayr Attarian
January 18, 2022
View read count

Australian vocalist and harpist

Tara Minton

harp

" data-original-title="" title="">Tara Minton and English bassist

" data-original-title="" title="">Ed Babar have been performing together for a few years, as part of the jazz ensemble Harp's Bazaar. Babar also appeared on Minton's engaging Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid (Lateralize Records, 2020). This camaraderie is apparent on their first duo release, the aptly titled, Two For The Road. On it the pair cover a dozen standards with their signature versatility and fiery elegance.

For instance, "Jazz Autographs," from the motion picture "The Terminal" , has a dramatic ambience. Babar's lyrical and sparse reverberations contrast with and complement Minton's shimmering strums. The individual improvisations interweave and create divergent mirror images which result in an intriguingly unique interpretation of composer

John Williams

clarinet
b.1928

" data-original-title="" title="">John Williams' film score. Henry Mancini's "Two For The Road" is intimate, with hints of western classical influences; Minton accompanies her own yearning singing with resonant and cascading strings; Babar enhances the melancholic mood with his evocative con-arco lines.

There is no doubt that Minton is a gifted vocalist. Whether she is performing a haunting vocalise on bassist & producer

Geoff Gascoyne

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Geoff Gascoyne's "Life In A Bubble" or echoing saxophonist

Stan Sulzmann

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Stan Sulzmann's warm refrains on pianist

John Taylor

piano
1942 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">John Taylor's "Whirlpool," her sensual voice and expressive delivery delight and thrill. However, she excels even more as a harpist. Harp pioneer

Dorothy Ashby

harp
1932 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Dorothy Ashby's "Games" features Minton's agile and sophisticated phrases flowing with soulful grace over percussionist

Lilia Iontcheva

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Lilia Iontcheva's effervescent beats. Minton embellishes the exciting melody with vibrant spontaneity and subtle passion.

Bassist

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland's "What We Have To Be" allows Sulzmann the spotlight for an emotive and simmering extemporization which glows with indigo hues and stimulates with its intelligence. Babar lays down the percolating cadence with his deep, dark reverberating tones. He also showcases his instrumental prowess as he takes center stage on such classic pieces as

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight." He tenderly plays the main theme as Minton supports him with her rhythmic flourishes. Babar then reverently deconstructs the tune as Minton underscores his solo with angular sonic swirls.

Two For The Road is a captivating album which is both singularly creative and quite accessible. Minton and Babar have chosen their material carefully and deliver it with sophisticated panache. Hopefully it is just the beginning of an exciting collaboration between these two dynamic musicians.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Life In A Bubble; On The Sunny Side Of The Street; Games; What We Have To Be; Caravan; You Go To My Head; 'Round Midnight; Whirlpool; The Shadow Of Your Smile; Jazz Autographs; Blackbird; Two For The Road; Life In A Bubble - Epilogue.

Personnel

Tara Minton

harp

Ed Babar

bass

Stan Sulzmann

saxophone, tenor

Lilia Iontcheva

percussion

Album information

Title: Two For The Road | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Jazzizit

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Jump
< Previous

Jared Schonig's Two Takes
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.