Two For The Road

Raising funds for the production and release of Tara Minton & Ed Babar’s new duo album.

Summary

Tait Awardee, Jazz harpist and vocalist Tara Minton, and double bassist Ed Babar have been playing and touring together for eight years. Over that time they have developed a rare musical partnership, honed over countless hours rehearsing, travelling throughout the UK and Europe and playing music to audiences great and small. In April 2021 they recorded an intimate duo album titled “Two For The Road”, recorded over three days at Lightship 95 studio at Trinity Buoy Wharf. The record is produced by Geoff Gascoyne and features guest performances by Stan Sulzmann and Lilia Ioncheva. 

The album explores the relationship and interplay between harp, voice and double bass through an honest and articulate presentation of standards from the Great American Songbook and the modern British jazz canon, 

The goal of this campaign is to raise funds to produce CD’s and a music book of arrangements and transcriptions from the record – a valuable resource for students of jazz harp and double bass. 

What We Need & What You Get

Tara and Ed need to raise £5000 for CD and music book production and promotional campaign of “Two For The Road.” £3000 will pay for the production of the physical copies of the album and book, and the remaining £2000 will cover the promotional costs (so that it actually gets listened to!)

This is an opportunity to assist Tara and Ed in releasing their record by pre-ordering copies of the CD, book and music. Please select any number of pre-order packages below – when the album is released in Nov 2020, you will be the first to receive your copies.

Package 1 – CD’s and Downloads of the album for all donations over £15

Package 2 – open donation of your choosing.

The Impact

Tara has received many requests over the years for sheet music of her arrangements, but has always felt it went against the nature of what it means to play jazz music. “Two For The Road” was recorded live, capturing the improvisation and interplay between Tara and Ed in the moment over three intense days in the studio. After much discussion, they have agreed that sheet music of the arrangements and specific notation of what was played in the sessions might provide a valuable resource for students of jazz harp and double bass. 

Risks & Challenges

Both Tara and Ed feel uncomfortable asking for financial assistance, but to promote an album properly and produce high quality CDs and Music Books takes considerable funds up front. It has been a difficult 18 months for artists, that is why Tara and Ed and asking for you to contribute to this campaign now so that presale revenue will fund the production and promotion of the album, CDs and Music Book.

Other Ways You Can Help

Tara and Ed know many of you don’t have any disposable income right now. If you don’t have money to pre-order an album, but still want to get involved, you can help by sharing this campaign and spreading the word. Anything you can give to make this project a reality is received with the deepest gratitude. 

*Tara’s advanced Jazz studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama were sponsored by Andrew Loewenthal & Eugenie White