Ball of Wax 68 Songs: Jeff Tobias – “Holiday Music Pt. 1”

Jeff Tobias, where have you been all my life? There is a delightfully demented, playful energy coursing through “Holiday Music Pt. 1” – and much of his album Recurring Dream, from whence it came – that seems like it was tailor made for my ears. The artfully heavy-handed drums, the whirlwind of instrumentation, the insistent burr of the bass clarinet – and then the way it all just stops on a dime, giving way to an interlude of piano and increasingly manic saxophone, building and building until that bass clarinet has no choice but to bring back the main riff for another run, before finally letting the bottom drop out on the whole piece, leaving you wanting more more more. Fortunately there is a whole album – including “Holiday Music Pt. 2”! – and I would absolutely understand if you need to pause Ball of Wax 68 and take a detour over there for a bit, just to see where it all goes. We’ll be here when you get back.