Barata In The House

Live Review

Aug 6

Written By Michael Gutierrez

The Brazilian drummer sits in at The Mad Monkfish on Sunday, 13 July 2025.

Maxim Lubarsky Trio wakes up a sleepy Sunday in Central Square.

Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

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Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️ Hump Nights 〰️

Hump Nights

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Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

〰️

Hump Nights 〰️ Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️

Maxim Lubarsky Trio

It was a sleepy Sunday in Central Square, except for the Mad Monkfish, which was wide awake with a special guest in the house. Brazilian percussionist Rafael Barata, whom the emcee introduced as “one of the best drummers in the world right now,” was sitting in with the Maxim Lubarsky Trio.

“Best in the world” – high praise! With an introduction like that you might expect a wall-to-wall drum-forward set. But bandleader Maxim Lubarsky keeps all the elements balanced and in their proper proportion from behind the piano. Moderation in all things. You don’t chug a bottle of fine wine; you parcel it out in sips, enjoyed with a good meal and good company.

Each musician got their time in the solo spotlight.

Lubarsky was a sparkler on keys. He must have enjoyed practicing scales when he was a child because his melodies shine like rainbows, erupting with notes between notes between notes along the musical spectrum. But he can also dial it down, as he did during the quieter and more reflective moments of his original “Looking Out.”

Barata was impressive. His “solo” moments mostly came in the form of call-and-response with the piano or bass. Drawing from a deep well of musical knowledge, he traversed the history of jazz drumming throughout the set. He looked most at home, though, pedaling Latin rhythms. And the crowd sat up in their seats and took notice when he set aside his drumsticks mid-set and started smacking the skins with his bare hands.

John Lockwood was Steady Eddie on the standup bass. His playing produces a nice, round, meaty sound that warms up a room quickly and mediates the more exotic soloing at his right and left.

Lockwood is a regular’s regular at The Mad Monkfish. The emcee announced that the jazz lounge was coming up on its ten-year anniversary in September. Lockwood, bassist, educator, gig hound supreme, has been plugging away at the jazz spot for all ten of those years. If there’s a birthday cake, he deserves to blow out at least one of those candles.