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Horace Tapscott

Horace Elva Tapscott (1934 - 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was something of a moral leader for California's free-jazz community. In 1959 he established the multimedia Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, with the aim of preserving, developing and performing African-American music. As his vision grew, this became just one part of a larger organization in 1963, the Underground Musicians Association and led the ensemble through the 1990s.

Horace Elva Tapscott (1934 - 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was something of a moral leader for California's free-jazz community. In 1959 he established the multimedia Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, with the aim of preserving, developing and performing African-American music. As his vision grew, this became just one part of a larger organization in 1963, the Underground Musicians Association and led the ensemble through the 1990s.

Live at I.U.C.C. 5/27/79
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ. This May 1979 concert brings the goods, several tracks were selected for inclusion on the original 1979 “LIVE at IUCC” 2LP..  “Future Sally’s Time”, “LTT”, and “Village Dance” are presented as fresh transfers alongside extended takes of “Sea Wife” and “Many Nights Ago”… Lester Robertson killing it this afternoon…
Live at I.U.C.C. 3/30/80 (2CD)
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra n concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ. Completely unheard concert from March 30, 1980
Live at I.U.C.C. 2/24/80
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra live in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ. Completely unheard concert from February 1980
Seize The Time - Black Panther Party
“Between 1974-77 Elaine Brown led the Black Panther Party, the 1st and only woman to do so. Seize The Time is a curiously elegiac and somber affair. Five of the tracks also features arrangements written by pianist/composer Horace Tapscott and performed by the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra” A milestone of the Black music movement, originally released on Vault in 1969. The debut album of Elaine Brown was arranged by piano player and composer Horace Tapscott, conducting the Californian Pan-Afrikan P…
The Giant Is Awakened
Deluxe CD edition with Obi. The title of Horace Tapscott's debut release is apt, if not self-referential, for indeed a giant of West Coast jazz had awakened with this, the pianist / composer / bandleader's 1969 album for the Flying Dutchman label. Tapscott went on to form two groups crucial to the flowering of modern jazz in the Los Angeles area, the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (or P.A.P.A.; the name is an homage to Tapscott's predecessor and peer, Sun Ra), which eventually became part of a lar…
Live at I.U.C.C. 9/30/79
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ - September 30, 1979. This is the seventh concert that Tom Albach recorded at Immanuel United Church of Christ.  A wild and beautiful performance from beginning to end. Opening with an angelic take of Coltrane’s ‘Equinox’ which turns into a Coltrane medley, this recording is obviously a special one from the start… the existence of an unheard Sabir Mateen composition from 1979 (‘A C…
Live at I.U.C.C. 3/25/79
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ - March 25, 1979. This is the third concert that Tom Albach recorded at Immanuel United Church of Christ.  This recording finds the Arkestra on new feet following the departure of bandleader Jesse Sharps. Featuring two of Jesse’s classics, including a totally different take on ‘Mykowski’s’, and the now iconic live version of ‘Desert Fairy Princess’, this concert also marks the debu…
Live at I.U.C.C. 4/29/79
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ - April 29, 1979. This is the fourth concert that Tom Albach recorded at Immanuel United Church of Christ.  Featuring fiery takes of ‘Village Dance’ and ‘Mykowski’s First Fifth’, this concert also marks the only known recording of Tapscott’s ‘Song of Emanon’. Rounded out with the Jesse Sharps tune ‘Sea Wife’ and Tapscott’s homage to David Bryant ‘Dee Bee’s Dance’, this recording ma…
Live at I.U.C.C. 4/27/80 (2CD)
**333 copies, one-time pressing**  Volume 11. 2 disc set documenting the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ - April 27, 1980. This is the eleventh and final concert that Tom Albach recorded at Immanuel United Church of Christ. Easily ranking as one of our favorite performances of the series, its also destined to be considered one of the greatest Arkestra live recordings, brimming with intense energy and culminating in the 1-2 punch of a blazing “Lelan…
Live at IUCC 11/25/79 (2CD)
** 333 copies, one-time pressing ** 2CD SET in gatefold slipcase  2 disc set documenting the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ - November 25, 1979. This is the eighth in a series of eleven concerts recorded at the church. This month sees the Arkestra stretching out and reaching blissful heights… the 30+ minute long version of “Carnival” is worth the price of admission alone, but the same could be said for the monumental “Nation Rising” or the deep ta…
Live at IUCC 2/25/79 - Series Subscription 2-11 (10 CD Set)
pre-purchase all the next volumes - 3 thru volume 11 (with the exception of vol 6, 1, and 2) of the Arkestra IUCC series… save on shipping and guarantee yourself a complete set! Each volume contains a separate “last Sunday of the month” recording of PAPA @ the IUCC. presented in full as raw transfers of the reels..Releases will be in gatefold wallets with exclusive photos and featuring liner notes by Mark Weber… the entire series comprises roughly 18 hours of recorded material, all volumes in th…
60 Years
Previously unreleased recordings from every decade of the Arkestra’s history, kicking off with a session in Horace Tapscott’s garage in 1961 (involving Linda Hill and Arthur Blythe, amongst others), and running right through to the new generation of young musicians, in a rambunctious closer recorded live in Los Angeles during 2019, featuring Angel Bat Dawid on bass clarinet. Highlights in-between include the surging, militant Nation Rising in 1971 — check Juan ‘Jujigwa’ Gray’s electrifying vocal…
The Quintet
** CD Edition ** This previously unreleased album by the Horace Tapscott Quintet was unearthed from master tapes in the Flying Dutchman archives. Recorded in 1969 and was intended to be a follow-up album to the classic "The Giant Is Awakened" which was released that year.The iconic pianist and composer Horace Tapscott was one of the most unique and important figures in LA’s jazz world. This lost recording was produced by one of the pivotal figures in jazz, Bob Thiele, a leading behind-the-scenes…
Live at IUCC 2/25/79
Volume 2 out of 11. Edition of 333 copies, one-time pressing. This is the last recording with Jesse Sharps as the Bandleader before he left for the Army. An incredible afternoon of music and a fitting “Departure” for a Jesse, a true pillar of the 70’s Arkestra. Macrame was originally released in 1979 on the IUCC 2LP, it is presented here, in a raw transfer of the master reel. Mykowski’s 1st Fifth is nothing but pure fire with those blistering solos by Sharps, Session, and a very special reading …
Live at IUCC 6/24/79
**333 copies, one-time pressing**  Volume 6 out of 11. This is the last recording with Jesse Sharps as the Bandleader before he left for the Army.. An incredible afternoon of music and a fitting “Departure” for a Jesse, a true pillar of the 70’s Arkestra. Macrame was originally released in 1979 on the IUCC 2LP, it is presented here, in a raw transfer of the master reel. Mykowski’s 1st Fifth is nothing but pure fire with those blistering solos by Sharps, Session, and a very special reading by Kam…
Live at I.U.C.C. 11/26/78 (2CD)
A never before issued recording of Horace Tapscott leading his legendary Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, 'Live at I.U.C.C. 11/26/78' documents the entirety of a nearly two-hour performance that rises as one of the most beautiful, striking, and historically important releases of the year. The first in a series of eleven volumes planned by the label for 2023, this 2CD set is limited to 250 copies only and is already sold-out at source. A joyous explosion of sound, seeded by social, political, and co…
Live At Théâtre Du Chêne Noir, Avignon, France 1989
*2022 stock* On October 14th 1989, Horace Tapscott, founder of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, performed alongside his close friend and musical partner Michael Session at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon, France. This was during a tour in which they traveled across Europe. The duo presented compositions by Leimert Park musicians Jesse Sharps, Nate Morgan and Tapscott himself. The stark instrumentation of this concert led to minimal arrangements of compositions typically performed by much l…
Legacies For Our Grandchildren - Live In Hollywood, 1995
Previously unpublished live recording, under exclusive license from the Horace Tapscott Family. The first opportunity to listen to Horace’s working quintet from the '90s! Includes a 16-page booklet with liner notes by the original producers of those recordings: Don Snowden and David Keller, photos by Warren Berman and some rare documents.
The Call (Magazine)
The fourth issue of We Jazz Magazine, "The Call" for Horace Tapscott. 128 pages 174 x 250 mm in size and printed on 140g Edixion paper with laminated 300g Invercote covers. All articles presented in English. Stories include Horace Tapscott by Andy Thomas, Ava Mendoza by Stuart Smith, Tigran Hamasyan by Rui Miguel Abreu, Istanbul Scene by Alper Kaliber, Isaiah Collier by Daniel Spicer, Bill Frisell by Debra Richards, DJ Old Crank by Matti Nives, Tokyo Jazz Joints Vol. 2 by Philip Arneill, reviews…
Live at IUCC
** 2022 repress ** Available on vinyl for the first time in 40 years, Outernational Sounds proudly presents a crucial document from the Los Angeles jazz underground - the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra at their most together, stretching out on home turf in 1979, with the legendary Horace Tapscott at the helm. Horace Tapscott is one of the unsung giants of jazz music. A gifted composer and arranger, a boldly original pianist, and above all a visionary bandleader, Tapscott’s recorded footprint is sm…
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