Triple LP - long sold out everywhere else.
A never before issued recording of Horace Tapscott leading his legendary Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, 'Live at Century City Playhouse 9/9/79' documents the entirety of a 2 hours performance, sprawling across glorious 3 LPs, that rises as one of the most beautiful, striking, and historically important records of the year. A joyous explosion of sound, seeded by social, political, and community-based action, at the juncture of spiritual and free jazz, this one's a 10 out of 10 and not to be missed.
Certain bodies of music stand apart from the pack. This can be a consequence of critical or institutional neglect, the singularity of their creative proximity - rendering them beyond the accepted notions of a genre and categorisation - or remarkable artistic accomplishments that seemingly separates them from their peers. When regarding the work of the Los Angeles based pianist, band leader, and composer, Horace Tapscott, and that which sprung from his Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra across the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, all are unquestionable in play. A tour de force of sound, seeded by social, political, and community-based action, Tapscott and his Arkestra were among the most important groups working in the United States, not to mention jazz, during the years of their activity. They also remain among the most under-appreciated. Thankfully, the last few years has brought a number of reissues and archival releases by Tapscott, the Arkestra, and many of its members and associates like Linda Hill, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian, Nate Morgan, Curtis Clark, and others, allowing the sprawling scope and astounding merit of their accomplishments to come into view for a broader audience. Now we have yet another from Nimbus West - the imprint founded in 1979 by Tom Albach to support Tapscott and Arkestra’s activities - Live at Century City Playhouse 9/9/79, a never before issued recording sprawling across three mind-bending LPs. Hugely historically important, and an absolute marvel of sound, this is West Coast avant-garde and spiritual jazz at its absolute best.
