Horace Tapscott Quintet

This is a rare chance to hear the working quintet of Los Angeles pianist/bandleader Horace Tapscott (1934-1999), whose long-running Arkestra provided the West Coast with an original vision of Afro-centric creative music, analogous to the Sun Ra Arkestra and the AACM. Besides large helping of Tapscott’s dynamic chording the band also features longtime Tapscott associates, bassist Roberto Miranda who also worked with John Carter; saxophonist Michael Session who played with Phil Ranelin; trombonist Thurman Green, known for this work with Gerald Wilson; and mainstream drummer Fritz Wise.

Each gets sufficient solo space with Session particularly inspired on the mostly FreeBop material. However this was a nightclub gig and Dwight Trible, who directed the singers who were often part of Tapscott’s ensembles is also featured as a vocalist. His melismatic mixture of spiritual, scat, modal and pop styles adds another color to “Motherless Child” and to a lesser extent “Close to Freedom”, where particular arrangements, driven by expressive piano comping and inspired R&B-like asides from Session provide context for his melodic reconstitution. However on “Little Africa” his theatrical Joe Williams-like delivery becomes almost histrionic and is barely reined in by the tough Jazz Messengers-like contributions from the others.

More generic to appreciating Tapscott’s musical methods are the treatments of “Ballad for Deadwood Dick” and “Breakfast at Bongo’s”. With Session’s split tones and smears upfront mixed with note flurries from the pianist on the former, freewheeling motion is established and intensified throughout. Green’s luminous slurs move the piece from allegro to andante, introducing a Blues interface so that variations alternate between stop-time keyboard glissandi and staccato reed bites on one hand and warm brass story telling on the other. Hard bass string pops and a drum shuffle beat define “Breakfast ..” which is both funkier and taken further out than the other tunes. Although it too cleaves to a Blues progression and the saxist quotes from “Now’s the Time” during its R&B-like into, the shrieks and speaking-in-tongues asides he introduces elsewhere grind up and reconstitute the melody. Miranda adds col legno wood slaps for added percussiveness and Wise’s smashing ratamacues solidify the bottom. But in spite of this Tapscott and the others are so in control of the performance that subtle swing easily coexists with the harsh excursions.

Legacies for Our Grandchildren is just that since it preserves another facet of Tapscott’s talents for future generations. It also showcases the skills of other under-recorded stylists. More instrumental scope would have made it still better however.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Ballad for Deadwood Dick 2. Motherless Child 3. Breakfast at Bongo’s 4.  Close to Freedom 5. The Theme 6. Little Africa

Personnel: Thurman Green (trombone); Michael Session (tenor, alto and soprano saxophones); Horace Tapscott (piano); Roberto Miranda (bass); Fritz Wise (drums) and Dwight Trible (vocals)