One of the most ambitious albums ever from pianist Horace Tapscott – a double-length set that has him working with a large lineup of underground musicians from the 70s Los Angeles scene – all united in spirit and power as the Pan-African Peoples Arkestra! Tapscott's piano directs the group strongly – as an extension of the vision that he brought to the late 60s Sonny's Dream album by Sonny Criss – but the music is freer, more spiritual, and often graced with bursts of ensemble energy, balanced by some really tremendous solos from other musicians too! The lineup includes some other key members of the Nimbus Records collective – including Jesse Sharps on saxes and flute, Linda Hill on piano, Adele Sebastian on flute, and Roberto Miranda on bass – and other players include James Andrews and Sabia Matteen on tenor, Archie Johnson and Lester Robertson on trombone, Billy Harris on soprano, Herbert Callies on alto clarinet, and Michael Session on alto. Titles include "Flight 17", "Breeze", "Horacio", "Clarice", and "Maui". CD

A never-issued performance from Horace Tapscott and his Pan Afrika Peoples Arkestra – the large ensemble that provided a perfect platform for the bigger ideas he was bringing into his music in the 70s! A record like this marks Tapscott as every bit the spiritual visionary as Charles Tolliver or Sun Ra at the time – as Horace is recording in California with a series of long, extended compositions – showcased beautifully by a lineup that includes Jessee Sharps on soprano sax, Adele Sebastian on flute, Gary Bias and Michael Session on alto, Linda Hill on piano, and both James Andrews and Charles Chandler on tenor saxes – many of them names you'll know from their own great recordings on the Nimbus label a few years later. Kamau Daaood provides a bit of spoken word on the set – and titles include "Ancestral Echoes", "Sketches Of Drunken Mary", "Eteral Egypt Suite", and "Jo Annette". CD

An amazing record from pianist Horace Tapscott – maybe one of his most ambitious projects ever, and a set that stands head and shoulders next to his classic work for the Nimbus label! As with some of those records, this set features his large Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – performing live at LACMA in 1998, and also augmented by a vocal choir at times – working with a sense of pride and power that's very much in the best 70s spiritual jazz mode! We honestly didn't know that Tapscott had continued the group this far into the 90s – we've only heard them on record up through the early 80s – and the lineup really represents the maturing vision of the music, with some especially great work from Tapscott on piano, Phil Ranelin on trombone, and Michael Session on soprano, alto, and tenor – plus lead vocals from the mighty Dwight Trible. Titles include "Aiee The Phantom", "Fela Fela", "Listen Africa", "Caravan", and "Why Don't You Listen". CD