Horace Tapscott: Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam
(Arabesque)
Perhaps no musician personifies the Central Avenue jazz milieu in Los Angeles better than pianist Horace Tapscott, who has been a teacher to young musicians there through good times and bad. At age 63, Tapscott finally is beginning to enjoy the national reputation he deserves, thanks to an increasing roster of performances outside L.A. and to formidable recordings such as this one. To call Tapscott’s pianism orchestral is something of an understatement, since he produces colors, textures, dissonances and voicings beyond the reach of most orchestras. But there’s more than just technical facility and magnificent sound at Tapscott’s fingertips. The way he develops his ideas, the breadth of styles and musical reference points he packs into every bar make Tapscott’s pianism a veritable survey of jazz history. At the same time, however, Tapscott’s music looks unflinchingly to the future, as its bracing dissonances and novel sounds attest. With bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Billy Hart providing unpredictable rhythmic counterpoint, Tapscott has created a recording of unusual expressive range.
