Cun Cun Revival...

George Russell
1982
New York Big Band

01. Living Time, Event V (George Russell) 10:50
02. Big City Blues (George Russell) 9:26
03. Listen to the Silence, Part I (George Russell) 4:36
04. Cubano Be, Cubano Bop (George Russell / Dizzy Gillespie) 10:30
05. Mystic Voices (Stanton Davis) 6:02
06. God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday / Al Herzog) 5:29
07. Listen to the Silence, Part II (George Russell) 3:59

Recorded August 16, 1978, New York except « Cubano Be, Cubano Bop » recorded live in Estrad, Sodertalje, Sweden, March 10, 1977.

New York Big Band Personnel:

Goetz Tangerding – Acoustic Piano
Stanley Cowell – Piano on « Living Time, Event V »
Ricky Martinez – Electric Piano, Organ
Warren Smith – Drums
Cameron Brown – Bass
Mark Slifstein – Guitar
Babafumi Akunyon – Congas
Stanton Davis – Trumpet
Lew Soloff – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Terumasa Hino – Trumpet
Ricky Ford – Tenor Sax
Roger Rosenberg – Tenor Sax
Marty Ehrlich – Alto Sax
Carl Atkins – Baritone Sax, Bass Clarinet
John Clark – French Horn
Gary Valente – Trombone
Dave Taylor – Bass Trombone
Lee Genesis – Vocalist

Swedish Radio Jazz Orchestra Personnel:

Vlodek Gulgowski – Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano
Lars Beijbon – Drums
Sabu Martinez – Congas, Vocalist
Lars-Urban Helje – Bass
Rune Gustafsson – Guitar
Americo Bellotto – Trumpet
Bertil Lövgren – Trumpet
Håken Nyquist – Trumpet
Jan Allan – Trumpet
Arne Domnerus – Alto Sax
Ian Uling – Alto Sax
Lennart Åberg – Tenor Sax
Erik Nilsson – Baritone Sax
Bernt Rosengren – Tenor Sax
Lars Olofsson – Trombone
Sven Larsson – Bass Trombone
Bengt Edvarsson – Trombone
Jörgen Johansson – Trombone

1. Living Time, Event V
Stanley Cowell – Piano
Cameron Brown – Bass solo
John Clark – French Horn solo
Gary Valente – Trombone solo
Roger Rosenberg – Tenor solo
2. Big City Blues
Lee Genesis – Vocalist
Ricky Ford – Tenor solo
Terumasa Hino – Trumpet solo
3. Listen to the Silence, Part I
Stanton Davis – Trumpet solo
4. Cubano Be, Cubano Bop
Performers – The Swedish Radio Jazz Orchestra
Sabu Martinez – Congas and Vocals
Bertil Lövgren, Americo Bellotto – Trumpet solos
5. Mystic Voices
Stanton Davis – Trumpet solo
6. God Bless the Child
Lee Genesis – Vocalist
Roger Rosenberg – Tenor solo
7. Listen to the Silence, Part II
Stanton Davis – Trumpet solo

George Allen Russell (1923 - ), American jazz pianist, composer and theorist, is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general music theory with a theory of harmony based on Jazz rather than European music, in his 1953 book, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization which paved the way for the modal revolutions of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Russell's stylistic reach in his own compositions eventually became omnivorous, embracing bop, gospel, blues, rock, funk, contemporary classical elements, electronic music and African rhythms in his recent, ambitious extended works -- most apparent in his large-scale 1983 suite for an enlarged big band, The African Game. Like his colleague Gil Evans, Russell never stopped growing, but his work is not nearly as well-known that that of Evans, being more difficult to grasp and, in any case, not as well-documented by U.S. record labels. We try to remedy this here with this magnificent 1978 session when Russell led a 19-piece big band at New York's Village Vanguard for six weeks, in a tremendously diverse performance displaying the many facets of his art -- including his first famous composition, the two-part "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop" written in 1947 for the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra that served as a solid vehicle of that band's pioneering experiments in fusing bebop and Cuban jazz elements, enjoy. All That Jazz

George Russell
1982
Trip To Prillarguri

01. Theme 7:17
02. Souls 8:54
03. Event III 3:04
04. Vips 4:25
05. Stratusphunk 8:41
06. Esoteric Circle 4:57
07. Man On The Moon 11:05

Bass – Arild Andersen
Composed By – George Russell (tracks: A2, A3, B2), Jan Garbarek (tracks: A1, B1, B3)
Drums – Jon Christensen
Electric Guitar – Terje Rypdal
Tenor Saxophone – Jan Garbarek
Trumpet – Stanton Davis Jr.

Wow! In a fair world, this exceptional modern jazz album would have been issued by a major American jazz label –like Prestige or Blue Note—with decent liner notes explaining who was playing and what was going on in it. But it wasn’t. It was released –twelve years late—by the Italian label Soul Not with virtually no liner notes –doesn’t tell who plays, where recorded—and as a result, almost no one bought it, even those, like me, who admired Russell’s work in the States in the mid-60s. The album was recorded in concert in Sweden in 1970. Pianist-composer Russell was 47. The players he assembled for the concert were young: saxist Garbarek was 23 and drummer Christensen was the oldest at 27. All of them, with the exception of trumpeter Davis, went on to distinguished careers in jazz. They are all very good here. Garbarek was just starting to find his voice: he fluctuates between his earlier infatuation with distortion a la Ayler, Sanders, Shepp et cie., and his later smoothed out, no vibrato, boring ahead focus on sound and silence. Guitarist Rypdal, a little older, had already developed his sound, which used the potential for distortion inherent in his axe. Andersen and Christensen, who would play together repeatedly, were as good a rhythm duo as any group could expect, capable of moving from straight time keeping to subtle rhythmic and sound variations (drummer Christensen) or complementing second melody lines (bassist Andersen). Christensen became even better at what he did –one of the subtlest, most versatile of modern drummers—but he’s doing it awfully well even here. As for Andersen, I ‘ve never heard him play better.

The set comprises four tunes by Russell including probably his best known composition, “Stratusphunk,” which was recorded by Russell’s sextet in 1959 on the album of the same name and the next year by the Gil Evans Orchestra on Out of the Cool; two tunes by Garbarek; and one by Ornette Coleman (“Man on the Moon”, which was released in 1969 as a special single –two tunes- vinyl EP to commemorate America’s moon landing). Anyone who has listened to a George Russell album knows what a great arranger and composer he was. Even on the tunes he’d didn’t write, there are interesting touches in ensemble and backing. Russell solos on this album, but they aren’t long solos. The major soloists are the three horns –Davis, Garbarek, Rypdal. This is exciting music. Though resolutely, modern, it is immediately accessible. Even the listener who has reservations about modernism in jazz should enjoy it. A lot.

George Russell
1983
Live In An American Time Spiral

01. Time Spiral22:25
02. Ezz-thetic16:30
03. D.C. Divertimento10:17

Brian Leach ( Trumpet )
Doug Miller ( Sax Tenor )
Earl McIntyre ( Trombone )
George Russell ( Piano, Organ )
Jack Reilly ( Keyboards )
Jerome Harris ( Acoustic Bass Guitar )
Mark Soskin ( Keyboards )
Marty Ehrlich ( Alto Sax, Flute )
Ray Anderson ( Trombone )
Ron McClure ( Bass )
Stanton Davis ( Trumpet, Flugelhorn )
Tom Harrell ( Trumpet )
Victor Lewis ( Drums )
Ron Tooley ( Trumpet )
Bob Hanlon ( Baritone Sax )

Recorded July 30 and 31, 1982, New York
Remastered June 1, 1983 at Barigozzi Studio, Milan

Time Spiral was commissioned by the Sweedish Radio Broadcasting System in 1979

"Live in An American Time Spiral" captures legendary composer, arranger, educator, NEA Jazz Master, and 'MacArthur Fellow' George Russell, who created the highly-praised and innovative "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" music theory, in a live performance by his 14 piece orchestra in NYC circa 1982. With a group of young but well-seasoned rising stars, Russell presents one of his jazz standards, along with the multi-tempo, mercurial "Time Spiral" which was commissioned by the Swedish Radio Broadcasting System and finally the intriguing, atmospheric "DC Divertimento", commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Jazz Festival. And the performances are spectacular, from all aspects of compositions, arrangements, and solos. And the `cham-peen' of the night is one of the best versions ever of Russell's jazz standard composition "Ezz-thetic", written for heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles, featuring blazing, memorable solos from ascendant 'youngsters' Marty Ehrlich on tenor sax, Tom Harrell on trumpet, Ray Anderson on trombone and Victor Lewis on drums, based on a marvelous arrangement by saxophonist/educator Jerry Coker, who 'raises the stakes' near the end with marvelous unison statements and 'trades' between soloists. The soundscape has a 'here-there' feel to it among the orchestra sections with the saxes closer to the mike and the trumpets farther away, but it's acceptable and the solos are on mike in the orchestra. The single track "Ezz-thetic" is worth the price of the CD alone, which is very reasonable. George Russell: one of the great jazz composers and band leaders. My Highest Recommendation.

George Russell
1985
The African Game

01. Organic Life On Earth Begins6:38
02. The Paleolithic Game4:32
03. Consciousness2:22
04. The Survival Game7:45
05. The Human Sensing Of Unity With Great Nature0:50
06. African Empires8:23
07. Cartesian Man3:28
08. The Mega Minimalist Age4:04
09. The Future?7:18

Acoustic Bass – Bob Nieske
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Dave Mann, Janus Steprans
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brad Jones
Bass Trombone – Jeff Marsanskas
Conductor, Composed By – George Russell
Drums – Keith Copeland
Electric Bass [Fender] – Bill Urmson
French Horn – Marshall Sealy
Guitar – Mark White
Keyboards – Bruce Barth, Marc Rossi
Percussion – Dave Hagedorn
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – George Garzone
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Gary Joynes
Trombone – Chip Kaner, Peter Cirelli
Trumpet [1st] – Mike Peipman
Trumpet [2nd] – Chris Pasin
Trumpet [3rd] – Roy Okutani
Trumpet [4th] – Mark Harvey

Recorded live at Emmanuel Church, Boston, Massachusetts, June 18, 1983.
This release is made possible with the help of the Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities.

George Russell's The African Game is a major statement, a highly eclectic, nine-part, 45-minute suite for augmented big band that attempts to depict no less than the evolution of the species from the beginning of time to the present from an African perspective. Well, yes, this theme has been taken on by many an ambitious artist in every field, but Russell's work is remarkably successful because it tries to embrace a massive world of sound in open, colorful, young-thinking terms, with degrees of timbral unity and emotion to keep the idioms from flying out of control. There are traditional big band sounds here, but one is more likely to encounter electronics, African drumming by the five-piece group Olu Bata, atonality, rock, funk, even the sound of electric pencil sharpeners. Ironically, the section with the strongest injections of funk is entitled "The Survival Game (Survival of the Fittest)" -- possibly a barbed comment on the mercenary realities of the music business -- and "The Mega-Minimalist Age (Style Over Substance: The Decline of the Spirit)" leaves no doubt as to Russell's jaundiced view of commercial pop culture. The recording was made with help of grants from the state of Massachusetts and the NEA at the work's American premiere in a Boston church, and the performance sounds crisp and well-rehearsed. Indeed, this release Russell's first on a U.S. label in 13 years, and was an early sign from the newly revived (as of 1985) Blue Note label that they intended to be a major force in the jazz business again after sporadic patches of activity and neglect. So they have been ever since, despite deleting this CD.

One thing's for sure, you can't accuse of George Russell for thinking too small. From his Lydian theory breaking ground for modal jazz, to his use of tape music and electronics, to writing at least one urban ballet suite, to being one of the few to name-check UNICEF as an inspiration for a composition ... He's definitely one of those composers who thinks of music as an evolving art - not only in itself, but in how we can perceive the world around us through music.

And this release is no exception - it's nothing less than the entire history of the human race as a funky, experimental modal jazz suite. He sees the evolution of mankind as a game: "God said grace / And rolled the dice / On the human race", and divides the work into "Events", beginning with "Event I: Organic Life on Earth Begins (Uni-celled Beings to Amphibians)". It starts with the hiss of slithering out of the primordial slime, and slowly, quietly begins the journey from formlessness to intent. From there, the Paleolithic Game is indicated by an Afro-throbbing drum circle morphing into a more 70's-styled jazz-funk, with a James Brown-ish emphasis on the first beat, yet with a strange syncopated six-count structure and free-jazz sax wailing that gives it a primal feel, while remaining heady.

That's pretty much the drift - alternating between recognizeable fusion, a world-beat tribalism, metaphysical noodling, and frequent blues licks. Yeah - the blues. It's not a cheery interpretation of mankind, as indicated by his snidely intellectual titles, like "Event VII: Cartesian Man (The Ascent of Technocentricity, and Its Division of Man and Nature, the Fragmentation of All and Everything)", which is actually a pretty fun tune - mechanical but chaotic, shifting and bewildering. But then there's also horribly depressing tracks like "Event IV: The Survival Game (Survival of the Fittest)", following a rote, lengthy disco groove which MUST be a comment on the sad state of trying to survive as a professional jazz musician in the 80's. Currently, we're living "Event VIII: The Mega-Minimalist Age (Style Over Substance, The Decline of the Spirit)". Not too sure how the music is supposed to reflect that - it's actually one of the album's best tracks, as it swings, throbs, and grooves between genres, with sections of African drumming and passages of frantic city street hustle and bustle.

So then, is George Russell saying that that track just plays around with style, throwing any progressive musical theory aside? Is he dismissing his own music as merely enjoyable, or celebrating it? It's probably true that we live in an age of style over substance - we're certainly busying ourselves with a lot of fluff (hello, RYM!) and very static, backward-looking ideas about spirituality - evolution be damned. As a race of people we're losing the game ... but as a child of this vapid age, at least I'm having fun playing it.

George Russell
1986
So What

01. So What7:54
02. Rhymes6:21
03. War Gewesen5:12
04. Time Spiral19:22

Acoustic Bass – Bob Nieske (tracks: A1, B)
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Dave Mann (tracks: A1, B), Janus Steprans
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brad Jones (tracks: A1, B)
Bass Trombone – Jeff Marsanskas (tracks: A1, B)
Conductor – George Russell (tracks: A1, B)
Congas – Joe Galeota (tracks: A1, B)
Drums – Keith Copeland
Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Bill Urmson
French Horn – Marshall Sealy (tracks: A1, B)
Guitar – Mark White
Keyboards – Bruce Barth (tracks: A1, B), Marc Rossi
Percussion – Dave Hagedorn (tracks: A1, B)
Producer [Musical] – George Russell
Supervised By [Production Consultant] – Marty Khan
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – George Garzone (tracks: A1, B)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Gary Joynes
Trombone – Chip Kaner, Peter Cirelli (tracks: A1, B)
Trumpet [First Trumpet] – Mike Peipman (tracks: A1, B)
Trumpet [Fourth Trumpet] – Mark Harvey (8)
Trumpet [Second Trumpet] – Chris Passin* (tracks: A1, B)
Trumpet [Third Trumpet] – Roy Okutani (tracks: A1, B)

Mastered at: Sterling Sound, New York, New York
Recorded live at Emanuel Church, Boston, Massachusetts, June 18, 1983.

These tracks were recorded at the same Boston church concert that yielded The African Game, and Russell's Living Time Orchestra responds with the same kick and enthusiasm, although the musicians' individual solo turns aren't terribly startling. Half the CD is taken up by a performance of Russell's "Time Spiral," which opens promisingly but soon evolves into a pair of eventually tiresome funk vamps tied together with an episode of atonality. Russell's idiosyncratic take on Miles Davis'"So What" is built around a transcribed version of Miles' original solo, and it rocks to the modal changes without ever stating the theme. Russell uses an eight-person update of the Smalltet on the modal "Rhymes" and "War Gewesen," which roll forth on a distinct funk beat with plenty of Fender bass underpinning. Consider this as a supplement to The African Game, further evidence of Russell's (mixed?) desire to come to terms with the idioms of his time.

George Russell
2005
The 80th Birthday Concert

101. Listen To The Silence (Excerpt)5:36
102. Announcement0:40
103. Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature / Announcements
1 Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature27:18
2 Announcements0:25

201. The African Game
1 Event 1: Organic Live On Earth Begins4:32
2 Event 2: The Paleolithic Game3:44
3 Event 3: Consciousness2:45
4 Event 4: The Survival Game7:06
5 Event 5: The Human Sensing Of Unity With Great Nature0:45
6 Event 6: African Empires7:15
7 Event 7: Cartesian Man3:32
8 Event 8: The Mega-Minimalist Age3:36
9 Event 9: The Future?6:10
202. It's About Time12:19
203. So What12:19

Alto Saxophone – Chris Biscoe
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Pete Hurt
Drums – Richie Morales
Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Bill Urmson
Flute, Electronics – Hiro Honshuku
Guitar – Mike Walker
Keyboards – Brad Hatfield, Steve Lodder
Leader – George Russell
Percussion – Pat Hollenbeck
Tenor Saxophone – Andy Sheppard
Trombone [Bass Trombone] – Dave Bargeron
Trumpet – Palle Mikkelborg, Stanton Davis, Stuart Brooks

Recorded live on tour in June 2003.

George Russell has been a highly original arranger-composer in creative music for nearly 60 years, writing and performing music that is in its own world, with its own rules, logic, and genius. Although he has made some great recordings along the way, there have also been stretches when he was not that prolifically documented. The 80th Birthday Concert, a two-CD set, stands as one of his finest recordings and sums up much of his career. Conducting his 15-piece Living Time Orchestra, Russell performs new and innovative versions of "Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature" and the multi-part "African Game," which is over 40 minutes long and ends quite wildly. In addition the orchestra performs the briefer "Listen to the Silence,""It's About Time," and a reworking of the Miles Davis trumpet solo from "So What." While many soloists are heard from (most notably trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, tenor saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and trombonist Dave Bargeron), it is the sound of the passionate ensembles, the very original writing, and the spirit of the musicians and the ageless Russell that makes this a highly recommended set.

George Russell
2007
Things New-Unissued Concerts 1960 & 1964

01. Introduction (1:42)
02. Things New (7:58)
03. Dance Class (3:38)
04. Potting Shed (4:34)
05. Stratusphunk (6:35)
06. The Outer View (9:30)
07. Stratusphunk (7:08)
08. Volupte (11:59)
09. You Are The Sunshine (8:58)
10. Around Midnight (6:33)

Tracks from three recently discovered 1960’s concerts, by the celebrated arranger, pianist & experimental theorist, George Russell, released here for the very first time - and from the same period as his famous “Ezz-Thetics” album (1961) with Eric Dolphy. Included are new versions of the Russell classics: “Stratusphunk” and “The Outer View”.

1-5: Berkshire Music Barn, Lennox, Massachusetts, September 1, 1960.
6-9: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I., July 1964.
10: Europe, July, 1964.

Personnel / Recorded:

George Russell - piano, arranger
with:
#1-5:
Al Kiger - trumpet
Dave Baker - trombone
Dave Young - tenor sax
Chuck Israels - bass
Joe Hunt - drums
David Lahm - replace G.Russell on piano [#4 only]
Recorded at Berkshire Music Barn, Lennox, Massachusetts, September 1, 1960
#6-9:
Don Ellis - trumpet
Dave Baker - trombone
John Gilmore - tenor sax
Steve Swallow - bass
Pete La Roca - drums
Sheila Jordan - vocals [#9 only]
Recorded at Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I., July 1964
#10:
Thad Jones - cornet
Garnett Brown - trombone
Joe Farrell - saxes
Unknown musician - bass
Al Heath - drums
Recorded in Europe, July, 1964

There were few examples of early-'60s live recordings featuring composer/pianist George Russell for decades, then suddenly, several live sets appeared over a two year period between 2007 and 2008. This compilation on Rare Live Recordings includes a previously unissued set in 1960 at the Berkshire Music Barn in New England, a 1964 Newport Jazz Festival set (possibly taped by Voice of America for broadcast overseas), plus one song from a 1964 European concert. The first four tracks, all from 1960, include a band with trombonist David Baker, trumpeter Al Kiger, tenor saxophonist Dave Young, bassist Chuck Israels, and drummer Joe Hunt. Russell's style of forward-thinking jazz pleases the audience, especially the post-bop cooker "Things New" showcasing Baker, and David Lahm, one of Russell's students and the son of the famous lyricist Dorothy Fields, subs on piano, playing his complex original "Potting Shed," which shows the influence of his mentor. The tasty though unusual blues "Stratusphunk" has a great walking bassline, dissonant piano, and sassy muted trumpet. The Newport material faced special challenges, as Russell jokes about bringing rocks up onto the outdoor stage to hold the music in place. One can hear the wind hitting the microphone during some of his comments. Russell and Baker are joined by trumpeter Don Ellis, tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, bassist Steve Swallow (prior to his switch to electric bass), and drummer Pete "La Roca" Sims. The leader's challenging compositions "The Outer View" and "Volupte" are well received, though they produced catcalls from some members of European audiences during a tour later in the year. Vocalist Sheila Jordan is added for Russell's dissonant treatment of "You Are My Sunshine." The final track, from an unknown European venue, has tenorist Joe Farrell taking over the lead role from alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy (on the original studio session) in the pianist's superb arrangement of "'Round Midnight," with Russell adding some far out chords, though Farrell doesn't quite match Dolphy's emotion. The sound isn't flawless and there is some slight variation in the audio, a little muddy sound here and there and some wow, but hardly enough to keep from investigating these historic performances.

George Russell
2008
Live in Bremen and Paris

01. Round Midnight 7:38
02. You Are My Sunshine 11:10
03. D.C. Divertimento 9:17
04. Sippin' At Bells 6:42
05. The Outer View 11:04
06. Volupte 12:35
07. You Are My Sunshine 11:06
08. D.C. Divertimento 9:01

George Russelll: Piano
Thad Jones: Cornet & Trumpet
Garnett Brown: Trombone
Joe Farrell: Sax
Barre Phillips: Bass
Albert Heath: Drums

George Russell was an innovative composer who gathered a lot of attention in the late 1950s and early '60s, though this pair of previously unissued concerts from a 1964 tour of Western Europe mark his earliest known live recordings. Having issued several acclaimed LPs for Riverside prior to its demise, much of the material on this CD draws from those albums, though with a different lineup. The pianist took his challenging charts on the road, producing fascinating results. Tenor saxophonist Joe Farrell takes the place of alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy (who died in Europe a few months prior to these performances) in the superb arrangement of "Round Midnight," though Farrell doesn't quite reach the emotional peak of Dolphy's solo. The band also includes Thad Jones (on cornet and trumpet), trombonist Garnett Brown, bassist Barre Phillips, and drummer Tootie Heath. There are two separate takes of "You Are My Sunshine," neither of which feature vocalist Sheila Jordan, who was a part of Russell's other recordings of it, instead, Jones is the featured soloist. His playful, imaginative take delights the Bremen, Germany audience, though there is some negative reaction from some people during the Paris recording made a few days later. There are also two takes of Russell's complex "D.C. Divertimento," a collage of contrasting elements suggesting a city in an uproar. Russell's "The Outer View" is a dissonant extended work that upsets some of the Paris audience, as catcalls and boos are heard along with the applause, causing him to laugh and comment "The next composition some of you might like even less," which proves correct, as some people are rather unhappy with his constantly shifting suite "Volupte" as well. The sound is quite good for both shows, suggesting well-preserved broadcast tape sources. This is a very welcome addition to George Russell's discography.

Horace Tapscott
1969
The Giant Is Awakened

01. The Giant Is Awakened17:23
02. For Fats2:20
03. The Dark Tree7:01
04. Niger's Theme11:55

Alto Saxophone – Black Arthur Blythe
Bass – David Bryant, Walter Savage Jr.
Drums – Everett Brown Jr.
Piano – Horace Tapscott

Fantastic LP, as are all by Tapscott. On the title track, Tapscott lays down this heavy heavy groove and carries the rest of the group along. It's just driving and he is pounding the keys. Not virtuosity on display, but pure emotion, althought there are plenty of examples here and on his other LP's where his abilities are on full display. The rest of the LP holds to the standard set on this track. I have yet to hear an LP led by him, be it solo piano, his drum/piano duets, trio, or his large ensembles releases that is not worth it's weight in gold.

There are very few musicians who can be turned towards to feel the beating heart of African-American ethos. Horace Tapscott is one of them. The blunt force with which he strikes piano keys is reminiscent of the hard edge in the deepest part of the blues. The angularity of his attack, which makes for a dramatic, slanted enunciation, also reminds the listener that the blues can also be beautiful and subtle. In Mr. Tapscott’s musicianship there is also the reminder that the blues swings and is ebullient as it proclaims the triumph of human endeavour, but it is also haunting as it traverses through all the pain of being black in America. This is why he always gave the feeling of being heraldic and served as a moral compass for musicians and listeners alike. Mr. Tapscott’s music produced an elemental ache in the heart of the listener just as much as it shaped the eventual joy that came from experiencing that melancholic thorn in the soul. Such was the power of Horace Tapscott’s music as it roamed the topography of African-American culture that it described the racism against a people in a brutal and unexpurgated way. But more than anything, more than the striking mirror it held up against society, it reflected the anguish of discrimination and the art that pronounced it.

Horace Tapscott’s seminal recording The Giant is Awakened was cause for celebration when it was first produced in 1969 by Bob Thiele and released on the Flying Dutchman imprint. And now, Jonathan Horwich and his International Phonograph Inc. have produced a brilliantly packaged re-issue. This is a project worthy of recognition all over again for all of the reasons mentioned earlier. But it is also worthy of remembering again for the genius of Mr. Tapscott’s writing. First of all, like all modern masters, the pianist shows his deep sense of history. He belongs to the finest tradition not only of pianists but also of musicians who held fast to unbridled excellence. “Fats” Waller—the genius he celebrates in his own composition entitled “Fats”—runs through his veins and spills out onto the keyboard. And like that other genius, Mr. Tapscott wastes no time on useless virtuosity. Each note is heartfelt, but is also precisely where it should be. This makes for the lean and sinewy manner in which his phrasing and also his lines excite the listener. His stories are also vivid: They can be ominous as in “The Giant is Awakened” and “The Dark Tree” and they can also be fantastic as they unfolded in a vivid, yet dreamlike manner, as in “Niger’s Theme”.

At a time when much music is thin on substance this record is a timely reminder that great music should never be forgotten. Unfortunately the record also comes at a time when John Coltrane’s Offering and Charles Lloyd’s Manhattan Stories are being lionized in the press. But The Giant is Awakened should not be allowed to pass like a ship in the night. Nor should the importance of Mr. Horwich’s endeavours be allowed to be in vain. This is and will always be an important record returning at an important but unfortunate time in the history of discrimination against the African-American Diaspora.

Horace Tapscott
1979
In New York

01. Akirfa9:21
02. Lino’s Pad10:02
03. Sketches Of Drunken Mary9:16
04. If You Could See Me Now10:28

Bass – Art Davis
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Horace Tapscott

The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan completely blew me away when I first heard it. This Horace Tapscott performance is similar in many ways. Horace Tapscott is as savagely underappreciated as Hasaan Ibn Ali when it comes to pianists but at least he was recorded more than JUST ONCE. Both recordings are by a piano/bass/drums Jazz trio. Bassist Art Davis is common to both. A trade-off of drummer Max Roach for Roy Haynes is no loss at all. They're both drumming gods. Lastly, both Ali and Tapscott are pianists from a completely different cloth, that will drop your jaw. Tapscott ventures less into the regions of Free-Jazz this time around which ends up making him sound even more like Hasaan Ibn Ali. The first time I heard In New York it actually had me cheering on the band like I was taking in a spectator sport.

Horace Tapscott
1979
LIVE at I.U.C.C

01. Macrame
02. Future Sally’s Time
03. Noissessprahs
04. McKowsky’s First Fifth
05. Village Dance
06. L.T.T.
07. Desert Fairy Princess
08. Lift Every Voice

Horace Tapscott: piano
Jesse Sharps: soprano saxophone
Sabir Mateen: tenor saxophone
James Andrews: tenor saxophone
Michael Session: alto saxophone
Kafi Roberts: flute
Herbert Callies: alto clarinet
David Bryant: bass
Alan Hines: bass
Everett Brown, Jr.: drums
Adele Sebastian: flute
Billy Harris: soprano and tenor saxophones
Daa’oud Woods: percussions
Red Callendar: tuba
Lester Robertson: trombone
John Williams: baritone saxophone
Aubrey Hart: flute
Roberto Miranda: bass
Billy Hinton: drums
Linda Hill: piano
Desta Walker: tenor saxophone
Mike Daniels: percussions
Louis Spears: cello

Recorded February to June 1979 at the Imannuel United Church of Christ, 85th and Holmes, Los Angeles.The U.G.M.A.A (Union Of God's Musicians & Artists Ascension) Foundation was involved.

Pianist Horace Tapscott together with his Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra playing some fantastic Sun Ra influenced jazz.Reverential in tone the music was written by Tapscott to be played in church(the I.U.C.C).Almost all of the tracks are long sprawling numbers held together by a heavy driving African rhythm.No where is this more evident than on Village Dance.I do not seem to listen to this record enough for some reason but every time I do I let it play right through and always hear something new which is testament to the players.L.T.T showcases some of Tapscott's best playing on the set.All lovers of Sun Ra and Impulse! period Sanders should get hold of a copy of this forgotten gem.

Horace Tapscott
1980
Autumn Colours

01. Blues For Dee II
02. Dee Bee's Dance
03. Autumn Colors
04. J.O.B.

Recorded in Hollywood, May 3, 1980

Bass – David Bryant
Drums – Everett Brown Jr.
Piano – Horace Tapscott

Los Angeles-based pianist Horace Tapscott (1934) was something of a moral leader for California's free-jazz community. In 1959 he established the multimedia Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and in 1961 he helped create the Underground Musicians' Association (UGMA), but nothing surfaced on record. A quintet featuring alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe recorded the four jams of The Giant Is Awakened (april 1969), also known as West Coast Hot. The solo piano album Songs of the Unsung (february 1978), full of covers, was hardly representative of his compositional genius or his rhythmically eccentric style. The Arkestra (two pianos, six reeds, two trombones, tuba, cello, two basses and two percussionists) was finally documented on Flight 17 (april 1978), that includes no Tapscott compositions, and The Call (april 1978), mostly composed by Tapscott. Besides a trio with bassist Art Davis and drummer Roy Haynes, In New York (january 1979), and the other trios of Autumn Colors (may 1980), and Dissent or Descent (1984), and the duo with a drummer of At the Crossroads (1980), his art was best represented on the two original pieces of Dial B for Barbara (1981) for a sextet (piano, trumpet, two saxophones, bass and drums).

Horace Tapscott
1981
Live At Lobero

101. Inception29:10
102. Sketches Of Drunken Mary10:42
103. Raisha's New Hip Dance8:28
104. The Dark Tree21:05

201. Lino´s Pad13:00
202. Close To Freedom5:30
203. St. Michael22:00

Bass – Roberto Miranda
Percussion – Sonship
Piano – Horace Tapscott

This concert was recorded on November 12, 1981 in the Lobero Theater, Santa Barbara, California.

The Lobero Theatre was built in 1872 by Jose Lobero, a local composer and musician. It is presently owned by the community and run as a non-profit entity.

Pianist Horace Tapscott is always at his best when he is leading a trio. This rare outing features Tapscott with his longtime bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Sonship on three extended performances including Tapscott's colorful "Sketches Of Drunken Mary" and a 21-minute version of "The Dark Tree." Hopefully this valuable Lp will someday be reissued on CD for Tapscott has made too few recordings during his long career.

Years after his premature death, the tirelessly innovative pianist Horace Tapscott remains something of a secret. This long-awaited reissue of a 1981 performance will undoubtedly please his modest yet ardent fan base. But the highly charged atmosphere and outstanding trio interplay also make this disc an easy recommendation for adventurous listeners of all stripes.

The opener, “Inception,” is a lengthy piece left off the original LP. A meditative African percussion jam develops over the first ten minutes, eventually giving way to a series of soundscapes. Tapscott’s piano churns up stormy, tumbling waves, then recedes to bleak tragedy. Bassist Roberto Miranda, using his bow throughout the piece, renders an expressive sketch full of low turbulence, and Sonship Theus is virtuosic and eloquent on drums. Each player picks up ideas from the others, often repeating and evolving rhythmic phrases.

“Sketches of Drunken Mary” moves from a relaxed dance to a cyclone, with pianistic swirls and leaps, sour yet muscular bass work and a volcanic drum solo. “Raisha’s New Hip Dance” finds Tapscott alone, drawing hints of ragtime, mechanistic trills and chattery descending phrases from a moody, elusive theme.

“Dark Tree” is an electrifying and fitting closer. Growing from a four-note riff and a conga-line beat, the piece soon finds the full trio slapping the rhythm around. Miranda and Theus each take arresting, extended solos until that initial riff claws its way back, finally emerging to ride the CD home on a triumphant groove.

Horace Tapscott
1983
Dial 'B' For Barbra

01. Lately's Solo10:30
02. Dial 'B' For Barbra9:47
03. Dem' Folks19:37

Drums, Percussion – Everett Brown Jr.
Piano – Horace Tapscott
Saxophone [Alto, Soprano] – Gary Bias
Saxophone [Tenor] – Sabir Matteen
Trumpet – Reggie Bullen
Violin [Bass] – Roberto Miguel Miranda

The best of pianist Horace Tapscott's recordings for the tiny Nimbus label is this 1981 LP which features him in a sextet with trumpeter Reggie Bullen, altoist Gary Bias, tenor saxophonist Sabir Matteen, bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Everett Brown, Jr. The group stretches out on a couple of Tapscott's originals plus a 19½-minute version of Linda Hill's "Dem Folks." Although the music could be called avant-garde, its use of rhythms and repetition keep the results from being forbidding and the performances have a momentum of their own.

Horace Tapscott
1983
Faith

01. Sketches Of Drunken Mary
02. Faith
03. Yesterday's Sunset
04. As A Child

Bass – Roberto Miranda
Cello – Louis Spears
Drums – Everett Brown Jr.
Piano – Horace Tapscott
Violin – Melvin Moore

Recorded on August 12 & 13, 1983 in Hollywood, California.

While Los Angeles is the power center of the popular music industry, it's always been a backwater as far as jazz is concerned. That's not because L.A. hasn't produced more than it's share of great players: a roll call of major players who made L.A. their home at some point would include Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Ornette Coleman, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, and Charles Mingus, among many others. L.A.'s second-class status in the jazz world probably has more to do with the fact that it's about as geographically distant from the music's capitol - New York City - as is possible while still remaining on the same continent. Given the fact that, over the last several decades, New York critics have become probably the most provincial in jazzdom, it's little wonder that so many great California-based musicians are less critically vaunted than they might justifiably be. Simply put, being famous is not something a jazz musician from Los Angeles can count on. Horace Tapscott was the quintessence of the neglected Californian. Tapscott was a powerful, highly individual, bop-tinged pianist with avant-garde leanings; a legend and something of a father figure to latter generations of L.A.-based free jazz players, Tapscott labored mostly on the fringes of the critical mainstream, recording prolifically, but mostly for the small, poorly distributed Nimbus label. The quality of the music on those releases, however, was almost invariably high. His pianistic technique was hard and percussive, likened by some to that of Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols and every bit as distinctive. In contexts ranging from freely improvised duos to highly arranged big bands, Tapscott exhibited a solo and compositional voice that was his own.

Tapscott was born in Houston, TX, to a musical family. His mother, Mary Malone Tapscott, was a professional singer and pianist. At the age of nine, Tapscott moved with his family to Los Angeles. Tapscott reached maturity at a critical time in the history of L.A. jazz. The late '40s saw musicians the caliber of Dexter Gordon, Art Tatum, and Coleman Hawkins play the city's Central Avenue clubs with regularity; Charlie Parker also made the city home for a brief - and infamous - period. Saxophonist Buddy Collette and drummer Gerald Wilson were friends of the family. In his teens, Tapscott studied music with Dr. Samuel Brown and Lloyd Reese (students of the latter also included saxophonists Frank Morgan and Eric Dolphy). Tapscott studied trombone and piano. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1952. He enlisted in the Air Force and played in a service band while stationed in Wyoming. After his discharge, Tapscott returned to Los Angeles, where he worked freelance. A stint as a trombonist with Lionel Hampton's big band took Tapscott to New York in 1959, where he was introduced by Eric Dolphy to John Coltrane. After a brief period in the city, Tapscott moved back to L.A. Around this time, Tapscott began concentrating on the piano. In the '60s, Tapscott became involved with the jazz avant-garde and community activism. In 1961, he helped found the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension, which eventually spawned his Pan-African People's Arkestra. Both groups were designed to further the interests of creative young black jazz musicians. In 1968, Tapscott composed and arranged music for an acclaimed LP by the saxophonist Sonny Criss entitled The Birth of the New Cool. He had also begun leading a small group that included the soon-to-be-famous alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe. This band produced Tapscott's first album as a leader, The Giant Is Awakened, in 1969. Tapscott spent the next decade playing his own music and working in the community. His activism got him labeled as a troublemaker by many in the musical establishment. Paying gigs were scarce in the '70s, although Tapscott continued to create, performing at Parks and Recreation events and in churches around Watts. During this period, his only regular gig was at the Troubador on L.A.'s Restaurant Row. In 1977, Tapscott revived the dormant Pan-Afrikan People's Arkestra. The band became a multidisciplinary troupe, combining music with dance and poetry. The group came to the attention of producer Tom Albach, who began recording Tapscott for the Nimbus label. The long succession of albums to follow would become the basis of the pianist/composer's small but growing reputation. Albach also booked European tours for Tapscott, thus exposing his music worldwide. In 1979, Tapscott recorded with drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Art Taylor. In the '80s, Tapscott continued to flourish creatively as he continued to record for Nimbus (and in 1989, Hat Art) and perform both at home and abroad. In 1994, Tapscott took the entire Arkestra on a tour of Europe, with Blythe as a featured soloist. In the '90s, Tapscott had the opportunity - long denied - of recording for a well-distributed domestic label. Arabesque issued aiee! the Phantom, a quintet date that featured bassist Reggie Workman, drummer Andrew Cyrille, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and alto saxophonist Abraham Burton. Arabesque followed that with Thoughts of Dar-Es Salaam (1997), a trio set that included bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Billy Hart. At the time of his death in 1999 of lung cancer, it seemed that Tapscott's work was finally beginning to receive the attention it deserved.

Horace Tapscott
1995
Aiee The Phantom

01. To The Great House7:48
02. The Goat And Ram Jam8:51
03. Aiee! The Phantom10:28
04. Drunken Mary / Mary On Sunday9:25
05. Inspiration Of Silence6:37
06. Mothership15:49

Alto Saxophone – Abraham Burton
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Piano – Horace Tapscott
Trumpet – Marcus Belgrave

Recorded June 1995 at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, NY.

Pianist-composer Horace Tapscott has long been Los Angeles' great local legend. He has had his own sound and style since the mid-1960's but, due to his relatively few recordings (mostly for Nimbus) and his desire to live in L.A. rather than New York, he has long been underrated if not completely overlooked. Falling between post bop and the avant-garde, Tapscott plays locally with a blazing (if thus far undocumented) quartet that includes saxophonist Michael Sessions. Recently he recorded Aiee! The Phantom with an all-star quintet including trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, altoist Abraham Burton, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Tapscott performs four of his modal-based originals and a pair of obscurities quite freely but with attention paid to the moods of the compositions. Highlights include "Drunk Mary/Mary On Sunday,""To The Great House" and the adventurous "Mothership." Perhaps this recording (available from Arabesque) will alert the rest of the jazz world as to the strong talents of the great veteran Horace Tapscott.

Horace Tapscott
1997
Thoughts of Dar es Salaam

01. As A Child
02. Bibi Mkuu: The Great Black Lady
03. Lullaby In Black
04. Sandy & Niles
05. Wiletta's Walk
06. Social Call
07. Oleo
08. Thoughts Of Dar Es Salaam
09. Now's The Time

Bass – Ray Drummond
Drums – Billy Hart
Piano – Horace Tapscott

Recorded 30 June & 1 July, 1996 at Eastside Sound, NYC.

The final album by West Coast pianist and composer Horace Tapscott is one of sublime gentility, reaching harmonic elegance and meditative grace. Accompanied by Billy Hart on drums and bassist Ray Drummond, Tapscott moves through five compositions by others -- including Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time"; Sonny Rollins'"Oleo"; and Gig Gryce's "Social Call," as well as Thurman Greene's "Lullaby in Black" -- and adds four of his own to a set that is unusually devoid of odd time signatures and floating rhythmic techniques. There is a gorgeous waltz in "As a Child" that is big on rigorous attention to harmonic detail and not lilting danceability. Also, during the title track, Hart and Drummond move the four-four time signature into reversals of two-four or six-four and accent the living hell out of every turnaround in the score. Another notable track is the inventive chorded cascades Tapscott lays down in "Bibi Mkuu: The Great Black Lady," where he moves from a restatement of Ramsey Lewis' early version of "Wade in the Water" to an inversion of rhythmic pulse and melody, digging into the middle register for large open chords and angular arpeggios that point back to that source. The tuner rings with authority. If Tapscott would have had more time, there is no telling where he would have gone. Maybe he would have stayed in the same place he'd stayed for 30 years, helping out younger musicians from L.A. But with playing and composition like this, rattling the cage of the neo-trad punks, it's hard to believe they could have overlooked him forever.

Horace Tapscott
1998
Dissent or Descent

01. As A Child7:00
02. Sandy And Niles7:30
03. To The Great House12:00
04. Spellbound14:00
05. Ballad For Samuel7:30
06. Ruby, My Dear10:00
07. Chico's Back In Town8:00

Bass – Fred Hopkins (tracks: 1 to 5, 7)
Drums – Ben Riley (tracks: 1 to 5, 7)
Piano – Horace Tapscott

This 1984 trio date offers a rare early chance to hear the Los Angeles-based pianist playing with New York City peers. Dissent or Descent offers food for thought on where Tapscott falls in the jazz style spectrum by teaming him with Ben Riley, a drummer linked to Thelonious Monk, and AACM-associated bassist Fred Hopkins. "As a Child" opens with nice melodic touches -- the piano may be mixed a little low but it's not a crucial drawback since Tapscott is forceful enough and the rhythm section sensitive enough to overcome it. The prominent role Tapscott's left hand plays in his melodic conception makes Randy Weston comparisons come to life both here and on "Sandy and Niles.""To the Great House" is a high spot, insistently pushing and jabbing, with Hopkins switching from anchor to doubling the melody to playing countermelodies during the theme. Tapscott doesn't strew notes around, his solo is built off melodic impulses over gorgeous chordal ripples, unfolding organically with sensitive cymbal support from Riley, who reserves drums for his solos. Clifford Jordan's "Spell Bound" finds Tapscott romping around the buoyant tempo and Hopkins at his best ranging through the middle. "Ballad for Samuel" pays homage to Tapscott's mentor Samuel L. Browne, the famous music teacher at Los Angeles' Jefferson High in the '30s and '40s. Two extra solo pieces boast a much crisper piano sound and a more expansive Tapscott. "Ruby, My Dear" starts gorgeously with rolling chords smoothing out the Monk quirks before Tapscott elaborates to show why he may rank as one of the most intrinsically fascinating solo pianists ever. The original "Chico's Back in Town" is another prime example because you never know where he's going -- the music unfolds as it happens (exactly as it should), with a fragmented start leading to pounding flourishes, forceful pedal work and a racehorse finale. Actually, Tapscott's playing with the trio is fairly muted, with more emphasis put on his formidable melodic gifts than any virtuoso turns. Dissent or Descent may not be the best music any of these musicians created but it's a good example of solid, tasteful professionalism.

Horace Tapscott
1999 -
The Dark Tree

101. The Dark Tree20:56
102. Sketches Of Drunken Mary11:32
103. Lino's Pad16:46
104. One For Lately10:24

201. Sandy And Niles11:17
202. Bavarian Mist13:16
203. The Dark Tree 218:30
204. A Dress For Renee4:57
205. Nyja's Theme19:44

Clarinet – John Carter
Contrabass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Piano – Horace Tapscott

Recorded live at Catalina Bar & Grill, Hollywood on December 14-17, 1989.

Buried treasure, lost and found... pianist Horace Tapscott's The Dark Tree has only been sporadically available since its original, limited edition release in 1991, and the re-releases have been small runs. In the gloaming, fables have grown around the album. But as is by no means always the case with rarities, the reality here is as good as the legend: this motherlode of groove is a signature performance by a woefully neglected artist.

Recorded live at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood in 1989, the album finds Tapscott—with clarinetist John Carter, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Andrew Cyrille—stirring a steaming gumbo of ostinato-driven street funk and visceral, outer limits jazz. The title track, just short of 21 minutes, remains in 2009 a galvanising avant-groove of epic proportions: anchored by McBee's low down and gloriously resonant bass, Tapscott delivers a cadenza and block chord-laden solo of astonishing incantatory power.

An alternative performance, "The Dark Tree 2," included on the second disc, is almost, but not quite, as intense. Carter is blinding on both versions. Anyone with an aversion to clarinet, and they are not few, should bend an ear. Cyrille, who takes the third solo, is on fire. "Lino's Pad" hits a similar spot, despite some tricky time signature shifts between 7/4 and 4/4. There isn't a dud on either disc.

The Dark Tree's roots are diverse. It can be traced back to late 1960s/early 1970s proto-grooves like trumpeter Eddie Gale's "Black Rhythm Happening" and trumpeter Donald Byrd's "The Emperor," and the contemporaneous vamp-laden work of saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and pianist Alice Coltrane. Tapscott himself includes Cecil Taylor, Andrew Hill, Randy Weston and Les McCann in the mix. Politically, the music is informed by the Underground Musicians Association (UGMA), later renamed the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension (UGMAA), which Tapscott co-founded in Los Angeles in 1961.

Anyone interested in Tapscott and UGMA/UGMAA will enjoy reading Steven L. Isoardi's The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles (University of California Press, 2006), which examines the links that can be forged between jazz musicians and the communities in which they live, and the use of music as an engine of social change.

Horace Tapscott
2009
Lighthouse 79

101. Acirfa
102. Dem, Folks
103. I Remember Clifford
104. Leland's Song
105. Acirfa

201. Akirfa
202. Niger's Theme
203. Stella By Starlight
204. Lush Life
205. Inspiration Of Silence

Alto Saxophone – Gary Bias
Bass – David Bryant, Roberto Miranda
Drums – George Goldsmith
Piano – Horace Tapscott
Trumpet – Reggie Bullen

Recorded Oct. 10 7 11, 1979 at Ruby Onderwyzer's Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, CA.

I would recommend getting this recording for "Leland's Song", even if the rest sucked, which it most definitely doesn't. Horace Tapscott was a mad genius! That song is so good that I can't help but laugh several times from pure enjoyment when he gets grooving. You don't want it to end, and it doesn't. It keeps going for almost 19 minutes. It's one of my all-time favorite songs for sure, even it doesn't sound as tight as it could be. They obviously didn't rehearse that song very much. Another point of interest is that this concert also features Horace Tapscott's take on "I Remember Clifford", which is not even remotely an avant-garde song.

George Russell - 1982 - New York Big Band

George Russell - 1982 - Trip To Prillarguri

George Russell - 1983 - Live In An American Time Spiral

George Russell - 1985 - The African Game

George Russell - 1986 - So What

George Russell - 2005 - The 80th Birthday Concert

George Russell - 2007 - Things New-Unissued Concerts 1960 & 1964

George Russell - 2008 - Live in Bremen and Paris

Horace Tapscott - 1969 - The Giant Is Awakened

Horace Tapscott - 1979 - In New York

Horace Tapscott - 1979 - LIVE at I.U.C.C

Horace Tapscott - 1980 - Autumn Colours

Horace Tapscott - 1981 - Live At Lobero

Horace Tapscott - 1983 - Dial 'B' For Barbra

Horace Tapscott - 1983 - Faith

Horace Tapscott - 1995 - Aiee The Phantom

Horace Tapscott - 1997 - Thoughts of Dar es Salaam

Horace Tapscott - 1998 - Dissent or Descent

Horace Tapscott - 1999 - The Dark Tree

Horace Tapscott - 2009 - Lighthouse 79