Horace Tapscott - 1981 - Live At Lobero

Horace Tapscott

1981

Live At Lobero

101. Inception 29:10

102. Sketches Of Drunken Mary 10:42

103. Raisha's New Hip Dance 8:28

104. The Dark Tree 21:05

201. Lino´s Pad 13:00

202. Close To Freedom 5:30

203. St. Michael 22:00

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.