Horace Tapscott « Ancestral Echoes » // Greg Burk, Metal Jazz

Composer-pianist Tapscott was stoking the L.A. fires of the African diaspora so high in the 1970s that, according to Steven Isoardi’s comprehensive notes, his tapes got incinerated the day after a recording session, and many of his Arkestra were rendered homeless when their communal house burned down. But fate didn’t prevent Tapscott from documenting a vital 1976 studio performance of his large ensemble showcasing many young musicians and ambitious works by Tapscott, Guido Sinclair and Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq. Passionate solos, strong rhythms and healing vibes abound, and thanks to engineer Wayne Peet’s miraculous restoration, you can really feel the heat.