The Dark Tree: Jazzand the Community Arts in Los Angeles (George Gund Foundation Book in African American Studies)

409 Pages·2006·2.72 MB·English

by  Steve Isoardi

THE DARK TREE
   
    
The George Gund Foundation has endowed
this imprint to advance understanding of
the history,culture,and current issues
ofAfrican Americans.
The Dark Tree
Jazz and the Community Arts
in Los Angeles
STEVEN L. ISOARDI
With an Appendix by ROBERTO MIRANDA
INCLUDES CD
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution
to this book provided by the African American Studies Endowment
Fund of the University of California Press Foundation,which is
supported by a major gift from the George Gund Foundation.
University of California Press,one of the most distinguished
university presses in the United States,enriches lives around the
world by advancing scholarship in the humanities,social sciences,
and natural sciences.Its activities are supported by the UC Press
Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals
and institutions.For more information,visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles,California
University of California Press,Ltd.
London,England
© 2006 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Isoardi,Steven L.
The dark tree :jazz and the community arts in Los Angeles /
Steven L.Isoardi.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-520-24591-1 (cloth :alk.paper).
1.Jazz—California—Los Angeles—History and criticism.
2.African American jazz musicians—California—Los Angeles.
3.Artists and community—California—Los Angeles. 4.Jazz—
Social aspects. I.Title.
ML3508.8.L7I86 2006
781.65'09794'94—dc22 2005015753
Manufactured in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
To
the memory of
Horace Tapscott
the Brothers and Sisters of
The Underground Musicians Association
The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
The Union of God’s Musicians and Artists Ascension
and
UGMAAgers everywhere
“The Dark Tree”has to do with the tree of life of a race of
people that was dark,
and everybody went past it and all its history.
The whole tree of a civilization was just passed over and left
in the dark,
but there it still stood.
Horace Tapscott,Songs of the Unsung
Contents
Illustrations follow pages 88 and 200.
CD Playlist ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
1. Ancestral Echoes: Roots of the African American
Community Artist 1
2. Ballad for Samuel: The Legacy of Central Avenue
and the 1950s Avant-Garde in Los Angeles 18
3. Lino’s Pad: African American Los Angeles and
the Formation of the Underground Musicians Association 41
4. The Giant Is Awakened: The Watts Uprising and
Cultural Resurgence 65
5. Warriors All: UGMA in the Middle of It 89
6. The Mothership: From UGMA to the Pan Afrikan Peoples
Arkestra and UGMAA 112
7. To the Great House: The Arkestra in the 1970s 145
8. Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam: The Institutionalization of UGMAA 177
9. At the Crossroads: The Ark and UGMAA in the 1980s 201
10. The Hero’s Last Dance: The’90s Resurgence 223
11. Aiee!The Phantom: Horace Tapscott 246
12. The Black Apostles: The Arkestra/UGMAA Ethos and Aesthetic 272
Appendix. A View from the Bottom: The Music of
Horace Tapscott and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
Roberto Miranda 293
Notes 301
Bibliography 329
Index 345
CD Playlist
Discographies of issued recordings by the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra,
Horace Tapscott,and various UGMAA-affiliated small groups can be found
in the appendices to Horace’s autobiography,Songs of the Unsung.The fol-
lowing performances are taken from the Horace Tapscott Archive and are
here issued for the first time.
1.“Tell God All of My Troubles”(from the For My Peoplesuite).Traditional,
arranged by Horace Tapscott.2 December 1969,Bing,Los Angeles,CA;2:57
Piano and conductor of the Underground Musicians and Artists Association:
Horace Tapscott;solo vocal:William Marshall;the Voice of UGMAA,including
Cynthia,Vernetta,Landern,Pat K,Linda Hill,Will Connell,Willie L,Scratch,
Charles,Oscar.
2.“Carnival”(from music for King Christophe).Composed and arranged by
Horace Tapscott.3 May 1970;6:08
Piano and conductor:Horace Tapscott;flute:Edwin Pleasant,Chico Roberson,
Ernest Straughter;alto saxophone:Black Arthur Blythe,Will Connell;tenor
saxophone:Cerion Middleton III,Ray Straughter;cornet:Butch Morris;
trombone:Robert S;bass:David Bryant,Walter Savage;drums:Jimmy Hoskins;
conga:Brother Eddie;pot:Marcus Hill.
3.“Waltz Time”(from music for King Christophe).Composed and arranged by
Horace Tapscott.3 May 1970;1:29
Personnel same as for track 2.
4.“Funeral”(later titled “Warriors All,”from music for King Christophe).
Composed and arranged by Horace Tapscott.3 May 1970;3:14
Personnel same as for track 2,plus vocalists including Cynthia,Glenda,Linda
Hill,Oscar,Charles.
ix