Horace Tapscott / Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra / UGMAA / Nimbus West Records / affiliated Los Angeles avant-jazz

If you're in the NY area, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is screening Larry Clark's Passing Through tomorrow (Labor Day) at 4pm:

https://www.bam.org/film/2022/passing-through

Larry's uncle was Sonny Clark, and this film was Larry's MFA thesis. (That same year, Charles Burnett turned his thesis which turned out to be Killer of Sheep and David Lynch completed his AFI-produced project which was Eraserhead. Easily the greatest year for student films ever.) Clark owns the rights to the film, and per his wishes, Passing Through can only seen in theaters - there's no legal home viewing release. Since this is a DCP, it's probably transferred from UCLA's recent restoration of the original negative, so it should look really good.

Posting this here because Horace Tapscott does the score.

Here's Richard Brody's review in the New Yorker (though primarily a film critic, Brody occasionally writes jazz reviews for them too):

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/one-of-the-greatest-movies-about-jazz

It’s worth paying for definitely, for these who can. It’s a whole unreleased album!

I mean the album on Mr. Bongo

Needs to be specified: Not that Larry Clark. (Kids, Bully, et al.)

This Mr. Bongo archival release is just as good as The Giant Is Awakened, which I didn't think was possible. Vinyl sounds nice, too. If you are on the fence, don't hesitate.

My one geeky nitpick: the LP sleeve is about 1/4" bigger than standard, which means it doesn't fit into a plastic sleeve. I've seen a few other records like this recently (the Bulbous Creation reissue on Numero and Tangerine Dream's Strange Behavior soundtrack, for two), and hope it isn't a trend.

LA Institute for Contemporary Art is hosting a Milford Graves listening party for a new album, and a screening of the film about him the next day at their Arts District location. RSVP required, and I don't know if any are left.

https://www.theicala.org/en/events/494-milford-graves-album-release-listening-party

currently listening to Sonny Criss's "Sonny's Dream" w/ music composed, arranged, and conducted by HT

highly recommended, the arrangements can really swing but are kind of avant and raggedy too

Tapscott's memoir is great!!