Horace Tapscott - The Dark Tree (2009)

The under-recorded pianist/composer/arranger Horace Tapscott was a sort of legendary figure in jazz circles, a function of his genius combined with the paucity of recordings available that feature his playing. The double CD, The Dark Tree, is one of the best examples of his work, capturing him live at a local club with a quartet featuring clarinetist John Carter, another equally great West Coast jazz musician whom fame somehow eluded. (Other members of the quartet are long-time collaborator, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and bassist Cecil McBee.) The pianist shows his feathers on piece after piece (most of which were written by him), in which he is as comfortable with post-bop runs as he is with their avant-garde implications. Through it all, you can hear his blues-drenched roots. This one has been out-of-print as often as not, so it probably makes sense to get it while you can. -- Steve Loewy