Jazz Articles

Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra: Live at I.U.C.C. 11/26/1978

by Danen Jobe
April 20, 2023

In November of 1978, Horace Tapscott had some advantages that any other iconoclastic, idealistic, idiosyncratic jazz bandleader would greatly desire. For one, he was approached by a socially minded professional gambler named Tom Albach about starting a label (Nimbus West) devoted to Tapscott's music, allowing complete creative control, never expecting to make a dime of profit, and providing living money to keep the band going. Another was a steady gig in the only area in the nation that Tapscott truly ...

Jesse Sharps and the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra: Sharps and Flats

by Rex Butters
April 19, 2005

Nimbus West reached into the vault for Sharps and Flats to pull out sessions by Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra leader, composer, and reedist Jesse Sharps. The program features six tracks with quintet recorded in '85, followed by a warm chunk of '79 PAPA playing a Sharps composition live. The music is rich and urbane, unafraid of appealing melodies and varying time signatures.

Opening with “The Goat and the Ramjam, snaky bass and a light piña colada piano from ...

Nate Morgan: Journey Into Nigritia

by Rex Butters
April 17, 2005

At the dawn of the Reagan years, LA jazz pianist Nate Morgan recorded his first album for Nimbus West. Finally on CD, Journey Into Nigritia portrays an artist marked by the icons of his day, and striving for reinvention. Although he came from a solid jazz background, coming up through the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra, Morgan found more exciting work with pop bands in the seventies, including glory years with Rufus w/Chaka Khan. On Journey into Nigritia, Morgan re-embraces jazz. ...