Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq

In the beginning was the word...and the word was OM!

The Horace Tapscott Tribute Ensemble

Based in Berlin, Germany. Presenting and performing the music of Horace Tapscott and the Pan Afrikan Peoples' Arkestra.

Born in 1934, pianist and composer Horace Tapscott moved from Houston, Texas in 1943 and lived in the African American community of Los Angeles. He exhibited exceptional talent from an early age, performing throughout LA. and touring the country with Lionel Hampton in the late 50s. While Tapscott's prospects for a national career were bright, he returned to LA. in the early '60s with the goal of fostering African American music in his hometown. He would continue this mission until his death in 1999, becoming an important anchor in the local jazz community.

In 1961, Tapscott founded the Pan African People's Arkestra, a group designed to preserve, develop and promote the work of local musicians. Spurred by Tapscott's powerful compositions, the group pushed the boundaries of the Avantgarde while retaining close ties with the local neighborhood. It soon became the center of Los Angeles' creative music scene, boasting alumni including Arthur Blythe, David Murray, Butch and Wilbur Morris, Azar Lawrence, Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq, Michael Session, Nate Morgan and many others. Last year, 2011, marked the 50th anniversary of the group, which continues to perform to this day. Despite Tapscott's important role in African American music history, his music remains under-recognized outside of Los Angeles.

In the same tradition that the P.A.P.A.was built upon, to preserve the music through performance and presentation, The Horace Tapscott Tribute Ensemble continues to perform Horace's compositions and compositions of others from the ,,ARK" who have had the opportunity to pass through this institution of ,,Black Classical Music" from the Los Angeles community.