The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles
Instead of taking a coveted opportunity to join Lionel Hampton's band, Horace Tapscott chose to stay in L.A and develop a music and arts legacy that has lasted 40 years, outliving Tapscott himself. Isoardi, music teacher, author, and editor, provides an absorbing look at the Pan African Peoples Arkestra, a community arts group that encouraged and supported more than 300 musicians, vocalists, playwrights, painters, poets, and other artists, some who went on to famous careers. Isoardi examines the Ark in the broader context of African culture, noting the ties between rap, "the dozens," and verbal contests in various traditional West African rituals. He explores the use of art among some African nations to impose order and similar use of the Ark in L.A. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of participants at the Ark, as well as Tapscott's archival material, Isoardi presents a lively and energetic look at an enormous community and artistic resource.Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved