Songs of the Unsung: The Musical and Social Journey of Horace Tapscott

He could've been a star, but instead became a catalyst, warming people with his expressive music and fiery social activism. This raw, intimate autobiography of L.A. free jazz pianist, trombonist and composer Tapscott (1934-1999), culled from interviews with him, opens with colorful reflections on his musical home and a vibrant, tight-knit, church-centered Houston community afflicted but not cowed by segregation. As an adult in L.A., he married his ""soul mate,"" and began a family and a musical career. Each time he traveled--with the Air Force band at Ft. Warren in the 1950s, with Lionel Hampton's band, etc.--he felt rootless and disconnected. Bent on creating a nurturing community for his children, he quit touring and formed the ensemble Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (the Ark) and the collective UGMAA (Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension)--groups that persisted through the Watts insurrection of 1965 and L.A.'s 1992 upheavals. The Ark ""made more sense to me than just making records--being able to put your hands on somebody,"" he says. Musical ties with some Black Panthers and a touch of ""cockiness"" got Tapscott blacklisted from the music industry. But after surgery for a cerebral aneurysm, he jokes, ""It looked so bad for me that a radio station even started playing my music."" The omission of footnotes will disappoint readers wanting details, but the discography offers the opportunity to visit with the amazing Tapscott and some of the ""cats"" he played with. 46 photos. (Feb.) Forecast: Coinciding with Black History Month and the one-year anniversary of Tapscott's publicly mourned death, this retrospective will enable jazz enthusiasts to revel in the life of a unique and talented underground musician--but that, of course, will depend on Duke's willingness to push this title with adequate publicity.