Description
The collection consists of sound recordings, musical compositions and arrangements of Horace Tapscott and other composers,
and the performances of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and the Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension. The collection
is in the midst of being processed, and updates will be made to this finding aid periodically.
Background
Horace Elva Tapscott (b. Houston, 6 April 1934; d. Los Angeles, 27 Feb 1999) began piano studies at the age of six with his
mother, the pianist Mary Lou Malone, and took up trombone two years later. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1943 and he
studied trombone in school, playing with Frank Morgan in a high-school band; other young associates from this period included
Don Cherry and Billy Higgins. Tapscott worked with Gerald Wilson's orchestra before graduating from Jefferson High School
in 1952. After studying briefly at Los Angeles City College he enlisted in the air force, and served in a band in Wyoming
(1953-7). He then returned to Los Angeles and worked with various local bands before touring as a trombonist with Lionel Hampton
(1959 to early 1961), for whom he also wrote a number of arrangements and at times sat in on piano. By the early 1960s he
was playing piano exclusively, in part because of persistent dental problems resulting from an automobile accident during
his high-school years.
Extent
37.5 linear feet
(77 boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.