Recordings » As a sideman » Jesse Sharps Quintet/Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra - Sharps & Flats

Jesse Sharps Quintet/Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra - Sharps & Flats

Soaring spiritual soul jazz from the LA scene – a CD that features a beautiful performance by the Jesse Sharps Quintet, plus a longer extended track from Horace Tapscott's Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra! We'll be honest in saying that we'd never heard of Sharps before this CD – but he's a heck of a great saxophonist, with a sound that recalls the glory days of the Strata East scene, and the beautiful post-Coltrane Muse sessions by Earl & Carl Grubbs. His group for the session features some excellent work by the great Nate Morgan on piano – driving away in long, rhythmic passages that are very much in the mode of Morgan's own Nimbus recordings – and carried through with an equal amount of soul. Horace Tapscott joins the group on two numbers as well – before stepping over to lead his expanded Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra on the CD's extra cut – a composition by Sharps that's entitled "McKowsky's First Fifth" – played by a great Nimbus-esque group that includes Adele Sebastian on flute, Sabia Mateen on tenor, Billie Harris on soprano, and Horace Tapscott on piano. Other titles on the CD include "The Goat & The Ramjam", "As A Child", "Mike's Tune", "Macrame", and "Carnival" – and the whole set of tracks is easily one of the greatest recordings on the legendary Nimbus label!

Re-released in 1985

Musicians:

• Jesse Sharps, Reeds
• Nate Morgan, Piano
• Steve Smith, Trumpet
• Joel Ector, Bass
• Carl Burnette, Drums

Track list:

Released: 1979
Label: Nimbus West

Recordings list