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LP
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OTR 011LP
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2022 repress. Outernational Sounds present a reissue of Nate Morgan's Retribution, Reparation, originally released on Nimbus West Records in 1984. A core member of the circle around Horace Tapscott, pianist Nate Morgan was a key member of the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra, known as The Ark. Here is the second of his two LPs for Nimbus West. His first, Journey Into Nigritia (OTR 008LP) had been a declaration of arrival laced with energies drawn from Cecil Taylor and Coltrane. One year later, in 1984, with nods to Herbie Hancock ("One Finger Snap") and Ellington ("Come Sunday"), Retribution, Reparation was a confident statement of purpose. Politically charged with pan-Africanist Black nationalism, and titled with uncompromising directness, the album focusses the sound world of the Ark into a surging, restless masterpiece of spiritualized modal jazz. Danny Cortez on trumpet and Jesse Sharps on saxophones comprise an explosive frontline. Fritz Wise and Ark regular Joel Ector hold down the rhythm section. Morgan's forceful, Tyner-like chords and virtuosic solos bind the music together. From the poised drama of the opening dedication to Tapscott's U.G.M.A.A. organization, through the propulsive militancy of the title track, "Retribution, Reparation" spreads the word: "Advance to Victory, Let Nigritia Be Free!" Fully licensed from Nimbus West founder Tom Albach.
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LP
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OTR 008LP
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Outernational Sounds present the first legitimate vinyl reissue of Nate Morgan's Journey Into Nigritia, originally release in 1983. A major statement from a crucial figure on the Los Angeles jazz underground -- Journey Into Nigritia is pianist Nate Morgan's spiritualized deep jazz classic. How many 16-year-olds would have the confidence to walk up to a revered bandleader at a gig, and inform him that one day they'd be playing together? As improbable as it sounds, this is how pianist Nate Morgan introduced himself to the great Horace Tapscott, founder of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. The teenage Morgan had heard Tapscott's Flying Dutchman LP The Giant Is Awakened (1969) being played by Greg Kufahamu on local Los Angeles radio station KUSC, and Arthur Blythe's wailing sax had gone straight to the heart. Morgan showed up to all the Arkestra shows he could find. He was already studying with Joe Sample and Hampton Hawes and playing in local bands, but the draw of the Tapscott's band was too much for the gifted young pianist: "I could only take about two or three more concerts before I had to run up on stage. When I first introduced myself to Horace, he tells everybody that I said, 'Yeah, I'm Nate Morgan. I'm going to play with you all.' Not that I want to, but that I'm going to." Over the next decade and beyond, Morgan would become a central figure in Tapscott's UGMAA (Union Of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension), bringing new figures into the fold (like Jesse Sharps), running jam sessions, and eventually being given the task of organizing the Arkestra songbook. During the early 1970s he also worked commercially, doing a stint with Rufus and Chaka Khan and appearing on Willie Hutch's Foxy Brown soundtrack (1974). Into the 1980s and 1990s he remained active, keeping the UGMAA flame alive and working tirelessly around LA, including collaborations with Bone Thugs N' Harmony; he was also part of the early 2000s LA jazz collective Build An Ark. A true musician's musician, Morgan died in 2013. Journey Into Nigritia, featuring fire-breathing reedsman Dadisi Komolafe, was the first of two LPs Morgan recorded for Tom Albach's storied Nimbus West imprint. A committed, spiritualized work that showcases Morgan's heavy composing as well as his McCoy Tyner-influenced and technically flawless playing, Journey features dedications to Coltrane ("He Left Us A Song") and Cecil Taylor ("Study In C.T."). Surging, modal jazz from the LA underground, Journey Into Nigritia is a crucial recording by an unsung jazz legend. Fully licensed from Nimbus West founder Tom Albach.
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