Customer Reviews

The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles, Includes CD. (George Gund Foundation Book in African American Studies)

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Interesting, informative, & provocative reading. Facts galore; should be on every jazz enthusiastic's display bookshelf. I will not loan it to anyone for fear of it not being returned.

Isoardi's book provides an insightful examination of L.A.'s vibrant African American art's community under the communal aspirations of the Union of God's Musicians and Artists (UGMAA). Most important is Isoardi's understanding of Black music and the chrismatic leadership of the legendary Horace Tapscott. This book provides a great overview of L.A.'s Black cultural history and how art played a profound influence in creating a cohesive community of cultural workers who were concerned with maintaining the tradition of African- American explorative practices, but by also passing these practices on to subsequent generations. There is a CD included with this book that gives readers the oportunity to hear a modest sampling of what emerged. This is an important book and a history we must not forget.