Chicago’s South Side in the early ’70s was an epicenter of African-American musical creativity: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sun Ra’s Arkestra, Phil Cohran’s Artistic Heritage Ensemble, and others led the charge away from mainstream, commercial music. Many followed: The Pharaohs, Pieces of Peace, and Earth, Wind & Fire would attain local, national, and then international acclaim.

An outsider even in an outsider subculture, Boscoe—both band and self-titled album—has been denied a place in the Great Black Music only by its own profound obscurity.