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Sun Ra - Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Vol. 1 (1971)

February 7, 2013, 10:01 am
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Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol 1 ranks among the best of the Arkestra's live recordings.  Though there are a few very nice shorter pieces with vocals ("Enlightenment," "The Stargazers"), this is mostly given over to long-form free improvisations.  "The Cosmic Explorer" is mostly a solo feature for Sun Ra on various then-new keyboards.  His efforts make even the excursions on the solo half of My Brother the Wind Vol.2 sound tame.  A great extended sax solo on "Shadow World" also helps place this on the more aggressive and challenging end of Sun Ra's musical continuum.  In all, a wonderful set, especially for the converted, and a compelling reminder of how this group of musicians managed to make music that was fundamentally different than what anyone else has done before or since.
rateyourmusic review


Recorded at the third and final concert on August 5, 1970, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume 1 was originally released on the French Shandar label in 1971. Often bootlegged, it was also legitimately reissued on 12-inch 45RPM LP by the British label, Recommended Records, in 1981. (My copy sounds superb, but it’s plain black sleeve omits all relevant discographical information!) This CD issue on the Italian Universe label from 2005 is probably a “grey-market” bootleg as well, but it sounds fine and is packaged in a deluxe mini-gatefold LP sleeve. As of this writing, these Universe editions are in print and readily available.

The album opens with a spirited performance of “Enlightenment,” a composition co-written with trumpeter Hobart Dotson which dates all the way back to 1958’s Jazz in Silhouette. But by 1969, Sun Ra had abandoned Dotson’s counter-melodies and added typically Saturnalian lyrics. Here, Ra sets up the bouncy vamp on organ for John Gilmore and June Tyson, who chant in a call and response fashion, imploring humanity to join the Arkestra on its cosmic space voyage:

The Sound of Joy is Enlightenment
Space, Fire, Truth is Enlightenment
Space Fire
Sometimes it's Music
Strange Mathematics
Rhythmic Equations
The Sound of Thought is Enlightenment
The Magic Light of Tomorrow
Backwards are those of Sadness
Forward and Onward Are those of Gladness
Enlightenment Is my Tomorrow
It has no planes of Sorrow
Hereby, my Invitation
I do invite you be of my Space World
This Song is Sound of Enlightenment
The Fiery Truth of Enlightenment
Vibrations come from the Space World
Is of the Cosmic Starry Dimension
Enlightenment is my Tomorrow
It has no planes of Sorrow
Hereby, our Invitation
We do invite you to be of our Space World.
This infectious little ditty elicits some enthusiastic applause and, not surprisingly, “Enlightenment” would become a fixture of the live repertoire in coming years. Then, after a quick piano introduction, Gilmore and Tyson sing “The Star Gazers” in a lovely unison melody:

This is the Theme of the Star Gazers
Star Gazers in the Sky
This is the Theme of the Star Gazers
Star Gazers in the Sky
This is the Song of Tomorrow’s World
Of Cosmic Paradise.
After that plaintive vocal statement, Sonny launches into a gorgeous ad lib piano solo while small percussion instruments tinkle and clatter and Alan Silva provides some complementary figures on bass. Gradually, Ra builds up the intensity with cascading waves of chords and then bringing it back down to a gentle, quiet ending — until a crashing chord signals the beginning of the notorious “Shadow World.” Right off, it is obvious that the band is a well-oiled machine: the insanely complex, hocketed melodies are performed flawlessly, setting the stage for Gilmore’s utterly hair-raising solo on tenor saxophone, complete with a squealing and wailing a cappella cadenza. Ra then takes over with a skittering, swirling organ solo until cueing the horns for a huge, pulsating space chord. The braying and howling horns eventually subside, leaving Ra to sketch out the dramatic chord sequence on organ to end. This is a truly stunning performance of one of Ra’s most significant compositions and must be heard to be believed!
(Continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)


Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 (1970) is the first of two releases capturing Sun Ra and the Arkestra at Saint Paul de Vence, Côte d'Azur, France, in August of 1970, on what was their first European excursion. As a rule, free and avant-garde jazz are a decidedly acquired taste. However, for discerning palettes, these installments present the aggregate at their absolute pinnacle in terms of performance and inspiration. The four works included here offer a wide variety of styles and approaches, proving that the combo were far more multifaceted and involved than often given credit for. "Enlightenment" is a suitable opener, featuring a vocal duet between June Tyson (vocals) and John Gilmore (tenor sax/drums/vocals). This ambles subtly into another brief lyric on "The Star Gazers," followed by an inventive and elaborate piano solo from Ra. The bandleader is clearly enthused throughout, translating in what is perceived as even quicker and more potent inflections. These continue during a full-ensemble reading of "Shadow World," which is given a worthy workout. The flurry and fury in Marshall Allen's alto sax are countered with more of Ra's highly intricate assertions. One of the most inspired keyboard performances from Ra is the appropriately titled "Cosmic Explorer." There are moments that vacillate from terrifying to sublime as the artist methodically investigates the sounds, carefully constructing his progressive arrangements. Much like the Arkestra presentation, Ra's solos are complex, more than making up for any lack of structure with a motivated performance. Enthusiasts should note that both volumes of Nuits de la Fondation Maeght were issued on CD from an excellent quality tape (read: non-vinyl) source on Comet Records in 2003.
AMG review by Lindsay Planer




 170. [152]  Sun Ra
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume I

Sun Ra (p, Hohner Clavinet, Rocksichord, Farfisa org, Mini-Moog syn, voc); Kwame Hadi (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, cnt); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, ob, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, d, voc); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, libf); Absholom Ben Shlomo [Virgil Pumphrey] (cl, fl, as); Pat Patrick (bars, bcl, as, ts, fl, cl, perc); James Jacson (cl, fl, ob, bsn, perc); Alan Silva (b, clo, vln); Rashid Salim IV [William Brister] (vib, d); Nimrod Hunt [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums); John Goldsmith (d, tymp); Lex Humphries (d, perc); June Tyson (dance, voc); Gloristeena Knight [Ife Tayo] (dance, voc); Verta Grosvenor (space goddess, dance, voc).
Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence,
France, August 5, 1970

Enlightenment (Dotson-Ra) [JG, JT voc]
The Stargazers (Ra)
Shadow World (Ra)
The Cosmic Explorer (Ra)
Friendly Galaxy (Ra)   [audience tape]

Shandar 10.011, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght volume 1, was released in 1971.  "Enlightenment" was misspelled "Enlightment."  All tracks were reissued in 1981 on Recommended RR 11 (a 12" 45-rpm LP) and were bootlegged in 1992 on Jazz View COD 006 [CD].  Shandar 83505 (issued in the mid-'70s) included "The Cosmic Explorer."  Information about the audience tape from Julian Vein.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.



Sun Ra
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume I
Recommended Records RR eleven (12" 45-rpm LP) (1981)

1. A1 Enlightment   2:57
2. A2 The Star Gazers   3:09
3. A3 Shadow World   13:32
4. B1 The Cosmic Explorer   20:01

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Sun Ra
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume I
Universe (Comet Records) UV080 (CD) (2003)

1. Enlightment   2:57
2. The Star Gazers   3:08
3. Shadow World   13:26
4. The Cosmic Explorer   19:40

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Sun Ra - Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Vol. 2 (1971)

February 20, 2013, 10:22 pm
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While Sun Ra was struggling to find an audience stateside, Willis Conover had enlisted Sonny (amongst others) into Uncle Sam’s Cold War cultural army, broadcasting the Arkestra’s records regularly on Voice of America and, by 1970, Europe had become a more welcoming environment for American jazz musicians than their native country. Conover and his wife had been instrumental in securing Sonny’s Carnegie Hall debut in 1968 and had been urging him to travel to Europe ever since. When they offered to arrange for the Arkestra to appear at the prestigious Fondation Maeght in the south of France for three concerts in August 1970, Ra eagerly accepted.

The only problem was: how does Sun Ra, a being from the planet Saturn, go about obtaining a passport? Szwed describes the impossible scene:
When they filled out the forms at the passport office in New York City, the clerk at the desk said to Sun Ra, “Sir, you’re going to have to give us better information that this. We need your parents’ names, your birth date…” [Dancer] Verta Mae Grosvenor recalled that Sun Ra said, “‘That *is* the correct information.’ After a few minutes, the clerk went back to speak with her supervisor. The supervisor was no-nonsense, but after talking to Sun Ra she said, ‘Sir, why don’t you come back in a few hours.’ When we came back there was another person there and he knew about it, and he said, ‘We’ll just give you the passport.’ It just got so out that they just gave it to him!”

That passport gained talismanic force over the years, and musicians shook their heads when they saw it. Talvin Singh, an English tabla player, said: “His philosophy was that either you be part of the society or you don’t. And he wasn’t part of it. He created his own. I mean, I actually saw his passport and there was some weird shit on it. It had some different stuff.” (p.278)

Passport in hand, Ra and a nineteen-member Arkestra traveled to St. Paul de Vence and performed three concerts on August 3, 4, and 5, 1970. The Fondation Maeght is one of the finest small museums in the world and, with its focus on blue-chip modernism, Ra’s appearance in such a venue indicated a certain acceptance into the privileged domain of the European avant garde. The concerts were professionally recorded for broadcast by the state-sponsored radio station and portions were later released on LP as Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volumes 1 and 2 by the French Shandar label in 1971. These records have been widely bootlegged ever since and my CDs on the Italian Universe label are probably “gray market” bootlegs as well, but they sound fine and are sumptuously packaged in heavyweight, gatefold mini-LP sleeves. As of this writing, they remain in print and are well worth seeking out.

Campbell (p.162) insists that Volume 2 comes from the August 3rd concert (Volume 1 is from August 5th) and having no reason to disagree, we will begin with Volume 2. Campbell also lists a number of tracks contained on the original radio broadcast and an audience tape, but I have not heard this material. Again, Szwed provides a vivid description of Sun Ra’s outrageous presentation and the decidedly mixed reaction it generated:
The audience had little or no knowledge of Sun Ra’s music, since his records
weren’t widely distributed in France, and when they arrived they saw the Arkestra spread out before them like elaborate décor: musicians in red tunics, seated in a forest of instruments on stage, dancers in red dresses. On a screen behind them was projected a sky full of stars, then planets, children in Harlem, Indians on hunting trips, and newsreel footage of protests; a ball of “magic fire” rose slowly up to the ceiling; saxophonists began to battle like Samurai, then came together like brothers; and in the still center of it all, Sun Ra sat behind the Moog, creating the sounds of gales, storms, and waves crashing. From the very first note, an agitated woman stood up and cried out, “What is this?” Afterwards, she came up and insisted on seeing the written music. Europeans seemed to want to know whether there was music behind what they were hearing, as if it would assure them that this was rational activity, and Sonny was always happy to show them the scores. A man once blurted out that his “five-year-old daughter could play that!” Sun Ra readily agreed: “She could play it, but could she write it?” (p.279)
 Friendly Galaxy No. 2

The album opens with “Friendly Galaxy No.2,” a fascinating piece only tangentially related to the first “Friendly Galaxy,” which originally appeared on Secrets of the Sun in 1965. After a burbling organ introduction, the composition moves to a choir of flutes improvising over Ra’s languid piano, Alan Silva’s whining cello, and with a simple but rhythmically insistent trumpet motif recurring throughout. Meanwhile, the rest of the band establishes an exotic space-groove on bass, drums, tympani, and hand percussion. The effect is otherworldly and quite mesmerizing. In an interview with Jazz magazine in November 1970, Sun Ra described how he tailored this piece to the unique qualities of the venue:
One of the things which most impressed listeners at the Fondation Maeght is the passage for six flutes ad lib, six flutes playing in harmony. I could say improvising in harmony. I’m inspired by it to do something else which would be totally different. I believe it’s a musical idea which would be totally different. I believe it’s a new way of using flutes. It’s at once both very melodic and harmonious and at the same time so distant, as if the music was heard in the distance through a sort of mist. It’s so “out of this world.”

Curious thing, the flutes had never played this passage with the piano, but because of the peculiar acoustics in the room I knew that it would be absolutely necessary that I play at the same time because the flutes would be bothered by an echo that the audience fortunately wouldn’t hear at all. So above this the trumpets entered in, played a sort of ad lib riff because this light echo didn’t allow them to understand the rhythm. (quoted in Szwed pp.279-280)

“Friendly Galaxy No.2” would be performed several times over the next couple of years only to disappear from the repertoire. Too bad as it is truly a unique work, with the massed flutes and brass technique demonstrating Ra’s audacious genius at orchestration. “Spontaneous Simplicity” follows (out of sequence, according to Campbell) and although this version doesn’t devolve into the kind of proto-No Wave skronk heard on the Electric Circus tape from 1968, this a fine performance with the massive ensemble sections sounding particularly powerful and precise. After the opening statement, Sun Ra leads the way with a buzzing Rocksichord solo as the rest of the Arkestra picks up percussion instruments to buoy the hypnotic, one-note bassline. The music grooves along for a delirious eleven minutes, ending to some genuinely enthusiastic applause.



169. [151]  Sun Ra
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume II

Sun Ra (p, Hohner Clavinet, Rocksichord, Farfisa org, Mini-Moog syn, voc); Kwame Hadi (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, cnt); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, ob, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, d, voc); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, libf); Absholom Ben Shlomo [Virgil Pumphrey] (cl, fl, as); Pat Patrick (bars, bcl, as, ts, fl, cl, perc); James Jacson (cl, fl, ob, bsn, perc); Alan Silva (b, clo, vln); Rashid Salim IV [William Brister] (vib, d); Nimrod Hunt [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums); John Goldsmith (d, tymp); Lex Humphries (d, perc); June Tyson (dance, voc); Gloristeena Knight [Ife Tayo] (dance, voc); Verta Grosvenor (space goddess, dance, voc).
Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence,
France, August 3, 1970

unidentified title
Enlightenment (Dotson-Ra) [JG, JT voc]
Spontaneous Simplicity (Ra)
Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Ra) [SR voc]
Friendly Galaxy No. 2 (Ra)
Watusi (Pitts-Sherrill)
Nothing Is (Ra) [ens voc]
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [ens voc]
The World of Lightning (Ra)
Black Myth (Ra) [JT voc]:
   The Shadows Took Shape
   This Strange World
   Journey Through the Outer Darkness
Sky (Ra)
Ra Ra Ra (Ra) [ens voc]

Shandar SR 10.003, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume II, was released in 1971.  There was a limited-edition German bootleg reissue (Fondation Maeght Nights Volume II) in 1992 on Jazz View COD 007 [CD].  Personnel from the Shandar Jacket; Thompson is credited with playing "bassoon," meaning the Neptunian Libflecto.  Jacson presumably played an unmodified bassoon.  Shandar 83505 (1970s) included "The World of the Lightning," "Black Myth," and "Sky."  Thanks to Vlad Simosko for a tape of the French radio broadcast and to Julian Vein for information about the audience tape. The Fondation Maeght appearance was not part of a tour; the Arkestra's first European tour began in October.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.






Sun Ra
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght Volume II
Universe (Comet Records) UV 081 (CD) (2003)

1. Friendly Galaxy Number 2   8:47
2. Spontaneous Simplicity   10:51
3. The World Of The Lightening   6:55
4. Black Myth   8:37
5. Sky   2:04

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Sun Ra - It's After The End Of The World (1970)

February 28, 2013, 10:03 pm
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Recorded live at the Donaueschingen Music and Berlin Festivals in 1970, this gem ideally captures Sun Ra and His Intergalactic (Research) Arkestra at its most otherworldly self. Individual and collective sounds reach for ears at times beyond human comprehension. The 21-member Arkestra is anchored by its leader captaining keyboards of various frequencies of inter-planetary communication and fresh audible sensations—from his Farfisa organ, “roc-si-chord,” “spacemaster,” Mini- Moog synthesizer, Hohner clavinet and electra, to acoustic piano. Soundscapes vary from Twilight Zone-ish scores (the Moog-heavy “Out in Space”) to African ritualistic percussive escapades (“Watusi”).

Ceremoniously opening with June Tyson’s heavily breathed words spoken as if serenaded from a tropical bird—“dream,” “blackness,” and lastly “a world” swirl into the rumbling and gathering of percussion, brass, and reeds. Flutes, oboe, and a modified bassoon (with a French horn mouthpiece!) performed by Leroy Taylor (aka Elo Omoe) create a modern classical orchestral atmosphere before the swinging beats of drums and trumpet-like scorching alto sax lines carry the momentum elsewhere.

A bass-driven piano introduces dozens of different meters performed on drums and percussion instruments of all shapes and sizes over the Egyptian march of “Watusi.” A near twenty-minute suite culminates in the closing “Duos,” featuring the avant alto sax vocabulary of Marshall Allen and Danny Davis followed by the burly baritone dialogue of Pat Patrick and Danny Thompson. One of the singular and unfortunate drawbacks are several abridged versions either subtly fading into segments or, as with “Duos,” more abruptly. Nonetheless, such a recording as this offers the next best thing to but a sampling of what it must have been like to experience the path that Ra offered his listeners in a live concert, perhaps the most uninhibited platform for his musical message.
from All About Jazz



172. [153]  Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra

It's After the End of the World / Black Myth / Out in Space

Sun Ra (Farfisa org, Hohner Clavinet, p, Rocksichord, Spacemaster org, Mini-Moog syn, Hohner Electra, voc); Kwame Hadi [Lamont F. McClamb] (tp, perc); Akh Tal Ebah [Douglas E. Williams] (tp, sp-mell); Marshall Allen (as, fl, ob, picc, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, acl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc, voc); Absholom Ben Shlomo [Virgil C. Pumphrey] (as, cl, fl); Danny Ray Thompson (as, bars, libf, fl, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, ts, as, cl, bcl, fl, eb, perc); Augustus Browning Jr. [Al Batin Nur] (Eng hn); Alan Silva (vln, vla, clo, b); Alejandro Blake Fearon [Alex Blake] (b); Lex Humphries (d); James Jacson (large drum, perc, ob, fl); Nimrod Hunt (hand drums); Roger Aralamon Hazoumé (dance, fire eating, balafon, African perc); Math Samba (dance, perc); Gloristeena Knight [Ife Tayo] (dance, perc); June Tyson (voc, dance); Richard Wilkinson (light show). 
Stadhalle, Donaueschingen,
West Germany,
October 17, 1970

Black Forest Myth (Ra) /
Friendly Galaxy No. 2 (Ra)
Journey Through the Outer Darkness [Duos] (Ra)
Strange Worlds (Ra) [JT, SR voc]
Black Myth (Ra) [JT voc]
It's After the End of the World (Ra) [JT voc]
I'll Wait for You (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc]

This performance was part of the Donaueschingen Tage für Neue Musik.  The concert reportedly lasted three hours; 47 minutes were broadcast over the SWF radio network in West Germany, and only these items survive.  Some tracks then appeared in 1971 on German MPS 2120748, It's After the End of the World.  This LP was also issued on MPS CRM 748, CTM 748, 654482, and in the United States on MPS BASF 21589.  Excerpts also on the second album of Monkey MY 40014.

In September 1998 all surviving material was released on the first CD of a two-CD set on Motor Music 557 656, under the title Black Myth / Out in Space.  "Black Forest Myth" and "Friendly Galaxy No. 2" are separately titled on Motor Music, instead of being conflated into one title as they were on the MPS LP.

What Hartumut Geerken (in the Motor Music notes) calls "Journey Through the Outer Darkness" was edited down to the opening five minutes (duos by Allen and Davis and by Patrick and Thompson) for the MPS release; the excerpt was titled "Duos."

What is called "Strange Worlds" on the Motor Music CD is divided into two tracks called "Strange Dreams" and "Strange Worlds" on the MPS LP.  Around 30 seconds of dialogue were edited out of the MPS issues.

Personnel from the MPS album jacket, supplemented by Victor Schonfield's program book for the London concert on the same tour.  The Neptunian libflecto is referred to in the semi-English-language MPS album notes as a "fagot" (German for bassoon), and Danny Thompson is not credited with playing it; instead, Eloe Omoe is credited with playing oboe and bassoon.  Omoe can be seen playing the libflecto Cent And du Jazz.  It appears that both he and Thompson played the libflecto on this tour.  (Thompson's baritone sax was not mentioned by MPS despite his participation in the second of the two "Duos.")  Thanks to Julian Vein and Hartmut Geerken for information about the radio broadcast.



174. [154]  Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra

It's After the End of the World /
Black Myth / Out in Space

same personnel.
Kongresshalle, West Berlin,
West Germany, November 7, 1970

Out in Space (Ra) [JT voc]
Discipline Series (Ra)
Walkin' on the Moon (Ra) [JT voc]
Outer Space Where I Came From (Ra) [SR recitation]
Watusa [Watusi, Egyptian March] (Pitts-Sherrill; arr. Ra)
Myth vs. Reality (Ra) [SR, JT voc]
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [JG, JT voc]
Space Chant Medley:
Second Stop is Jupiter (Ra) /
Why Go to the Moon? (Ra) [JT, ens voc]
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [ens voc]

The Arkestra's appearance was part of the Berlin Jazz Festival, and a radio broadcast was done at the time.  Some tracks were subsequently issued in 1971 on German MPS 2120748, It's After the End of the World -- which also appeared (depending on the country) as MPS CRM 748, MPS CTM 748, MPA 654482, and (in the United States) on MPS BASF 21589.

All that remains from the concert (nearly 80 minutes out of two hours) was issued in September 1998 on the second CD of Motor Music 557 656, a two-CD set titled Black Myth / Out in Space.  (See the notes from the Motor Music set by Hartmut Geerken.)

Despite its resemblance to slow, somber, through-composed numbers like "Discipline 15," the unidentified Ra composition from this concert cannot actually be from the Discipline series; according to James Jacson and Tommy  Hunter, Ra didn't start writing the Discipline pieces until early 1971.

Editing on the German radio broadcast, and even more elaborate editing on the MPS issue, makes comparisons with the Motor Music release tougher than they should be.  ("Watusi, Egyptian March" was included on the MPS LP and the Motor Music CD, but not used on the broadcast.)

Part of "Out in Space" was broadcast on German radio, about 25 minutes in all; the uncut Motor Music CD edition runs to 37:45.  The broadcast version omits everything before June Tyson's vocal and edits out various sections of Omoe's solo, some ensembles, and the closing piano improvisation.  To confuse matters, excerpts from "Out in Space" were incorporated in the MPS LP version of "Myth vs. Reality."

The MPS LP includes three items bundled together into a suite: "The Myth Science Approach: Myth vs. Reality / Angelic Proclamation / Out in Space."  The entire LP tracks lasts 18:22.  It consists of an edited first section of the Motor Music CD version of "Myth vs. Reality," with about 14 minutes of the middle section of "Out in Space" spliced onto the end of it!  The Motor Music CD contains the most complete, unedited "Myth vs. Reality," lasting 14:33.

Geerken lists each planet mentioned in "Why Go to the Moon?" as though it were the topic of a separate chant (then "Saturn" is mistakenly equated with the 1956 composition!).  But "Why Go to the Moon?" normally mentioned all of these other planets, concluding with "Why not go to Pluto, too?"  So the superfluous titles that appear in the notes to the Motor Music release are omitted here.

At this time, James Jacson was playing a single-headed drum made from an Indian double-headed drum shell.  The Motor Music notes incorrectly identify this as the "Lightning drum" (in its full nominal splendor, the Ancient Egyptian Infinity Lightning with Thunder Drum), which Jacson would not build for another few months.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.



Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra

It's After The End Of The World - Live at The Donaueschingen and Berlin Festivals

MPS BASF Stereo 20748 (1972)
Universe UV 070 (2003 reissue)

1. Strange Dreams / Strange Worlds / Black Myth / It's After The End Of The World   14:29
2. Black Forest Myth   9:15
3. Watusi, egyptian march   2:41
4. Myth Versus Reality (The Myth-Science Approach) / Angelic Proclamation / Out in Space   18:07
5. Duos   4:35

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If you are interested in the expanded release Black Myth /Out in Space,  check the comments in this 2011 post for new links. I would also encourage you to read the insightful reviews of Black Myth and Out in Space on the always fantastic Sun Ra Sundays.

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ESP Sun Ra Radio Tribute - 14 hrs in 6 Parts

March 7, 2013, 10:11 pm
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After receiving a few requests from interested readers to re-up portions of this series, I decided that featuring the entire collection of webcasts in one post would help to bring some attention to this marvelous historical narrative.  Several years ago, Arkestra member and official Sun Ra archivist, Michael D. Anderson, "The Good Doctor," enhanced the ESP-Disc website with a 14-hour Sun Ra retrospective.  In this unprecedented audio documentary, The Good Doctor presents a timeline of Sun Ra's career featuring both classic releases and unheard nuggets from the Archive.  The tribute is divided into 6 parts, each approximately 2 hours for a total of 14 hours of amazing information and music.  Throughout the broadcasts, Michael D. Anderson relates biographical information about Ra and shares many anecdotes of his time with the Arkestra; I find these are particularly interesting and entertaining.

A few of my favorite moments from these broadcasts have already been featured here.  You might remember Rusty Morgan's "Blame Shame" or the Arkestra's remarkable performances of I Roam the Cosmos (if you missed these, rectify!).  There are plenty more incredible rarities peppered throughout these broadcasts.  If you are interested in reviewing the playlist for each segment, please click the 'part #' below each stream to be whisked away to the original post where you will find newly refreshed download options.  Each post features the original master tape offered in both FLAC and 320k mp3 as well as an mp3 audio stream of the show.

If listening to the entire transmission in one sitting doesn't suit your schedule, please consider bookmarking this page so that you can easily return for future listens.  Or if you happen to have 14 hours to spare... click & enjoy!

MANY THANKS to our friend, I-), for sending me these wonderful recordings.


ESP Sun Ra Radio Tribute - 14 hrs in 6 Parts




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Solar Flares

October 31, 2013, 8:01 am
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This is intended to be a repository of Contributions from kind readers. Please feel free to share links to any unpublished or out-of-print Sun Ra related music, video, pictures, or print material. Any input that you share which fosters a better understanding of Sun Ra and his
Arkestra is welcome and encouraged. 

THANK YOU!

(the Solar Flares Archive
Over 400 entries and counting!)





Nearly all of my links imploded into the the MU Astro-Black on January 19th.  If your moonship journey has led you to a place where nothing is...please leave a comment requesting a re-up and I will endeavor to offer you other planes of there.  Thanks for stopping by and please continue to let me know your thoughts.
-yotte













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Sun Ra - VPRO Broadcast 1971.11.11 Delft, Netherlands

April 1, 2013, 10:23 pm
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The Arkestra appeared at the Technische Hogeschool, Nieuwe Aula in Delft, on November 11, 1971. The state-run radio station recorded the concert and broadcast it on November 14. According to Campbell and Trent, portions of this concert were also televised on Dutch TV on November 17, but the tape no longer exists in the VPRO archive (p.176). The audio recordings do exist, however, and, fortunately for us fans, the entire three-hour concert was re-broadcast in 2001. The sound quality is exceptionally good and it’s a wonderful performance to boot.

The first set starts off with glistening vibraphone arpeggios over roiling drums, each of the various percussion instruments nicely captured in a wide stereo image. After a brief pause, the Arkestra blasts into an explosive space chord that sets up a long electronic keyboard extravaganza, punctuated by intermittent ensemble freakouts. This is certainly an intense way to begin a concert! After about nine minutes, Ra launches into the bouncy vamping of “Enlightenment.” This is a note-perfect rendition with everyone crystal clear in the mix, including the descending counter-melodies on flutes and trumpet and the multi-voiced chorus that accompanies June Tyson’s melodic crooning. “Love in Outer Space” predictably follows, but this time it’s taken at a more relaxed tempo than usual, settling into a sultry, slinky groove for almost twelve sensuous minutes, relentlessly driven forward by William Morrow’s doubling of Pat Patrick’s electric bass line on vibes. Not much happens musically until Ra enters to state the theme a few times on a wheezy electric organ at the end -- but that’s OK.

Sonny then signals the space-chant, “Space is the Place,” which is full of soulful group vocalizations over the mellow groove. Until, that is, the saxophones enter with some dissonant squealing and the rhythm starts to disintegrate, with the vocalists going crazy with ecstatic wailing about “outer space” etc. Rather than wearing out its welcome, all this nonsense quickly subsides to give way to a series of solos and various ensemble sections including Ra’s “mad-scientist” organ, some saxophone duels, raging horn battles, and pounding kettle drums. Another unknown number in the “Discipline” series emerges from the ashes, where richly orchestrated horn parts wander through a thicket of chords while rubato drums rumble around underneath. A beautiful trumpet solo follows (probably Kwami Hadi) accompanied by some spacey vibraphone, which gets a nice response from the audience. Morrow then takes over with Ra joining in on marimba, while drums beat randomly and ominously. Out of the ether, June Tyson enters with a brief declamation: “Out of every nation they shall rise, with an invitation of the Sun to journey to the outer darkness, to the outer heavens of the intergalactic dawn!” Then the ensemble enters with a reprise or coda to the “Discipline” piece. As the work concludes, Eloe Omoe adds his wild bass clarinet scribbling which prods the ensemble into some full-blown skronky free-jazz, led by John Gilmore’s indomitable tenor saxophone.

June Tyson interrupts the mayhem with the declamatory “We’ll Wait for You” which is ticklingly echoed by the ensemble voices. Another wave of high-energy group improv follows, featuring Art Jenkins's ghostly “space voice” and another long segment of vibes and marimba noodling. Sonny then takes a rare turn on solo acoustic piano, interspersing luscious ballad chords with furious avant-garde attacks, later rhapsodically hinting around the “Theme of the Stargazers,” which is taken up by Tyson and Gilmore in perfect unison. This gives rise to a long, quiet, very spacey improvisation with vocalized horns and gently tapping marimba and percussion. At times, an eerie, “Strange Strings” --like atmosphere arises only to move in other, equally compelling musical territory. Finally, Gilmore steps up with an anguished saxophone cry and takes over with a typically mind-blowing solo, which is greeted with wild applause. Wow.
An early version of “Discipline 27” follows right behind. Campbell and Trent point out that these early performances are “pre-mitotic; [they] combine[] a riff from the later ‘27’ and one from the later ’27-II’ along with a counter-theme for the saxes that was not used in later versions at all” (p.177). Not surprisingly, the ensemble sounds a bit tentative on the interlocking horn parts, and the rhythm section never quite attains the stately grace the work requires. Hadi ventures first with an uncharacteristically modest but tasteful solo while Morrow provides some rather aimless filling on vibes, mostly making for a not quite satisfying performance of this otherwise languid and dreamy composition. As the piece tapers off, the chorus enters with an a cappella rendition of “Outer Spaceways, Incorporated,” ending the set with delirious chanting and clapping while the Arkestra parades off the stage.
(continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)



 To Nature's God

184. [161]  Sun Ra's Intergalactic Research Arkestra

Sun Ra (2 Mini-Moog syns, org, p, voc); Kwame Hadi (tp, perc); Akh Tal Ebah [Doug E. Williams] (tp, flg, voc, dance); Marshall Allen (as, fl, ob, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); Larry Northington (as, cga, perc); Istar Sundance (as); John Gilmore (ts, d, perc, voc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, eb, perc); Hakim Rahim (bars, as, fl); Eloe Omoe (bcl, perc); Al Batin Nur [Augustus Browning Jr.] (Eng hn); James Jacson (fl, ob, Inf-d); Clifford Jarvis (d); Lex Humphries (d); Tommy Hunter (d, as); Nimrod Hunt (hand drums, perc); William Morrow (vib); Roger Aralamon Hazoumé (balafon, dance); June Tyson (voc, dance); Malik Ramadin (voc, tymp); Art Jenkins (space voice, voc, cga, perc); Wisteria el Moondew [Judith Holton] (dance); Cheryl Banks (dance); Kevin Massey (dance); Kenneth Alexander (dance); Richard Wilkinson (light show).
Aula van de T.H., Delft Netherlands,
November 11, 1971


Date and personnel from Gezinus Wolters in Jazz Wereld.  Wolters refers to Ra's Rocksichord (shish can be heard o the Paris tape) as an electric piano.  Recorded by the Dutch network VPRO and broadcast on radio on 11/14.  Portions broadcast on Dutch TV on 11/17/71.  (However, the videotape is not in the VPRO archive.)

Chase says that the Arkestra performed in West Germany during this tour; date and places are not known.  The Paris concert was originally intended to be the last date o the tour (Wilkinson). 

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.


 Sun Ra's Intergalactic Research Arkestra
1971.11.11 Delft, Netherlands

1.  Ra Solo / Enlightenment   11:49
2.  Love In Outer Space   11:44
3.  Space is the Place   8:31
4.  The Cosmic-Bypass   13:38
5.  In Some Far Place (we'll wait for you) / The Theme of the Stargazers   14:02
6.  Sun Ra's Intergalactic Research Arkestra, 1971.11.11, Delft-06   7:23
7.  Discipline 27   7:12
8.  Outer Spaceways Incorporated   5:28
9.  They'll Come Back   8:01
10. Discipline ??   18:15
11. Intergalactic Research / Ra Solo   18:42
12. Satellites are Spinning   10:26
13. Watusi   13:54
14. To Nature's God   8:52
15. The Shadow World / Sometimes the Universe Speaks / Ra Solo   27:06
16. Second Stop is Jupiter / Prepare for the Journey to Other Worlds   13:14

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1971.10.12 Stockholm Drameten Oper House FM

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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Live From Soundscape (1979) released 1994

May 1, 2013, 11:05 pm
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In celebration of Cauleen Smith's amazing work, Black Utopia, I want to re-introduce this fantastic 1979 set performed in NYC.  This is a great recording of a fantastic performance and Disc 2 (Japanese release only) features a full hour-plus-long lecture reminiscent of the stories featured in Smith's audio movie.  In the lecture, Ra delves into double-meanings and word/phonetic equation/dualities with a humor and insight like no other recitation I've heard.  It's a riveting 72 minutes like no other.

Live from Soundscape is a document of a 1979 show at the Soundscape performance space in New York City. June Tyson starts things out singing Astro Black which quickly heads into freakout territory. After the beautiful flute duet, "Where There Is No Sun," we get a couple nice vocal numbers before the classic 70's instrumental pieces, "D27" and "Watusi." The set closes with the ever popular Space Chants "Space is the Place," "We Travel the Spaceways" and "On Jupiter, the Skies Are Always Blue." Sound quality, while good, is not perfect, gearing the release more towards the serious fan. (Initial pressings included a second bonus disc with a fascinating lecture by Sun Ra entitled "The Possibility of Altered Destiny.")
AMG Review by Sean Westergaard 

 
 The Possibility of Altered Destiny

DIW 388 was issued in 1994 as the first disk in a limited-edition two-CD set titled Live at Soundscape.  According to a poster reproduced in the leaflet for the companion disk DIW 388B, there were shows at 3 and 8 pm on November 11; it is not known which one was recorded.  The second CD pressing, which appeared in Japan in 1996, consists of the concert CD without the lecture.

The CD is not a full set of music.  Additional items from this same set (seemingly recorded from a different vantage point and with greater stereo separation -- in fact, Sun Ra's keyboards threaten to take over the whole left channel) were broadcast on WKCR-FM during the April 1987 Sun Ra Festival.  Thanks to Stephen Ramirez for information about the broadcast; it ran 87 minutes.  "Watusi" was placed at the end of the broadcast but was obviously shifted there from its spot before "Space Is the Place," as can be heard on the CD.  "On Jupiter" is faded right after the beginning of the space chant on the CD; on the radio broadcast, it continues with a trumpet duet, a long synthesizer solo in the "dentist drill" manner, a shout of "All out for Jupiter!" and a freakout ensemble, then trails off with vibes and drums.

"Keep Your Sunny Side Up" is a chant by Sun Ra, not the standard.  Personnel identified by Bradford Graves and Verna Gillis by rlc from the tapes; no other documentation of the concert survives.





315. [247} Sun Ra Arkestra

Live from Soundscape

Sun Ra (org, syn, declamation); Michael Ray (tp); Walter Miller (tp); Charles Stephens (tb); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc, announcement); Eloe Omoe (bcl, fl, perc); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Skeeter McFarland (eg); Damon Choice (vib); Richard "Radu" Williams (b); Luqman Ali (d); Atakatune (cga, perc); June Tyson (voc); Bill Sebastian (light show); unidentified dancers.
Soundscape, NYC, November 11, 1979
info from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed


Sun Ra & His Arkestra
Live from Soundscape on November 11, 1979

CD 1
Astro Black
Where There Is No Sun [Pleiades]
Living In The Space Age
Keep Your Sunny Side Up
D. 27
Watusi
Space Is The Place
We Travel The Space Ways
On Jupiter, The Skies Are Always Blue

CD 2
SUN RA Talks On "The Possibility of Altered Destiny"
November 10, 1979


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Sun Ra - Life IS Splendid (from Ann Arbor 72 LP)

May 5, 2013, 2:05 pm
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Life is Splendid
Thanks to Tom in SFCA for suggesting.


"My understanding is that Atlantic Records put out a compilation record of the 1972 Ann Arbor...Festival which contains an excerpt of the Sun Ra Arkestra's performance that was mastered from the original multi-track tapes (not the reference tapes used for the Life is Splendid release). I have been looking for this record but have not yet found it. It would be great if some Saturnian got this record, digitized the Arkestra's cut, and unleashed it on the interwebz. Here's hoping."

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Sun Ra - Space Poetry and The Immeasurable Equation

May 22, 2013, 5:19 am
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In celebration of the 99th anniversary of Sun Ra's arrival on our Earthly plane.


Sun Ra’s wordplay, poetry, and language equations are as entertaining and thought provoking as his music and all seem to be parts of the same creation/presentation. I don’t think you can fully appreciate Sun Ra's music without also considering this poetry as an element of the grand equation.

With this in mind I would like to share not only the recordings below but what is perhaps my most treasured piece of Sun Ra ephemera, the small self-published volume of The Immeasurable Equation originally sold at Arkestra concerts around 1980.  This particular edition includes 81 poems on as many pages, printed on the rainbow's envy of colored construction paper.





Strange Worlds in My Mind
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The Sub Dwellers
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The Outer Darkness

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The Immeasurable Equation (1980)

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"My Music is Words" - The Poetics of Sun Ra
by Nathaniel Earl Bowles (2008)


In addition, don't miss out on Charles Blass' 6-hour Arrival Day celebration:
OMNIVERSE MYSTERY NINETY-NINE INFINITY



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NOW! Please Contribute to Thomas Stanley - Only A Few Hours Left

June 20, 2013, 6:20 pm
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Professor Stanley's project was successfully funded!  I'm really looking forward to reading his book.  Thanks to all who joined me in supporting the project.


A personal meditation and scholarly commentary on the late jazz icon's enduring contributions to the beleaguered humans of planet Earth
THE CLOCK IS TICKING....PLEASE SUPPORT THIS IMPORTANT WORK....MANY THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE PLEDGED THEIR SUPPORT

Putting Sun Ra into Action: A Book Project

Space Greetings,



On Sunday, May 30, 1993, I received a call from veteran WPFW jazz and blues programmer Rick Bolling informing me that a friend in Birmingham had just heard that Sun Ra had died in a local hospital. Sun Ra saw Death as a universal human problem, the ultimate common foe against which earth’s people should rise up united. Certainly, Sun Ra was hip to the way Death, like yeast, has been folded into the doughy mass of this purportedly advanced civilization.

Sun Ra’s vibrantly unconventional life combined varying degrees of artist, oracle, minstrel, and sage. He evaded any claim to leadership and instead offered himself as something of a catalyst for a species-wide entry into what he called an alter destiny of renewed creativity and happiness. While he lived and worked among us, Sun Ra’s claims of a globally transformational mission were easily compartmentalized as just the verbal side of a particularly hyperbolic performance shtick.

Twenty years after leaving the planet, Sun Ra’s legacy as an extraordinary musician, recording artist, and bandleader continues to grow. Now, just one year before the centenary of his birth, I am seeking your help in publishing a book that will add to our appreciation of the musician who according to poet Amiri Baraka was speaking “of needing another world, needing another mind, needing another human being, and another language.”

The Execution of Sun Ra is my attempt to take a second, closer, and perhaps more invested look at the ideas that Sun Ra offered in the midst of his music. In both the archaic military sense and the more contemporary hacker sense, I’m quite convinced that Sun Ra, that whimsical old, folksy musician with the funny clothes and the cosmic rap, was in fact a Trojan horse. Far more than an act of interpretative analysis, my text is a set of fluidly salient opportunities to refocus our freshened attention on Sun Ra and his Myth. It is a set of mining tools and the vaguest trace of a map.

Over the course of the next several months, I think it will become clear that Sun Ra was born in the last century to meet the demands of this one. There is a fertile urgency to his talk of what lies beyond our current phase of historical development and I believe that we will, in part through the pages of The Execution, soon have a much better idea of just how much he left us to work with.

Thank you,

Thomas T. Stanley









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Sun Ra - Super-Sonic Sounds (1974)

June 22, 2013, 10:03 pm
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In 1972 Ed Michel, the producer of the recording Space Is the Place, offered Sun Ra and Alton Abraham a lucrative contract on behalf of ABC/Impulse to rerelease the bulk of the Saturn catalog and to go into the studio and make new records.  Thirty reissues were prepared for release, an introductory sampler called Welcome to Saturn, and four new albums were recorded, Astro Black (1972), Pathways to Unknown Worlds (1975), Crystal Spears, and Cymbals (both possibly 1972).  Over the next three years Impulse issued two of the new recordings, Astro Black (in quadraphonic sound) and Pathways to Unknown Worlds, and reissued Angels and Demons at Play, Super-Sonic Jazz (under the title Supersonic Sounds), Jazz in Silhouette, The Nubians of Plutonia, Fate in a Pleasant Mood, Bad and Beautiful, The Magic City, and Atlantis, all with new art work and press announcements.

But then ABC abruptly canceled the project, cutting out the records already issued and leaving the rest of the reissues and Crystal Spears and Cymbals unreleased.  With the records cut out and dumped into sale bins of record stores Sun Ra received no more  payment for sales:

I finally consented to make some for them and what did they do?  They cut the ends off so I don't get any royalties.  Impulse was going to spend almost a million dollars in publicity.  They were going to put out fourteen LPs at one time.  Something happened where they didn't keep their contract.

Nonetheless, Impulse was the one major label with a commitment to the new jazz, having recorded John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and most of the major figures, so their embrace of Sun Ra saw to it that his records reached a much greater audience and gave him new press attention and reviews.Szwed - Space Is The Place - The Lives and Times of Sun Ra (1997) pp 333-334




Sun Ra had only been heading his Arkestra for a couple of years when they recorded the 12 songs featured on this 1956 session. But while the arrangements, ensemble work, and solos are not as ambitious, expansive, or free-wheeling as they became on later outings, the groundwork was laid on such cuts as "India," "Sunology," and one of the first versions of "Blues at Midnight." Ra's band already had the essential swinging quality and first-class soloists, and he had gradually challenged them with compositions that did not rely on conventional hard bop riffs, chord changes, and structure but demanded a personalized approach and understanding of sound and rhythm far beyond standard thinking. You can hear in Ra's solos and those of John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Charles Davis, and others an emerging freedom and looseness which would explode in the future.
AMG Review by Ron Wynn


31. [18]  Le Sun-Ra and his Arkistra

Sun RA (p.); Art Hoyle (tp); Julian Priester (tb); John Gilmore (ts); Laurdine "Pat" Patrick (bars); Wilburn Green (eb); Robert Barry (d).
 RCA Studios, Chicago,
around February 1956

Super Blonde (Ra)
Soft Talk (Priester)

Both of these tracks appeared in 1957 on the first Saturn LP, Super-Sonic Jazz.  The serial number of this LP was originally H7OP0216 (thanks to Alden Kimbrough for this information; the matrix numbers were H7OP0216 and H7OP0217).  The serial number was subsequently changed to SR-LP 0216; in 1967, the LP was given the catalog number 204.  All tracks from this LP were reissued in 1974 on Impulse AS-9271, under the title Super Sonic Sounds.  "Super Blonde" was retitled "Super Bronze" on the Impulse release only.  All tracks reissued on Evidence 22015 [CD] in 1992 under the original title.

It seems likely now that everything on 29, 30, 31, and 32 was recorded at one session.  Unfortunately, only "Urnack" and "Medicine for a Nightmare" carry their original RCA-derived matrix numbers.  Julian Priester copyrighted "Soft Talk" and "Urnack" in late 1955.  Sun Ra (still using the name Herman Blount as well as Le Sony'r Ra) began copyrighting his compositions in earnest with "Satana and Saturn" on February 1, 1956.  "Satana" was never recorded; "Saturn Interlude" and "Saturn: Chorus" are the piece that is familiar to us.  On February 6, 1956, Sunny copyrighted "Super-Blonde" and "A Call for All Demons."  "Snomed Yballul (English pronunciation: Demon's Lullaby)" didn't get copyrighted till April 24, but sounds as though it came from this session.  Sunny also copyrighted "East of Uz" on February 1, and "Velvet" and "Beta-Beta" on February 6.
"Velvet" was subsequently recorded by the Arkestra; the other two were not, so far as we know, though "East of Uz" got its belated premiere on record in 1976, when Pat Patrick's Baritone Retinue included it in Patrick's only Saturn LP under his own name.



32. [20]  Sun Ra Arkestra

Super-Sonic Jazz /
The Singles

Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep, p); Art Hoyle (tp); Julian Priester (tb); John Gilmore (ts); Laurdine "Pat" Patrick (bars); Wilburn Green (eb); Robert Barry (d); Jim Herndon (tymp, timb).
RCA Studios, Chicago,
around February 1956

Medicine for a Nightmare (Ra) [2nd version]
Medicine for a Nightmare (Ra) [alt.]

The previously unreleased alternate was discovered in 1993 during research on the Saturn singles; it was issued for the first time in September 1996, on the Saturn singles collection from Evidence (The Singles, Evidence 22164 [2 CDs]).  On the alternate take, Ra plays piano throughout.  Herndon was usually credited on Saturn jackets with playing "timbali"; according to Allan Chase, these were timbales tuned lower than usual.

These two performances of "Medicine" could have come from the next sessions in April or May, but they sound similar to the other February material.  Copyright dates provide no clues because Sunny did not register "Medicine for a Nightmare."

33. [19]  Sun Ra Arkestra

Super-Sonic Jazz

Sun Ra (p, Wurlitzer ep); James Scales (as); Wilburn Green (eb); John Gilmore (space bells, perc).
RCA Studios, Chicago, April-May 1956


Springtime in Chicago (Ra)

"Chicago in Springtime (Springtime in Chicago)" was copyrighted on May 21, 1956.  The later copyright date and the presence of James Scales (who was not in the "8 Rays of Jazz" earlier in the year) suggest a different recording date.

37. [23]  Le Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Super-Sonic Jazz

Sun Ra (p, Wurlitzer ep, space gong); Art Hoyle (tp, perc); Pat Patrick (as, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Charles Davis (bars, perc); Victor Sproles (b); William Cochran (d); Jim Herndon (tymp, perc).
RCA Studios, Chicago,
around October 1956


India (Ra)
Sunology (Ra)
Advice to Medics (Ra) [ep only]
Sunology part II (Ra)
Kingdom of Not (Ra)
Portrait of the Living Sky (Ra) [no horns]
Blues at Midnight (Ra) [tp, ts, p, b, d only]
El Is a Sound of Joy (Ra)

H7OP)216, Super-Sonic Jazz, was the first album to be issued by Saturn (1957).  Its original matrix numbers, according to Alden Kimbrough and Peter Roberts, were H7OP0216 and H7OP0217; these indicate that the album was pressed by RCA Victor, and the H prefix stands for a 1957 pressing.  Alton Abraham says that this and other early Saturn albums were initially issued with blank covers (some may have been hand-decorated).  The first Saturn cover was made for this album; according to Abraham, it was silk-screened without printing.  Kimbrough, however, owns a copy with artwork by the same artist who did the original covers for Rocket Number Nine and Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy [Claude Dangerfield].

Subsequent issues of the album carried the serial number SR-LP 0216.  There are two later covers.  The first is pink-purple (or pale yellow) Bauhaus style with keyboard.  The second and more common is a blue or green view of the Void with solar symbols (this last was in circulation by the early '60s -- Kimbrough owns two copies with this cover and yellow labels -- and remained the cover of choice thereafter).  In 1967, this LP was gin the catalog number 204.  Around 1970, the album was reissued on Thoth Intergalactic, still with the catalog number 204 (Stephen Ramirez).



All tracks from the Saturn album were reissued in 1974 on Impulse AS-9271, under the title Super Sonic Sounds.  All tracks were reissued on Evidence 22015 [CD] in 1992 under the original title.  "Kingdom of Not" as also included in a 1997 Evidence-derived Sun Ra sampler on Japanese Paddle Wheel Records, KICJ 315.

Location from the Saturn liner notes.  Personnel based on Saturn credits.  The dates for these sessions can be pretty closely bracketed because Patrick is playing alto sax, Sproles is on bass, and no trombonist is present.  Julian Priester (who did not play with Sproles) departed from the Arkestra in September 1956.  Art Hoyle, in turn, left in December 1956 or soon thereafter to join Lionel Hampton's band (the latest date he has given is March 1957).  Moreover, several of the Ra tunes (everything but the keyboard improvisations and "Blues at Midnight") from this session were copyrighted on December 7.  The original title of "Kingdom of Not" was "Big Charles," and "El is a Sound of Joy" was originally called "El (House of Joy)."

The version of "El Is a Sound of Joy" from this session sounds embryonic compared to the more polished one found on Sound of Joy, which suggests that this session took place earlier.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings, 2nd ed.





Le Sun-Ra and his Arkestra
Super-Sonic Sounds
Impulse AS-9271 (1974)

1.  India   4:48
2.  Sunology   5:39
3.  Advice to Medics   2:02
4.  Super Bronze   2:33
5.  Soft Talk   2:42
6.  Sunology, Part II   7:03
7.  Kingdom of Not   5:25
8.  Portrait of the Living Sky   1:50
9.  Blues at Midnight   6:30
10. El is a Sound of Joy   3:55
11. Springtime in Chicago   3:51
12. Medicine for a Nightmare   2:26

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Sun Ra at Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio

June 30, 2013, 8:36 am
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A few years ago, John Corbett and his wife, Terri Kapsalis, donated a treasure trove - a historical cornucopia of sounds, articles, ephemera, and images that had been tossed into boxes, made ready for disposal, and subsequently rescued from Alton Abraham's estate - to the University of Chicago and Chicago's Experimental Sound Studio (ESS).  Corbett and Kapsalis mention the event during the Duke University Sun Ra Symposium in 2009.

Since,  ESS has allowed limited access to the archives and I am aware of three artists' works spread over four releases.  I believe that these pieces are available for purchase online and due to the fact that most have only been recently released, I am hoping to draw attention to their efforts by offering streaming audio of the works but will not be offering downloads.  Please support them with the power of your purchase.

First out of the gate was Audio/Video artist Brian Harnetty.  Brian Harnetty is a musician and artist from Ohio, and his work involves overlooked elements of sound.  Many of his pieces transform found material––including field recordings, transcriptions, and historic recordings––into personal sound worlds.  For the past several years, this has led to a focus on projects with specific archives, including the Berea College Appalachian Sound Archives in Kentucky, and the Sun Ra/El Saturn Creative Audio Archive in Chicago.  His music and installations have been performed and shown in America and Europe.  Recordings are available on Atavistic Records, Ruminance (Europe), and Scioto Records.
brianharnetty(dot)com

When Brian Harnetty was commissioned to work with the Sun Ra/El Saturn archives in Chicago, his goal was to develop a series of conversations with Sun Ra through the many recordings in the collection. On one level, the resulting pieces combine these diverse materials to create a sonic collage. On another level, Harnetty uses these elements to reveal multi-layered stories, drawing out the many connections and complexities of the Sun Ra archives.



For this 7" single, entitled "The Sociophonic Key," Harnetty has created a stand-alone work drawn from "The Star Faced One," a 2010 sound installation at the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago. Despite the variety of samples used many subtle relationships are heard––both literal and fantastic––from Sun Ra rehearsing a group of children fading into an answering machine, to the intensity of a gospel preacher alongside the Arkestra’s invitation to join them in outer space.

"It is a huge, rambling collection of recordings that are only loosely held together by the presence of Sun Ra," explains Harnetty. "There are rehearsals, live concerts, lectures, TV shows, and so on. I spent most of my time listening closely, as a fan and out of curiosity, searching for correlations, links, and routes of connection." In the end, these recordings create networks of reference and dialogue that both point to the past and imagine new futures.

Visit Bandcamp to purchase.

Late last year, on Cuneiform Records, Living by Lanterns released the CD Old Myth/New Science.



"While New Myth/Old Science deliberately avoids any obvious Ra intergalactic tones, it’s joyful enough to make a visitor from Saturn smile." – DownBeat

Co-led by Mike Reed and Jason Adasiewicz, two of the fastest-rising young stars of Chicago's insanely vibrant jazz scene, Living by Lanterns was formed specifically to bring together four of Chicago's and four of New York's leading players for a special and unique project concept.

Commissioned by Experimental Sound Studio (ESS), the music was created in response to material contained in ESS’s vast Sun Ra Audio Archive. Rather than a Sun Ra tribute, Reed and Adasiewicz have crafted a melodically rich, harmonically expansive body of themes orchestrated from fragments extracted from a rehearsal tape marked "NY 1961", featuring Ra on electric piano, John Gilmore on tenor sax and flute, and Ronnie Boykins on bass.

The tunes on Old Myth/New Science were written by the co-leaders based on the 1961 tape. That tape contains no compositions per-se, but there are a lot of stream-of-consciousness ideas and some of these ideas were teased out, hugely expanded upon and turned into the pieces heard here.

"The tape is clearly these ideas they’re hashing out,” Adasiewicz says. “Some of this stuff sounds kind of squirrelly. Some is insanely beautiful....it became our personal arrangements."

"After figuring out the band, the first step in the process was to completely dismiss the idea of commenting or honoring Sun Ra," Reed says. "The more interesting idea was of creating new music using someone's unfinished, unwanted and abandoned material."

Reed and Adasiewicz fully considered the possibilities of taking this very unrefined material and teasing out raw ideas, bits and undeveloped fragments from it, and developing and composing them into full compositions that the band perform and make their own. The music is rich and exciting; full and sparse; mysterious and inviting; challenging and tuneful! And what a band!

Greg Ward – alto saxophone

Taylor Ho Bynum – cornet

Ingrid Laubrock – tenor saxophone

Tomeka Reid – cello

Mary Halvorson – guitar

Jason Adasiewicz – vibraphone

Joshua Abrams – bass

Tomas Fujiwara – drums

Mike Reed – drums, electronics

For Mike Reed, there’s something inherently amusing about assembling such a talent-laden crew to explore music that was discarded by Sun Ra. "We are bringing all these people together to make their mark," Reed says. "That was the premise. With so many leaders in the group and rising stars and collaborators, everybody is trying to make their way through this life. We’re working in the shadows and you have to put a light on."
D/L and hard copy available for purchase at CuneiformRecords.

 Filmmaker Cauleen Smith wraps up her 2-year Chicago residency and research on Sun Ra with her exhibition The Journeyman - an installation, recording studio, and library about artistic process, research and the relationship between an artist and the subjects they revere. The exhibition will be accompanied by the release of a limited edition vinyl record mixed by Smith that includes recordings she made over the course of her project in Chicago and materials found in the Sun Ra archive at Experimental Sound Studio.

Experimental filmmaker Smith has been a “long-term” resident of threewalls’, first joining us in 2010 as part of the Studio Chicago program in conjunction with the Sullivan Galleries at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Initially Smith intended to extend her on-going film work on jazz, radical black creativity, and the American urban matrix to a work on Chicago and the legend and impact of phenom Sun Ra. Her research led her down a winding path to residencies at the University of Chicago, Center for Race and Culture, and Experimental Sound Studio’s Sun Ra archives.


Between time spent in Chicago and teaching in San Diego, Smith produced The Solar Flare Arkestral Marching Band, a series of marching band flash mob street performances inspired by Sun Ra’s Arkestra where Chicago Southside high-school marching bands would play a single Sun Ra song arranged for them by local musicians and composers. This series was recorded as part of a number of short films that Smith made while in the city, culminating in two exhibitions: A Seed is a Star, on exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (May 12-September 16th, 2012) and The Journeyman at threewalls. Both exhibitions cultivate a specific, immersive experience or manipulation of space, with her exhibition at threewalls’ generating the character of research, with study, listening and recording spaces butted up against each other in a meditation on the process of research, creation and the making of myth– both in homage to Sun Ra’s own intensive auto-didact methods and Smith’s experience studying his extensive archives.




Cauleen Smith (born 1967) is a filmmaker whose work reflects upon the everyday possibilities of the black imagination. Smith’s films have been featured in group exhibitions at the Houston Contemporary Art Museum; the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin; and the New Museum, New York. Beginning in 1994, she wrote, directed, and produced her first narrative feature film, Drylongso (1998), which was selected for the American Spectrum of Sundance Film Festival, and won best feature film at both the Urbanworld Film Festival and the Los Angeles Pan-African Film Festival Smith earned an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Please visit Three Walls for more info.




Most recently, Atavistic has released Brian Harnetty's CD, The Star-Faced One, arranged from pieces culled from his audio visual installation.  From Brian's Website:

(It is) an album-length version of a 2010 sound installation based on the Sun Ra/El Saturn Audio Archive, which was commissioned with the generous support of the Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago. The title is borrowed from a poem by Konstantine Balmont (via Igor Stravinsky), which is appropriate for the illusive and enigmatic Sun Ra:

“His eyes were like stars, like flames which furrow space.  His visage was like the sun when it shines at its zenith.  The luminous colors of the heavens, purple, azure, and gold, dappled the gorgeous robe he wore to be reborn among us....”

On one level, this piece is a way to access a vast collection and explore the many facets, dichotomies, contradictions, and beauty contained within.  The collection in itself is already a kind of large-scale composition, a finite world that points to the universe.  My contribution is but one of many pieces that can come from it.

I am not a jazz musician.  I cannot lay claim to Sun Ra’s history, nor can I ever fully understand him or his music.  But I can listen, intently, and enter a dialogue, bringing my own knowledge and thought and experience.  How to enter a dialogue with Sun Ra?  Start playing along, always listening with imagination and empathy....soon, your own voice emerges, runs along side, converses with, connects, while all along staying independent; they are “co-habitating” together.

In this conversation, there is also the gift economy: finding a way to bring the archives out of the defined world and into the daylight, to hold them, and pass them on.  Their energy lies in the exchange, and is how they can stay alive and in motion.

This recent release is available at Amazon and elsewhere.

“Brian Harnetty’s The Star-Faced One travels the peculiarities and particularities of a collection of interplanetary fragment-gems: the Sun Ra/El Saturn Collection in the Creative Audio Archive at ESS. His excursion into this unsystematic cache of rehearsal tapes, recitations, studio recordings, concert documents, and unlabeled appropriations, accidentally handed down to us through an unforgiving yet generous history, stakes no claim to Sun Ra’s legacy––something which speaks for itself over and over again––but instead takes a joyful listener’s ‘cosmic pathway’ into its own unique imagistic swirl. Brian and his musical collaborators proceed in a spirit of serious play, respectful intrusion, and insistent openness, releasing hi-, lo-, and mid-fi sounds from the past into a new future of revelatory listening.”
Lou Mallozzi
Director, Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago






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Sun Ra - Live at the Hackney Empire (1994)

July 11, 2013, 4:11 am
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Live At The Hackney Empire may be the definitive latter-day Sun Ra recording for a couple of reasons. First, it's a full two-and-a-half hour concert on two CDs, so you get the actual flow Sun Ra programmed into his performance to showcase the different musical facets of the Arkestra -- swirling cosmic outbursts, swing-era big band, vocal chants rooted in Africa by way of Saturn. (Amazingly, there's hardly any duplication of material from the concert the night before with a dozen-odd French symphony musicians that Leo released as Pleiades).

Second is the presence of guest players (or Arkestra members for the tour) like Charles Davis, with his robust baritone sax, India Cooke's high-flying violin, and Talvin Singh's tablas in the percussion section. That means new voices who definitely make their presence felt, so bingo, it's already not just another Sun Ra release.

The space-age atonal outbursts are mostly front-loaded on the three long opening pieces. As Astro-Black fades in over drums, Davis and Cooke immediately take impressive solo spins, and the crowd roars at the end of 18 minutes that sure don't feel like it. "Other Voices" quickly ventures into abstract textural zones and it calls to mind how cinemagraphic, how full of soundtrack colors, Sun Ra's music can be. Davis' baritone slashes through and Michael Ray's trumpet flashes over the top, the Ra tosses some space-sonic keyboard discords and his peaceful piano transitions into "Planet Earth Day." Back at the movies again, the group is gathering momentum with thundering drums and big band stylings before Marshall Allen goes stratospheric and the lurching riff behemoth subsides behind Kash Killion's cello.

"Hocus Pocus" is in-the-pocket big band romping with strong John Gilmore solos on clarinet and tenor bracketing Tyrone Hill's brassy trombone outing. Gilmore shoulders much of the solo load on "Blue Lou," a big band at the speed-of-sound outing with hot jazz drumming, before Singh and Elson Nascimento hit the final tablas-congas breakdown. "Face The Music" swings out in wonderfully joyous fashion with massed vocals before Noel Scott's great alto solo, and Davis galvanizes again -- his baritone's brawny tone really cuts a visceral swath through the essentially light swing of Sun Ra's Arkestra.

The string trio with guest bassist John Ore soloing fades into more cinematic big band to start the second disc. Davis is solid and Cooke shines, but the real story is the rock-solid, swinging support from the drummers. Sun Ra's drummers rarely receive any mention (quick, can you name one?) but Earl "Buster" Smith and Clifford Barbaro really drive the Arkestra all through Live At The Hackney Empire. The mood-lightening "East Of Sun" is almost cartoon music (that's not a criticism) but the lively, vibrant "Sunset On The Nile" falls victim to the perils of set flow with overextended vocal exchanges.

That changes as soon as Ra's piano leads into the blues ("Skimming and Loping") and the Arkestra takes off on a swing thing for serious dancing, the drums rockin' away behind the solos (and salvaging some slack spots); just listen to the Ra's pure rock & roll left hand heading into the home stretch. The Noble Sissle-Fletcher Henderson chestnut "Yeah Man!" brings swing era exuberance to the fore -- let's hear it for the drummers again -- before "We Travel The Spaceways" and "They'll Come Again" trail off into vocal chants as Sun Ra space-sounds out. The musical momentum dissipates, but it was probably a natural winding down for audience and the Arkestra alike after two-and-a-half hours.

Fans of Sun Ra's more adventurous explorations may find fault with him backing away from them to move back to his big band roots, and the slight versions of "Prelude To A Kiss" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" may provide fuel for the traditionalist critics who have long decried the Arkestra as a shuck 'n' jive freak show spectacle. It has its weak moments, but there's almost certainly no more complete document of what Sun Ra and his Arkestra sounded like as its leader's life wound down than on Live At The Hackney Empire. The liner notes say a projected U.K. television documentary on Sun Ra based on the concert fell through -- let's hope it sees the light of day sometime soon because this would be a performance worth seeing as well as hearing. 
AMG Review by Don Snowden



693. [453] Sun Ra and the Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra

Live at the Hackney Empire

Le Sony'r Ra [Sun Ra] (p, syn, voc); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Jothan Callins (tp); Tyrone Hill (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl, ob, picc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc); Noël Scott (as, cacl); Charles Davis (bars); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d); India Cooke (vln); Stephen "Kash" Killion (clo); John Ore (b); Clifford Barbaro (d); Earl C. "Buster" Smith (d); Elson Dos Santos Nascimento (surdo grande, perc); Talvin Singh (tabla, voc); June Tyson (voc, vln).
Hackney Empire Theatre, London,
October 28, 1990

1st Set:
Astro Black (Ra) [JT voc]
Other Voices (Ra)
Planet Earth Day [Mythic 1] (Ra)
Prelude to a Kiss (Ellington)
Hocus Pocus (Hudson)
Love in Outer Space (Ra) [MR, JT voc]
Bue Lou (Sampson)
Face the Music (Ra) [ens voc]

2nd Set:
Strings Sings (Ra) /
Discipline 27-II (Ra) /
I'll Wait for You (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc]
East of the Sun (Bowman) [JG voc]
Somewhere over the Rainbow (Arlen-Harburg)
Frisco Fog (Carr-Roberts)
Sunset on the Nile (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc)
Skimming and Loping (Ra)
Yeah Man! (Sissle-Henderson)
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [ens voc]

encore:
They'll Come Back (Ra) [JT, SR, ens voc]


Leo LR214/215, Live at the Hackney Empire, was released on CD in December 1994.  On this release, LR 214 was mistakenly labeled "Disk 2" and LR 215 was labeled "Disk 1."  The entire concert was used on the CDs, except for a 2-minute segment plagued by technical recording faults.  All information from ct.  Personnel based on ct's observation with additional help from Dan Plonsey, the credits to Pleiades, and a reviewer in the Wire, who supplied Singh's full name.  ct points out that the first percussion break at the beginning of the first set is a short timbales solo by John Gilmore.

Titles on the CD were supplied by members of the Arkestra; in some cases, improvisations are attached to the preceding or following title, and both "We Travel the Spaceways" and "They'll Come Back" interweave other space chants and sermonizing by The Ra.  The concert was filmed by Chris Foster, and a video documentary based on this concert was planned at one time for British Channel 4, but it was later canceled.

The October trip was a short one -- just the Orléans and London concerts.  According to Ahmed Abdullah and Jothan Callins, the Arkestra completed no fewer than seven trips to Europe in 1990 (March, April, May, June, July, August, and October).

from Campbell / Trent - The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.



Sun Ra and the Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra
Live at the Hackney Empire
Leo Records CD LR214 / LR215 (1994)

Disc 1
1.  Astro Black   18:18
2.  Other Voices   14:13
3.  Planet Earth Day   11:57
4.  Prelude To A Kiss   4:51
5.  Hocus Pocus   3:38
6.  Love In Outer Space   6:44
7.  Blue Lou   5:01
8.  Face The Music   10:04

Disc 2
1.  String Singh / Discipline 27-II / I'll Wait For You   12:56
2.  East Of The Sun   3:37
3.  Somewhere Over The Rainbow   9:37
4.  Frisco Fog   3:14
5.  Sunset On The Nile   12:06
6.  Skimming And Loping   9:29
7.  Yeah Man!   3:15
8.  We Travel The Spaceways   12:30
9.  They'll Come Back   7:12


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Sun Ra - The Other Side of the Sun (1980)

July 27, 2013, 10:03 pm
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The Other Side of the Sun is a great example (among many) of Ra's ability to deftly use traditional Big Band Jazz as a launch pad for his exploratory adventures.  The wonderful sound and inclusion of some standards makes this a nice choice as an introduction for those unfamiliar and wary of Ra's reputation for expressing Interstellar Chaos through music.

Space Fling

The Sun Ra Arkestra looks both forwards and backwards in time on this obscure small label LP. Ten years earlier, one could not have imagined Ra and his men romping through "On the Sunny Side of the Street" or reinventing "Flamingo." However, those versions certainly sound quite original, and there is no mistaking the band for any other orchestra on "Space Fling," "Manhattan Cocktail" and the trademark "Space Is the Place." The music on this album features a version of the Arkestra consisting of six reeds (including John Gilmore and Marshall Allen), three trumpets (including Michael Ray and Eddie Gale), two trombones (with a young Robin Eubanks), the French horn of Vincent Chancey, guitarist Dale Williams, three bassists, four percussionists, singer June Tyson and the leader's keyboards. A stimulating set.

AMG Review by Scott Yanow



Manhattan Cocktail


281. [224]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Sun Ra (p, Fender Rhodes ep, perc, bells, voc); Walter Miller (tp); Michael Ray (tp); Eddie Gale (tp); Tony bethel (tb); Robin Eubanks (tb); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Marshall Allen (as, fl); Danny Davis (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts, timb); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d); Eloe Omoe (bcl, as); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Dale Williams (eg); Oscar Brown Jr. (eb); Bob Cunningham (b); Ben "Jereeboo" Henderson [Jeribu Shahid] (b); Atakatune (cga, perc); Luqman Ali (d, perc); William Goffigan (perc); Eddie Thomas (perc); June Tyson (voc).
Blue Rock Studios, NYC,
November 1, 1978
and January 4, 1979
Space Fling (Ra)
Flamingo (Grouya-Anderson)
Space Is The Place (Ra) [JT voc]
The Sunny Side of the Street (McHugh)
Manhattan Cocktail (Ra)

Sweet Earth SER 1003, The Other Side of the Sun, was released in 1980.  All information from the album jacket.  Personnel is collective, and it is not known at which session individual tracks were recorded.  It is a reasonable bet, however, that "Space Fling" was made on November 1.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.




Sun Ra
The Other Side of the Sun
Sweet Earth SER 1003 (1980)

1. Space Fling   7:38
2. Flamingo   4:43
3. Space Is The Place   9:48

4. The Sunny Side Of The Street   9:35
5. Manhattan Cocktail   9:54

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 This is a rip that I found online (in some far off [unknown] place, many light-years in space).  I attempted my own rip but this sounds much better than what my copy would yield.  Many THANKS to the original ripper.

Aren't these pictures of the band playing before Bill Sebastian's OVC amazing?

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Sun Ra - Egyptian Fantasy from Beets: A Collection of Jazz Songs (1992)

August 4, 2013, 10:03 pm
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"Egyptian Fantasy (Carefree)" has long been one of my Sun Ra concert favorites.  The hypnotic repetition of the theme makes for a great foundation over which the Arkestra's tone scientists can experiment freely and passionately (as you will hear).  Thanks to Mattia for requesting and to dmatlb for originally sharing with us.

(give it a moment - the track starts quietly)

Sun Ra - Egyptian Fantasy (rec. 1990)

671. [443]  Sun Ra and the Arkestra

Beets: A Collection of Jazz Songs

Sun Ra (p, syn); Michael Ray (tp); Ahmed Abdullah (tp); Tyrone Hill (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl); Noël Scott (as); John Gilmore (ts, timb); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d); John Ore (b); Buster Smith (d); Ron McBee (cga, perc); Elson Nascimento (surdo grande, perc); Jorge Silva (repinique, perc).
prob. Skeppsholmen, Stockholm,
June or July 1990

Egyptian Fantasy [Carefree] (Ra)

The complete version of this track (clocking in at 13:06) was released in 1992 on the various-artists compilation Elemental/t.e.c. 90902 [CD], Beets: A Collection of Jazz Songs.  An edited version of less than 4 minutes was released in 1990 on Elemental/t.e.c. 90901 [LP].  Tom Timony of Elemental/t.e.c. told Malcolm Humes that the track was recorded live in Europe, "maybe Sweden or Switzerland."  The "Egyptian Fantasy" from Zurich (July 17, 1990) is very similar in approach to this one, and only about one minute longer.  However, Bengt Berg recalls a performance by the Arkestra at the jazz festival at Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, around this same time, at which Scott and McBee were present.  Personnel identified by rlc.  According to Callins, the Arkestra remained in Europe for the entire month of July.

According to Malcolm Humes, this collection was also sold as a cassette encased in what appeared to be a can of… beets.  The other artists were Fred Frith, Club Foot Orchestra, Peter Fair, ROVA, Machete Ensemble of San Francisco, Tom Cora, Anthony Braxton/Gino Robair, Eric Drew Feldman, Snakefinger, B. Singer, Sonny Simmons, Winston Tong, and Big Butter.

If this only whets your appetite, check out the Lugano video (June 27, 1990)  recently offered at Solar Flares.  Thanks again, Ruby!!

Lugano Switzerland (June 27, 1990)

"Egyptian Fantasy (Carefree)" from Beets: A Collection of Jazz Songs

FLAC & 320

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Sun Ra - Stardust from Tomorrow

December 7, 2012, 10:13 pm
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A companion piece to Second Star to the Right (Salute to Walt Disney), the two disks clock in at nearly 1:39 and is the remainder of the performance from April 29, 1989, at the Jazzatelier in Ulrichsberg, Austria.

The intriguing selections in the dozen numbers are Prelude in A Major, Op. 28, No. 7, Queer Notions and Yeah Man!, with the final flurry, which combines a number of Sun Ra-penned music - We Travel the Spaceways, Outer Spaceways, Inc., Rocket No. 9 Take Off for the Planet Venus, Second Stop Is Jupiter, Saturn Rings - is nearly nine minutes of fantastic free jazz.
Amazon Review


Stardust From Tomorrow is a fairly typical late '80s live date for the Arkestra, as it gives a decent overview of what the band could do: a little Fletcher Henderson, a little Duke Ellington, some Ra originals, some space chants, and some conducted improvisation flowing seamlessly from one tune to the next. Both Michael Ray and Marshall Allen are in fine form on this date, with Allen shining especially bright on "Prelude to a Kiss." (He always tears it up on the Ellington numbers.) Unfortunately, due to ill health, John Gilmore is absent from this recording, gearing it more toward the completist/collector than the casual listener. Sound quality is good, but there are some problems associated with a live date: some minor swells of feedback on stage during "Blue Lou" and some slightly off-mike moments. The performance, though, is a fine one. Sun Ra releases on Leo Records have always been more about documentation than audiophile sound anyway.
AMG Review by Sean Westergaard






614. [407]  Sun Ra and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra


Other Thoughts /
Second Star to the Right (Salute to Walt Disney) /
Stardust from Tomorrow

Sun Ra (p, syn, voc); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Tyrone Hill (tb, voc); Julian Priester (tb); Noël Scott (as, fl, acrobatics, voc); Marshall Allen (as, fl, cl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc); Eloe Omoe (as, bcl, fl, perc); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d, voc); Bruce Edwards (eg); Arthur Joonie Booth (eb); Earl "Buster" Smith (d); Elson Nascimento (surdo grande, perc); June Tyson (voc, vln).
Jazzatelier, Ulrichsberg,
Austria, April 29, 1989
1st set:
Mystery Intro (Ra)
Untitled I (Ra)
Blue Lou (Sampson)
Prelude in A Major (Chopin)
Untitled II (Ra)
The Forest of No Return (Bruns-Leven) [ens voc]
Someday My Prince Will Come (Churchill-Morey) [JT, MR voc]
Frisco Fog (Carr-Roberts)
Wishing Well [I'm Wishing] (Morey-Churchill) [Sr, JT, ens voc]
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Gilbert-Wrubel) [JJ, TH, MR, NS, SR voc]
Second Star to the Right (Cahn-Fain) [SR, MR voc]
Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! (Morey-Churchill) [TH, MR, NS voc]

2nd set:
Discipline 27-II (Ra) /
I'll Wait for You (Ra) /
Angel Race (Ra) [SR, ens voc]
Queer Notions (Hawkins)
Back Alley Blues (Ra)
Prelude to a Kiss (Ellington)
Stardust from Tomorrow (Ra) [JT voc]
Yeah Man! (Sissle-Henderson)
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra)
Space Chants Medley:
Outer Spaceways Inc. (Ra) /
Rocket No. 9 Take Off for the Planet Venus (Ra) /
Second Stop is Jupiter (Ra) /
Pluto [Too] (Ra) /
[Planet] Saturn (Ra) /
Saturn Rings (Ra) [SR, ens voc]

encore:
Whistle While You Work (Morey-Churchill) [TH, MR, JJ, SR voc]

ZUW Disc 0001, Other Thoughts, is a bootleg CD of Austrian origin, released in 1993.  It is based on an audience tape made by one Herbert Zaussinger, edited to include only the Walt Disney tunes from this concert.

The same audience tape (with extensively cleaned-up sound) was used for a release in October 1995 on Leo CD LR 230, Second Star to the Right (Salute to Walt Disney). This is a legitimate release in that royalties are being paid to Sun Ra's estate, but the Arkestra was not consulted nor paid for the release.  The rest of the music from the complete concert was released by Leo in March 1997 as LR 235/236 [CD], Stardust from Tomorrow.  Because of poor relations between Leo Records and the Arkestra, the two "Untitleds" were not identified.  Untitled I was an improvisation; Untitled II appears to have been a Ra composition.

Judging from the announcements that follows it, "Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho!" was the end of the first set, and "Whistle While You Work" was an encore after the first set.  The two CDs of Stardust from Tomorrow seem to correspond to the two sets of the show, but the order of the Disney and non-Disney tunes in the first set is unknown.

The date was mistakenly given as April 24 in the first edition of this discography.  Personnel from the ZUW CD leaflet, with corrections by ct and Hartmut Geerken; the corrected personnel list is included on the Leo releases.  the name of the Arkestra (with Sunny's late-1960s spelling "Intergalaxtic") was supplied by Hartmut Geerken.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.



Sun Ra and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra
Stardust From Tomorrow
Leo Records LR 235/236 [CD] 1995

Disc 1
1. Mystery Intro   18:09
2. Untitled I   7:31
3. Blue Lou   5:53
4. Prelude in A-Major Op. 28 N. 7   9:39
5. Untitled II   6:21

Disc 2
1. Discipline 27 / I'II Wait For You / Angel Race   18:17
2. Queer Notions   2:50
3. Back Alley Blues   9:56
4. Prelude to a Kiss   4:55
5. Stardust From Tomorrow   3:12
6. Yeah Man!   3:23
7. We Travel The Spaceways / Space Chants Medley   8:43

Space Chants Medley: Outer Spaceways Incorporated / Rocket N.9 Take off for the Planet Venus / Second Stop is Jupiter / Pluto / Saturn / Saturn Rings


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Sun Ra - Otherness (1974) (Reconstructed)

December 11, 2012, 9:12 pm
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Otherness is a fascinating hybrid featuring tracks from Side A of the 1971 release, My Brother the Wind Volume II, alongside tracks from Side A of the 1966 recording, Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  As he is want to do, Ra toys with our conception of time by placing the more recent recordings on Side A and saves the older recordings for the B Side.  He even includes two versions of "Somebody Else's World" which gives this release a unique cohesion as we first enjoy the 1971 version featuring June Tyson's intonations of Ra's song-poem before delving into much older, extended instrumental version titled "The Wind Speaks."  Many thanks to Rev.B for bringing this hybrid to my attention and for sharing with us pics of his treasured LP. 

127. [112]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Outer Spaceways Incorporated
Primitone /
Spaceways

Sun Ra (p, Clavioline, gong); Teddy Nance (tb); Bernard Pettaway (tb); Marshall Allen (as, ob, fl, picc, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Pat Patrick (bas, fl, bgo); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b); Clifford Jarvis (d); poss. Lex Humphries (d); James Jacson (log drums, fl); Carl Nimrod [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums).
prob. New York City, 1966
Chromatic Shadows (Ra)
[incl. Sun Ra and his Band from Outer Space
and The Shadow World] [ens voc]
The Wind Speaks (Ra)
Outer Spaceways INcorported (Ra)
[ens voc]

These tracks were issued in 1974 on (Philadelphia) Saturn 143000A/B, Outer Spaceways Incorporated. All tracks from this album were sold to Black Lion in December 1971 but never released on that label (the 1998 CD on Freedom comes from the Black Lion holdings -- see below). The album has also appeared with a Chicago label and the serial number Saturn LP 530.
Sometimes titled A Tonal view of Times tomorrow volume 3.  The album was derived from three live concerts; all of these probably took place in New York City.  The date is based on stylistic considerations and the fact that Teddy Nance died in 1967.  Mark Webber gives 1967 as the date; Julian Vein says 1967-1968.  Note that "Sun Ra and His Band from Outer Space" opens the concert, instead of closing it, as it did on "Atlantis" and at later performances.  Also, there is no organ or Clavinet.  Personnel identified by rlc; Ali Hassan was given as one of the trombonists in the first edition.

This album was completely omitted from discographies before Webber's because Side A (matrix 143000A) of this album frequently replaced Side A of My Brother the Wind Volume II on hybrid pressings.  Undoctored copies of Outer Spaceways Incorporated with the original Side B (matrix 143000B) are considerably less common.  "The Wind Speaks" was retitled "Somebody Else's World" after Sun Ra added lyrics.

Also, some copies of The Invisible Shield are hybrids that include 144000B as Side A and 143000B as Side B.  According to Urs Berger, these hybrids have bluish Philadelphia Saturn labels and a 1973 date, and were sold in plain white porthole sleeves.

There is another distinct hybrid, issued on the Philadelphia Saturn label in the 1970s, that includes 143000A as Side A and 14200A (from Space Probe) as Side B.  It is called Primitone (thanks to Hartmut Geerken and Urs Berger for information).  It was re-pressed and distributed by Recommended Records in the early 1980s.

Still another hybrid involved 143000B (the side that is much less often encountered on Saturn LPs).  This is a hybrid Invisible Shield that carries 14400B as Side A and 143000B as Side B.  Urs Berger's copy has bluish labels from Philadelphia (with a 1973 date) on both sides and was sold in a plain white porthole sleeve.  Another pressing of this hybrid was sold at concerts in Britain in 1990 and 1991; copies had a blue-purple Chicago-style El Saturn label and a plain white sleeve.

All tracks from the original Saturn album were reissued in April 1998 as Spaceways (Freedom CD 740147).  This was originally part of a three-CD set titled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612). On this release the first track was titled "Prelude and Shadow-Light World" (apparently following notations that accompanied the tape that was sold to Black Lion).



157. [139]  Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra

My Brother the Wind Volume II

Sun Ra (intergalactic [Farfisa] org); Kwami Hadi (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, mell); Marshall Allen (as [solo], fl, picc); Danny Davis (as, acl, fl); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl); Pat Patrick (bs [all solos], fl); James Jacson (ob, perc); Alejandro [Alex] Blake (b); Clifford Jarvis (d); Lex Humphries (d); Nimrod Hunt (hand drums); William Brister [Rashid Salim] (perc); Robert Cummings (perc); June Tyson (voc).
Variety Recording Studio,
NYC, early 1970
unidentified title
Somewhere Else (Ra)
Contrast (Ra)
Otherness Blue (Ra)
Somebody Else's World (Ra) [JT, ens voc]
Pleasant Twilight (Ra)
Walking on the Moon (Ra) [JT voc]

Saturn LP 523, My Brother the Wind Volume II, was released in 1971.  Some copies carry the serial number SRA 2000; some are titled Otherness.  All titles from the original release reissued in 1992 on Evidence 22040 [CD].  Evidence includes the final 2:30 of "Walking on the Moon," which was edited out of all Saturn issues by Richard Wilkinson because of poor sound engineering.  "The engineer didn't get along withSun Ra and messed up some of the tracks," resulting in his being fired, according to Wilkinson.  (The extra verses of "Walkin' on the Moon" were used in live performances during this period.)

"Otherness Blue," "Pleasant Twilight," and "Walking on the Moon" were also reissued on Saturn XI, the Saturn anthology LP titled Just Friends, in 1983.  "Otherness Blue" was also included in a 1997 Sun Ra CD sampler on Japanese Paddle Wheel KICJ 315, Sun Ra Came Down to the Earth.

Most Saturn copies of My Brother the Wind Volume II are hybrids which delete the original Side A (including "Somewhere Else" and "Contrast" from this session) and replace it with Side A of Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  Some of these hybrids carry the serial number 5221 instead of 523.  Still others are identified as Saturn LP 522 (!) on the jacket (thanks to Peter Roberts for a description of this variant, which was on sale briefly in the late 1970s).  Discographies frequently list an Impulse reissue, AS-9289, but this was never released.

Personnel from the Saturn jacket.  "Walking on the Moon" refers to the feats of Neil Armstrong and so must date from July 1969 or later.  Current date and location from Richard Wilkinson, who is firm about 1970 (the first edition of this discography gave late 1969 as the date).  Information about the rejected track from Jerry Gordon.  Gordon says that the LP was for sale in summer 1970. 

from Campbell/Trent The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.






Sun Ra
Otherness (1971)
(Reconstructed)

1. A1 Otherness Blue    4:49
2. A2 Somebody Else's World    4:03
3. A3 Pleasant Twilight    3:37
4. A4 Walking On The Moon    6:13

5. B1 Chromatic Shadows    9:18
6. B2 The Wind Speaks    9:10

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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Outer Spaceways Incorporated (1968) - Calling Planet Earth Box CD 1

December 15, 2012, 10:11 pm
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In 1971, Sun Ra sold a stash of tapes to Alan Bates of the German label, Black Lion, who shortly thereafter issued this album under the title, Pictures of Infinity. A 1994 CD reissue added a previously unreleased bonus track (“Intergalactic Motion”) and all cuts were again reissued in 1998 on the three-CD box set, Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612), but there the album is stupidly re-titled Outer Spaceways Incorporated. I say stupidly because a 1974 album originally titled Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Saturn 14300A+B) was also re-issued in the same box set and inexplicably re-titled Spaceways, thereby creating all kinds of unnecessary discographical confusion. Be that as it may, this album (whatever its title) is drawn from an excellent stereo recording of a live performance in New York City circa. 1968 and provides a rare, hi-fi glimpse of the newly evolving “cosmo drama.”



The Arkestra declaims, “Somewhere There!” and immediately blasts off into full-blown, New Thing-styled energy music, Gilmore taking the lead with an astonishingly fleet tenor solo. Unfortunately, a good half of the track’s fifteen minute duration is taken up with more pointless drum solos by Clifford Jarvis and his hyperactive bass-drum pedal. When the Arkestra finally interjects some aimless space chords and free-jazz squealing and honking, it all seems a bit anticlimactic. Maybe you just had to be there. “Outer Space Incorporated” [sic] opens with some rubato free improv until Ra introduces the bouncy chord progression, taken at a bright tempo. The Arkestra chants the words in increasingly dissonant harmony before brief, quiet solos from piano and bass. The free rubato section returns with braying horns, busy percussion, and cacophonous piano before quickly fading out to modest applause. “Intergalactic Motion,” whose correct title is actually “Ankhnaton,” is a jaunty big-band number that dates back to the 1960 album, Fate in a Pleasant Mood (Saturn 202/Evidence ECD 22068). The composition alternates a hugely catchy riff with a swinging bridge section. Bernard Pettaway and Ali Hassan dominate with dueling trombone solos before giving way to Ra’s nimble piano, where he explores the nooks and crannies of odd harmonic inversions. Boykins and Jarvis provide a solid foundation of joyous swing and Boykins eventually takes over with a typically virtuosic bass solo before the horns return for a ragged reprise to end.






130. [114]  Sun Ra

Pictures of Infinity /
Outer Spaceways Incorporated [sic]

Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (fl); Clifford Jarvis (d); poss. John Gilmore (d); James Jacson (log drums); Nimrod Hunt (hand drums); poss. Pat Patrick (perc); pos. Danny Davis (perc).

New York City, prob. 1967

          Spontaneous Simplicity

Black Lion 30103, an LP titled Pictures of Infinity, was released in 1971.  It was rereleased in 1994 on CD as Black Lion BLCD 760191, foolishly retitled Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  This CD was reissued in April 1998 under the same misleading title (Freedom CD 741085, part of the three-CD set Calling Planet Earth on Freedom 7612).  This track sounds as though it comes from a different live concert than the rest of the LP -- and special credit is given to Saturn Records for this track on the Black Lion jacket.  James Jacson confirms that not all of this LP came from the same concert, or even the same year (Black Lion gives 1968 as the date for all tracks).  Personnel identified by rlc.

"Spontaneous Simplicity" also appears on Black Lion Jam Session, a two-LP set released in West Germany in 1973 (Intercord 28 431-5 Z/1-2).

Spontaneous Simplicity

147. [130]  Sun Ra

Pictures of Infinity /
Outer Spaceways Incorporated [sic]

Sun Ra (p.); Bernard Pettaway (tb); Ali Hassan (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, perc, voc); Danny Davis (as, fl, acl, perc, voc); poss. Danny Ray Thompson (as, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc, voc); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, perc, voc); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); Clifford Jarvis (d); unidentified (d); Nimrod Hunt [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums); James Jacson (log drums).

Live, New York City, prob. 1968

          Somewhere There (Ra) [ens voc]
          Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Ra) [ens voc]
          Intergalactic Motion [Ankhnaton] (Ra)
          Saturn (Ra)
          Song of the Sparer (Ra)

Black Lion 30103, Pictures of Infinity, was released in 1971.  All tracks also on Black Lion 28421, Freedom 127015, and Polydor 2460106.  All of the original tracks were also reissued in Japan on Black Lion 32JDB-216 [CD, 1992].  "Intergalactic Motion" is included as a bonus track on Black Lion BLCD760191, issued in 1994, with the incredibly confusing title Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  The CD with bonus track reappeared in April 1998 under the same incorrect title (Freedom 741085) in a three-CD set titled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612).

Intergalactic Motion

All five tracks sound as though they came from the same live concert.  The personnel list provided by Black Lion is generic -- it includes two trumpet players even though none are present, and three trombonists (one of them Teddy Nance, who died in 1967).  The second trap drummer is not mentioned.  The presence of Pettaway means that these tracks were recorded before the move to Philadelphia in Fall 1968.  Personnel identified by rlc, using the Black Lion list as a guide.
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed. Campbell/Trent


Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Freedom 741085)
(Pictures of Infinity)

1. Somewhere There   15:03
2. Outer Spaceways Incorporated   7:09
3. Intergalactic Motion*   9:01
4. Saturn   6:15
5. Song Of The Sparer   4:11
6. Spontaneous Simplicity   7:57

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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Strange Strings (1967)

August 10, 2013, 10:11 pm
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Recorded NYC 1966-1967 
Strange Strings is one of the most obscure and downright weird recordings in all of Sun Ra’s immense (and weird) discography. By 1966, Ra had acquired a selection of odd stringed instruments – ukuleles, kotos, zithers, etc. – to be played exclusively here by members of the Arkestra. That the musicians did not how to play them was the whole point, it was, according to Ra, “a study in ignorance.” Structurally, the music builds on the kind of conducted-improvisation found on The Magic City (1965) (Evidence CD), but the unfamiliar instruments create a truly otherworldly din. Homemade metallic instruments clatter and thrum while strings are plucked, bowed, struck and scraped; sometimes drums and tympani pound ominously. Thick reverb saturates or, at other times, dries up the acoustic, creating shifting and distorted sonic perspectives. Sounding more like Iannis Xenakis than Fletcher Henderson, this stuff is definitely not for the faint of heart! The bonus track, “Door Squeak” features Sun Ra on, yes, a loudly squeaking door (which actually sounds very much like the MiniMoog, which he would take up years later) while more strange strings chatter in the background. Detailed liner notes by Hal Rammel and super deluxe packaging make this CD a must have for the connoisseur of Sun Ra’s furthest interplanetary journeys.

Door Squeek

Strange Strings is a somewhat legendary album from the mid-'60s. "Worlds Approaching" is a great tune, anchored by a bass ostinato and timpani and featuring several fantastic solos, including Marshall Allen on oboe, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, John Gilmore on tenor, and Sun Ra on electric piano. Off and on throughout the tune, Bugs Hunter applies near-lethal doses of reverb, giving the piece a very odd but interesting sound. "Strange Strings" is one of those songs that is likely to inspire some sort of "you call that music?" comment from your grandmother, or even from open-minded friends. It sounds like they raided the local pawnshop for anything with strings on it, then passed them out to the bandmembers. It's difficult to tell if some of these instruments have been prepared in some way, or if they're simply being played by untutored hands. There are also lots of drums and some viola playing from Ronnie Boykins that is also treated heavily with reverb. Despite the cacophony, there is a definite ebb and flow to the piece and what seem like different movements or themes. Whatever you think of the music contained, there's no denying that it produced some of the most remarkable sounds of the mid-'60s. If you don't like "out," stay clear of this one. [Atavistic reissued the album in 2009.]
AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

Click to enlarge


123. [109] Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra

Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep, perc); Ali Hassan (tb); Marshall Allen (as, ob); Danny Davis (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars, fl); Robert Cummings (bcl); Ronnie Boykins (b); Clifford Jarvis (d, tymp); James Jacson (log drum, perc).

Rehearsal, New York City, around 1966

Worlds Approaching (Ra)


Poor recording quality indicates a different session from the rest of the Strange Strings album.  This session could have been made a year or two earlier than the rest of the album.

Worlds Approaching

124. [110] Marshall Allen (strings); Danny Davis (strings); John Gilmore (strings); Pat Patrick (strings); Robert Cummings (strings); Ali Hassan (strings); Carl Nimrod (strings, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b, vla, dutar); Sun Ra (lightning drum, tymp); James Jacson (log drums); Clifford Jarvis (tymp, perc); Art Jenkins [Thlan Aldridge] (strings, space voice).

Rehearsal, New York City, late 1966

Strange Strings (Ra)
Strange Strings (Ra) (cont.)

Thoth Intergalactic KH-5472, Strange Strings, was issued in 1967 (it is described by Tam Fiori in the January 1968 issue of Jazz and Pop).  It also circulated under the catalog number 502.  "Strange Strings" begins as the second track on Side A ("featuring vocal by Arthur Jenkins"), and the continuation ("featuring lightning drum") fills all of Side B.  Some previous discographies give 1964 as the recording date, but John Gilmore places it after Nothing Is.

What were the strings?  Gilmore described his as "a little Japanese instrument"; in a Melody Maker article, Fiofori refers to "Chinese lutes, moon-guitars, mandolin, bass, koto."  In 1966 photos of a rehearsal in the Sun Studios (by Val Wilmer, in Omniverse Sun Ra), Boykins is shown playing a dutar, a bowed lute used in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (thanks to Ralph Pleshar for background on the dutar), as well as a more Oriental instrument.  Hartmut Geerken points out that none of the strings were actually electric, though they were closely miked and in some cases subjected to reverb (Carl Nimrod was incorrectly credited with "electric strings").  Geerken identifies one of Ra's "sun harps" as a Ukrainian bandura (it is shown on the cover of Holiday for Soul Dance); it is possible that one of the other Arkestra members played the bandura on this date.

On the jacket Jenkins is billed as "Thlan Aldridge," but according to articles in Jazz Wereld, August and October 1968, he and Aldridge are one and the same.  Indeed, the Carnegie Hall program for April 12-13, 1968, lists "Art Jenkins (= Thlan Aldridge)."
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed


 Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra
Strange Strings

1.  Worlds Approaching   10:17
2.  Strange Strings   12:48
3.  Strange Strange   20:24
4.  Door Squeak   10:29

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Strange Strings (180g LP Reissue)

1. Worlds Approaching   10:10
2. Strings Strange   12:27

3. Strange Strange   19:58

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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Walt Dickerson Quartet - Impressions of A Patch of Blue (1966)

August 20, 2013, 10:03 pm
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I remember the date was quite a challenge.  I don't think there was any music there to refer to.  Or if there was, we didn't necessarily follow it.  There was an understanding who would begin each piece and who would solo on it, and so forth.  But that was it.  The album was called Impressions of "A Patch of Blue", and that's what they were -- improvisational impressions.
-Bob Cunningham (CD Liner Notes)


A Patch of Blue (Part 2)

Impressions of a Patch of Blue was the second time Walt Dickerson recorded an album of rearranged movie soundtrack pieces, following his interpretations of material from Lawrence of Arabia. Starring Sidney Poitier, A Patch of Blue was about a star-crossed pair of interracial lovers, with the twist that Elizabeth Hartman's character also happened to be blind. More important to jazz fans, though, is that the album marked one of Sun Ra's extremely rare appearances as a sideman, playing both piano and harpsichord. And he turns in a masterful supporting performance behind Dickerson, putting his own indelible stamp on the proceedings without ever overwhelming them. Witness "Bacon and Eggs," where Dickerson repeats a melodic theme for most of the piece while Ra's unorthodox reharmonizations dance about in the background. Ra's harpsichord also provides some otherworldly cascades that seem to spark Dickerson's sense of freedom, particularly on part two of "A Patch of Blue" and "High Hopes." Dickerson's own playing is most evocative on the two parts of "Alone in the Dark"; during the first, he plays frantic, jittery phrases that mimic the speech patterns of panic, and in the second he favors quick, repetitive figures that fade away like echoes or unanswered calls for help. All of that is indicative of the level of imagination with which the project is carried out, which makes it a shame that Dickerson retired from performing for a full decade following its release, leaving Bobby Hutcherson to become the most important modernist vibes player of the latter half of the '60s. Verve's 1999 CD reissue of Impressions of a Patch of Blue was a very limited edition, so don't dawdle in picking this one up.
AMG Review by Steve Huey


120. [104]  Walt Dickerson Quartet

Impressions of A Patch of Blue

Walt Dickerson (vib); Sun Ra (haprsichord -1; p except -3); Bob Cunningham (b); Roger Blank (tymp -2; d).
Studio recording, NYC,
late 1965 or early 1966

A Patch of Blue -- Part 1 (Goldsmith)
A Patch of Blue -- Part 2 (Goldsmith) -1
Bacon and Eggs (Goldsmith)
High Hopes (Goldsmith -2
Alone in the Park -- Part 1 (Goldsmith) -3
Alone in the Park -- Part 2 (Goldsmith) -1
Selina's Fantasy (Goldsmith) -1
Thataway (Goldsmith) -1

Impressions of A Patch of Blue was issued in 1966 on MGM E 4358 (mono, the stereo version is MGM SE 4358).  It was an interpretation of Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack for the film A Patch of Blue, not the actual film soundtrack.  Allan Chase points out that the session was produced by Tom Wilson, who arrived at MGM/Verve toward the end of 1965 or the beginning of 1966.  Moreover, the movie was not released till well into December 1965.  Impressions was reissued in August 1999 on CD as Verve 314 599 929 [CD].  Sunny plays harpsichord on four of the eight cuts, not celeste as stated on the original release.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.



Impressions of A Patch of Blue (CD)
The Walt Dickerson Quartet

1. A Patch of Blue - part 1   1:30
2. A Patch of Blue - part 2   4:38
3. Bacon and Eggs   5:35
4. High Hopes   5:15
5. Alone in the Park - part 1   3:01
6. Alone in the Park - part 2   7:11
7. Selina's Fantasy   4:05
8. Thataway   4:34

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Sun Ra and Walt Dickerson also made an album of duets called Visions.  You can find that Here.

Read a 2007 interview with Walt Dickerson Here.

Below is a rip of my mono LP.  I hadn't thought it worthy of sharing... but if you're curious, I hope you enjoy.


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Again, Many Thanks to I-) for finding some LP scans on the web to share!





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