2nd Chance: Sun Ra - The Night of the Purple Moon (1970)

In mid-1970, Sun Ra reentered Variety Recording Studio, this time with a bare-bone Arkestra and yet another new electronic keyboard in tow, the RMI Rocksichord. In his perceptive liner notes to this CD, John Corbett describes the sound of the Rocksichord as an “unforgettable nasal quack,” and that’s a pretty accurate description of this primitive, transistorized electric piano. In another person’s hands, this would sound cheesy and (now) hopelessly out of date. But Ra builds solid, evocative compositions around the instrument and it is, inexplicably, just exactly perfect. Unfortunately, the original tapes were unsalvageable, so this reissue had to be sourced from a clean LP. There’s plenty of surface noise present, so at least we can be thankful the producers didn’t get carried away with the noise reduction and de-clicking, which can often just make things worse. Although Impulse! was prepared to reissue this album in late-seventies, it has remained an ultra-rare artifact until Atavistic released this CD in 2007. Despite the less-than-perfect sound-quality, The Night of the Purple Moon is one of the great Sun Ra albums – and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Gilmore plays mostly drums throughout, only pulling out the tenor saxophone for “Impromptu Festival,” where Danny Davis sits in on the drum stool. While neither were virtuoso drummers, they were more than adequate and, most importantly, well understood the unique rhythmic feel of Ra’s music. Stafford James produces a beautiful, rounded tone on the electric bass, at times almost sounding like an upright acoustic. Sadly, this was James’s only recorded appearance with the Arkestra. “Sun Earth Rock” sets the tone with the quacking Rocksichord changes over a medium groove and a simple, bluesy head. After a bouncy keyboard interlude, Davis peals off a brief, but astonishingly fluent alto sax solo. “The All of Everything” is a pretty ballad with Davis adding some mellifluous flute to Ra’s gently rippling chords. Gilmore’s tenor solo on “Impromptu Festival” is another example of his sheer genius: opening with a sort of fanfare, he bends and twists the two-note melody and massages the stiff, pre-bop rhythms to construct a trenchant, incisive statement.

(continue reading at the always wonderful NuVoid - Sun Ra Sunday blog)

This one is quirky, even in the Sun Ra catalog. Ra fronts a quartet playing nothing but miniMoog and Rocksichord, along with Stafford James on electric bass, Danny Davis on alto, clarinet, flute, and bongos, and John Gilmore on drums! Gilmore has a skittering approach to the drums, which are curiously mic'ed with the hi-hat being especially prominent. Ra's playing doesn't get too far out, although the tones of the Rocksichord and miniMoog are rather humorous, and most of the tunes are quite playful. Davis provides some fine alto, clarinet, and a number of freak-outs, with James anchoring the proceedings. Davis and Gilmore switch roles for "Impromptu Festival" for a taste of Gilmore's tenor while "Dance of the Living Image" has Gilmore on drums and Davis on bongos. The best point of reference for this album is "The Perfect Man" off the Singles compilation, except "The Perfect Man" uses miniMoog exclusively, and Gilmore is a more solid drummer than Danny Davis. Lots of fun and slightly goofy, Night of the Purple Moon is an entertaining curiosity within a singularly unique discography. [The 2007 Atavistic reissue includes four bonus cuts. The first is simply an alternate take of "Love in Outer Space." The others are home recordings with Ra on Wurlitzer. They aren't especially revelatory, but it's great to simply have this LP widely available. Since the master tapes were damaged, the Atavistic release was mastered from an unplayed vinyl copy.]

AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

163. [145] Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra

The Night of the Purple Moon

Sun Ra (Rocksochord -1; two Mini-Moogs, Rocksichord -2); John Gilmore (ts -3; d -4); Danny Davis (d -3; as -5; fl -6; acl -7; bgo -8); Stafford James (eb except -2).

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, mid-1970

Sun-Earth Rock (Ra) -1, 4, 5
The All of Everything (Ra) -1, 4, 6
Impromptu Festival (Ra) -1, 3
Blue Soul (Ra) -2
Narrative (Ra) -2
Outside the Time Zone (Ra) -2
The Night of the Purple Moon (Ra) -1, 4, 7
A Birds-Eye View of Man's World (Ra) -1, 4, 7
21st Century Romance (Ra) -1, 4, 6
Dance of the Living Image (Ra) -1, 4, 8
Love in Outer Space (Ra) -1, 4, 7, 8
Love in Outer Space [alt.] (Ra) -1, 4, 7, 8

From The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra 2nd ed.

Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra

The Night of the Purple Moon

(Atavistic CD)

 1.    Sun-Earth Rock    4:45

 2.    The All Of Everything    4:26

 3.    Impromptu Festival    4:05

 4.    Blue Soul    3:50

 5.    Narrative    2:59

 6.    Outside The Time Zone    5:05

 7.    The Night Of The Purple Moon    3:50

 8.    A Bird's Eye View Of Man's World    3:07

 9.    21st Century Romance    4:11

10.  Dance Of The Living Image    4:43

11.  Love In Outer Space    3:53

12.  Love In Outer Space (Alternate Take)    5:06

13.  Wurlitzer And Celeste    1:56

14.  Wurlitzer Solo 1    2:04

15.  Wurlitzer Solo 2    2:09

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1970 was certainly an auspicious year in Sun Ra’s recorded legacy. Not only were the two volumes of My Brother the Wind recorded, so too was this little gem. My original El Saturn vinyl, along with every copy I encountered back in the day sounded like they had been mastered from a playback machine with dirty heads. On both The All of Everything and 21st Century Romance, about a third of the way in, the audio fog lifts and suddenly John Gilmore’s hi hat kicks in. Sonny’s keyboard sounds clearer as well. The problem lasts all the way through Impromptu Festival, to the point that, until I came across the 180g reissue, I really couldn’t make out much of Danny Davis’ drum work at all. The CD reissue on Atavistic says it comes from an original El Saturn issue. Since it doesn’t have these drop outs, I guess the ones I’ve come across were from a later pressing. The vinyl they used for the CD had a fair amount of surface noise, so as far as I know, the 180g vinyl reissue is the best quality version around. Hope you’ll agree and enjoy. It’s certainly one of the many albums that sealed the deal for me with Sun Ra!

-rev.b

Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra
The Night of the Purple Moon
(LP Reissue)
Many Thanks to Rev.b for this rip!

1.  Sun-Earth Rock   4:38
2.  The All Of Everything   4:23
3.  Impromptu Festival   4:02
4.  Blue Soul   3:49
5.  Narrative   2:56
6.  Outside The Time Zone   5:01
7.  The Night Of The Purple Moon   3:46
8.  A Bird's Eye View Of Man's World   3:06
9.  21st Century Romance   4:08
10. Dance Of The Living Image   4:38
11. Love In Outer Space   3:58

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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Calling Planet Earth (1971) - Calling Planet Earth Box CD 3

The Paris concert was supposed to be the last of this ill-fated tour -- but at the last minute, Sun Ra decided to go to Egypt. Someone had tipped him off to cheap airfare from Copenhagen to Cairo and a handful of gigs in Denmark were cobbled together to pay for a trip to the Land of the Pharaohs (see Campbell & Trent p.178). Egypt was a place of obvious spiritual importance to Sun Ra, but half of the rapidly shrinking Arkestra bailed out and returned home. Nevertheless, the core musicians dutifully carried on with the shoe-string adventure. As it turned out, the Danish promoters failed to pay, and Sonny financed the trip by selling a batch of tapes to the Black Lion label, the desperate transaction taking place on the tarmac as the Cairo-bound plane awaited its departure (Id. p.179; Szwed p.292). Among those tapes was a recording from Odense on December 3, 1971 but never issued (has anyone heard this?) and the December 5th concert from the Tivoli Theatre in Copenhagen, which was finally released by the DA Music/Freedom label as Calling Planet Earth in 1998.

The homemade stereo recording was made from the stage (probably by Tommy Hunter), and while it sounds fine, there is some distortion during the loudest parts and you can hear the seams of a hasty editing job. Hunter’s voice (likely recorded in the hotel room afterwards) announces the date and venue before cutting into a brief turbulent percussion jam, which serves as an introduction to “Discipline 5.” The through-composed sequence of sweet-n-sour harmonies rises and falls over the busy percussion section, yielding to an unaccompanied alto saxophone solo by Danny Davis, and returning for the reprise. Kwami Hadi remains as the only brass player, but the saxophone section is full and lush: besides Davis, mainstays Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Danny Thompson, and Eloe Omoe and newcomers Larry Northington and Hakim Rahim are all present and help to flesh out the intricate arrangement. “Discipline 10” is more groove-oriented, propelled by Ra’s barbequed organ comping over which the Arkestra riffs on a handful of big-voiced chords. Ra solos interestingly on organ while Patrick grinds out a stumbling bass line until Gilmore enters with a fiercely overblown solo on tenor sax. Unfortunately, he’s way off-mic and hard to hear. Even so, you can tell he’s really blowing his ass off! After a return of the head, Ra steers the band into a nicely sung rendition of “Enlightenment." A severely truncated version of “Love in Outer Space” ends what would have been side one of the LP, fading out just as things start to come to a boil.

(Continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)


187. [163]  Sun Ra Arkestra

Calling Planet Earth

Sun Ra (org); Kwame Hadi (tp, cga); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl); Larry Northington (as, cga); John Gilmore (ts, perc, d); Pat Patrick (bars, eb); Danny Thompson (bars, fl); Eloe Omoe (bck, fl); Hakim Rahim (as, fl); Clifford Jarvis (d); Tommy Hunter (d, as); Lex Humphries (d); June Tyson (voc, dance); prob. Cheryl Banks (dance, voc); prob. Wisteria el Moondew [Judith Holton] (dance, voc); Richard Wilkinson (light show).

Tivoli Hall, København, Denmark,
December 5, 1971

This live tape was hastily edited after the concert (Tommy Hunter's voice announces the date and location) and sold to Black Lion at the Copenhagen airport….  Black Lion never issued the material, but in April 1998, DA Music issued it on Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 741071).  This was also included as the third CD in the three-CD box titled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612).

from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed. Campbell/Trent

Calling Planet Earth (1971)

1. Untitled percussion intro   1:45
2. Discipline no. 5   2:50
3. Discipline no. 5 (continued)   2:40
4. Discipline no. 10   8:17
5. Enlightenment   2:50
6. Love in Outer Space   2:42
7. Discipline no. 15/The Satellites Are Spinning   6:50
8. Calling Planet Earth/The Outers   9:59
9. Adventures Outer Planes   7:31

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Box Set Images (incl. NuVoid reviews)


Calling Planet Earth box set CD 1
(Outer Spaceways Incorporated) 1968

Calling Planet Earth box set CD 2
(Spaceways) 1966

2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Spaceways (1966) - Calling Planet Earth Box CD 2

This record certainly has a tortured discographical history! In December, 1971, Sun Ra sold a cache of tapes to the Black Lion label so as to pay the Arkestra’s traveling expenses from Denmark to Egypt. Sadly, much of this music was never released. In 1974, El Saturn released this album as Outer Spaceways Incorporated (143000A+B) – although it was sometimes entitled A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, Vol.3. Inexplicably, some of this music also appeared on numerous hybrid pressings of later Saturn albums such as Primitone and Invisible Shield among others. Finally, in 1998, the German DA Music label released a three-CD box set entitled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612), containing some (but not all) the Black Lion holdings, wherein this album is stupidly re-titled Spaceways. I say stupidly because another disc in this otherwise fine box set is inanely titled Outer Spaceways Incorporated, making an already confusing discography needlessly opaque. This is the kind of thing that makes Campbell and Trent’s Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra so absolutely necessary!

In any event, Spaceways (or whatever you want to call it) is a great companion piece to the classic Nothing Is. Most of the music appears to have been recorded around 1966, given the presence of the trombonist Teddy Nance (who died in 1967) and Ra’s distinctive piano/Clavioline combo. Recorded in stereo, it offers remarkably good sound quality for the period. The first track, “Prelude and Shadow-Light World” (originally titled “Chromatic Shadows” on the El Saturn LP), opens with a long, dramatic piano introduction which prepares the way for the ensemble chant, “Sun Ra and His Band from Outer Space.” Then comes the notorious “Shadow World,” which is marked by a slightly more relaxed tempo than usual and a honking, wailing bari sax solo from Pat Patrick. Ra takes a solo turn before giving way to burbling percussion. Finally, Ra conjures up a mammoth space chord to bring things to a close. The second track, “The Wind Speaks,” appears to be from the same concert and is another beautiful Ra ballad featuring a choir of flutes and piccolo. Eventually, Boykins takes a solo turn with the bow and Ra enters to duet on the electric Clavioline. Ra then returns to the piano for some frenetic variations on the theme before an elegiac, full ensemble re-statement. This composition was later re-titled “Somebody Else’s World” after acquiring lyrics. 

(Continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)

Prelude and Shadow-Light World

(Chromatic Shadows)

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 (bars, 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 Incorporated (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 the original 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 titled 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 involves 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).

128. [112a]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Outer Spaceways Incorporated /
Primitone

Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (voc, perc); Danny Davis (voc, perc); John Gilmore (voc, perc); Pat Patrick (voc, perc); Robert Cummings (voc, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); Clifford Jarvis (d); poss. Lex Humphries (d); James Jacson (log drums, voc); Carl Nimrod [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums, voc); other Arkestrans may have been present.

prob. New York City, 1966

          We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [ens voc]

This brief version of "We Travel" was spliced on at the end of "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" on all Saturn releases; it was not separately banded.  Careful listening indicates a similar band lineup to the preceding session, but a different concert -- unless Sun Ra exiled Ronnie Boykins to the opposite end of the stage in the middle of the proceedings.

See the previous session for information about the Saturn releases and their tangled history.  The track was reissued in April 1998 on Spaceways (Freedom CD 741407); this was originally part of a three-CD set titled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612).

145. [128]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

          Outer Spaceways Incorporated

Sun Ra (p.); unidentified (b); poss. Clifford Jarvis (d); poss. Lex Humphries or Robert Barry (d); James Jacson (log drums, voc); Carl Nimrod [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums, voc); June Tyson (voc); Marshall Allen (voc); Danny Davis (voc); John Gilmore (voc); prob. Pat Patrick (voc, bgo); other Arkestrans may have been present.

prob. New York City, 1968

          The Satellites Are Spinning (Ra)

This performance actually consists only of the end of "The Satellites Are Spinning": "We sing this song to / Abolish sorrow" etc.) followed by an unaccompanied piano improvisation.  June Tyson leads the chant; she joined the band around the beginning of 1968.  Careful listening indicates that this number is from a different concert than either of the other two that were used for Saturn 143000A/143000B.  It is not as well recorded as either of the 1966 concerts that were used on the album, and the bassist (contrary to what was said in the first edition) is not Ronnie Boykins.

In April 1998 the original Saturn LP was reissued as Spaceways (Freedom 741047) in a three-CD set called Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612).  This track was inanely retitled "We Sing the Song" on the reissue.

from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.  Campbell/Trent

Spaceways (Outer Spaceways Incorporated)
(Freedom 740147)

1. Prelude And Shadow-Light World   9:21
2. The Wind Speaks   9:13
3. We Sing This Song   5:49
4. Outer Space Incorporated   9:59
5. We Travel The Spaceways   2:27

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Ray Manzarek (The Doors) speaks of Ra (1967)

Here is a short excerpt from an interview with members of The Doors that appeared in 'Mojo Navigator' (no. 14, April, 1967, page 13).  The Doors were in NYC during November, 1966, last two weeks of January, 1967, and the last two weeks of March, 1967.  Who knows when they saw Sun Ra?

It looks like Ra was playing all around NYC in those days.  Here's what I learned while browsing through The Earthly Recordings: 

• The Batman & Robin sessions were in January
• There were the regular Monday night gigs at Slugs 
• The College Tour that gave us 'Nothing Is…' was in early May, 1966  
• Two concerts at The Beacon Theatre on Oct 11, 1966 
• 'The Magic Sun' was probably filmed during 1966
• Live tracks from 'Outer Spaceways Incorporated' and 'Pictures of Infinity' were also recorded around this time.

Many THANKS to I-) for sharing this with us!

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

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.

(Continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)

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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Sun Ra - Otherness (1974) (Reconstructed)

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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Sun Ra - Stardust from Tomorrow

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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Check this post for video of the Arkestra playing in New Orleans in May 1989

Sun Ra: Cosmic Giant of Achievement

The enigmatic and mysterious Sun Ra was born Herman Blount in 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama. He would go on to lead one of the greatest jazz bands of all time with a repertoire that encompassed the entire history of American jazz from ragtime to Free.

His early life was a fairly straightforward progress of a prodigious musical talent emerging as a pianist, composer and arranger, making his way in the world with a respectable if unremarkable career. However his path was altered beyond measure due to a life-changing event in the late 1930′s. Our protagonist had a mystical, out of body experience. He described it himself…’a bright light appeared around him. His body was transformed and he was transported to another planet, (which he was later able to identify as Saturn). He spoke of being in the presence of other-worldly figures who were benevolent towards him and gave him advice about the direction his music should take, and his own personal destiny as an artist on earth. This is a classical alien abduction story but what marks it out as specially unusual was the fact that it occurred a good ten years before the concept of aliens and flying saucers entered the public consciousness (or the collective subconscious?).

This event shifted the whole focus of his life.  (continue reading Sun Ra: The Ancient and Heliocentric World by makmedthemiller)

We Must Not Say No to Ourselves

we must not say no to ourselves
for the greater deed
we must not say can't
if it is imperative that we should
we must not synchronize with anything
less than art-wise dignity
it is either that we are cosmic giants of
achievement, or something less than the
greater super self
across the thunder bridge of time
we rush with lightning feet to join
hands with those
the friends of seers who truly say
and truly do

this planet is doomed
the science fiction poetry of Sun Ra
Kicks Books (2011) p 47

And Also...

Sun Ra among 2013 inductees to Alabama Music Hall of Fame

Sun Ra - Second Star to the Right (Tribute to Walt Disney)

Sun Ra and his Intergalaxtic Arkestra's Second Star to the Right: Salute to Walt Disney goes way beyond novelty. Novelties are hardly this entertaining or enduring. Ra got into a Disney phase around 1989 when asked to interpret "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo for a pop tribute album to Disney called Stay Awake. Ra was so taken with Disney's music and images that he started to play shows dedicated exclusively to the man. When performing this material, the Arkestra went so far as to wear the patented Mouseketeer ears and had a dancer dressed in a Dumbo costume! The chosen compositions run the gamut from the more obscure to themes every kid of all ages could sing along with: "I'm Wishing," "Second Star to the Right," the eerie "The Forest of no Return," and "Someday My Prince Will Come." The titles sound as if Ra could have written them himself. The arrangements are in the same swing manner as his Fletcher Henderson tributes. June Tyson's vocals bring a romantic appeal, while bassoonist and percussionist James Jacson does his best Louis Armstrong impression, leading the sing along on "Zip a Dee Doo Dah." This may not be an essential disc for the Sun Ra novice, but if you wonder what it would have been like hanging out at Sun Ra's commune in Philadelphia watching Dumbo with the rest of the Arkestra (a favorite Ra practice in his later years!), get this immediately. As a footnote, this joyous Leo release is from an audience tape, and while the fidelity is good, audiophiles should be advised that it does have muddy moments.

AMG Review by Al Campbell

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]

BONUS!!  Pink Elephants on Parade from the movie, Dumbo.

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
Second Star to the Right: Salute to Walt Disney
Leo Records LR 230 [CD] 1995

1. The Forest of No Return   5:39
2. Someday My Prince Will Come   7:53
3. Frisco Fog   3:20
4. I'm Wishing   10:18
5. Zip a Dee Doo Dah   7:28
6. Second Star to the Right   9:58
7. High Ho! High Ho!   9:06
8. Whistle While You Work   10:33

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NEW LINKS!

Sun Ra - Live in Storyville / Unity (1978)

In May of last year, B13 released this phenomenal 2-LP set - a reissue of the beloved Sun Ra live album, Unity.  This 2011 reissue/repackaging of the HORO LP, Unity, has been available for purchase as single LPs and as a two record set.  Each red vinyl LP is packaged in a clear poly-vinyl sleeve with a clear poly-vinyl insert listing the performers and tracks.  At the bottom of the insert are two words in Russian (?) followed by "-Licensed by Alfa/RVI. Tokyo - Ltd edition 500 copies"  On the shipping sleeve there are two small stickers, one with the bar code and "B135 LP" ("B136 LP") and the second reading "Made in Germany"

"Variety Studio Improvisation (Sun Ra)"
does not appear on the HORO release.

Red vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering (limited edition 500 copies). Quite simply one of Sun Ra's best live albums. This rare recording finds Ra, along with a 19-piece Arkestra, playing a mix of his own compositions ("Images" and "Lights") along with several jazz standards (including Jelly Roll Morton's "King Porter Stomp" and Duke Ellington's "Lightnin'"). While Ra's own compositions were usually more avant-garde affairs, he always revelled in playing the classics as well in an effort to give his audience a lesson in jazz history.

Unity was released on the small Italian independent Horo label but unlike the other Horo releases New Steps and Other Voices, Other Blues, Sun Ra Quartet offerings which were performed and recorded in Italy, Unity was recorded in NYC & Paris and features the full Arkestra absolutely burning through a set of standards sprinkled with a few Ra originals.  The recording is great and the performances are outstanding.  Play this one LOUD every chance you get!

A live recording of a joyously swinging concert, this record finds Ra entering the final phase of his career, where he mixed his outer space/ancient Egypt inspired free jazz with the big band swing of his youth. It's a tribute to both Ra and the band that they were able to reconcile these two diametrically opposed types of music and make them work so well. Some of Ra's most steadfast sidemen are in attendance here like the saxophonists Marshall Allen and John Gilmore, along with some new additions like Michael Ray on trumpet and Craig Harris on trombone. Quite a bit of the material presented here would make for stumping "blindfold test" material, particularly when the band almost raises the roof on righteously swinging versions of Fletcher Henderson's "Yeah Man!" or the Jelly Roll Morton classic "King Porter Stomp." The group pretty much runs through the history of jazz moving from swing to bop on Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" and post-bop, checking in with Miles Davis's "Half Nelson" and a very Coltrane-ian run through of "My Favorite Things." [not so Coltrane-ian in my opinion - This Ra-Gilmore take really swings - yotte]. It's only at the end of the concert that they leave Earth orbit with fine versions of legendary Sun Ra tunes "The Satellites are Spinning" and "Enlightenment." This one might be a bit of a bear to track down, and I'm not sure if it's still in print or not, but it is well worth the effort. This edition of the Arkestra was rock solid, and like fellow polymaths Jaki Byard and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, they had the entirety of jazz at their fingertips.

from Music and More

Live at the Storyville, NYC. The Arkestra's best live album. Loaded with standards. Incredible musicianship.

AMG review by Michael G. Nastos 

Horo HDP 19-20, a 2-LP set titled Unity, was released in 1978.  All tracks also appeared on Japanese RCA RVI 9003/9004 in 1979.  All information (except for the provenance of two tracks recorded in August 1976 at Châteauvallon--session 235) is taken from the record jacket.  Some titles were unduly abbreviated there (corrections are provided in brackets).  Tommy Hunter recorded these live sessions.

257. [210] Sun Ra Arkestra

Unity

Sun Ra (org, Rocksichord); Michael Ray (tp); Ahmed Abdullah (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, voc); Craig Harris (tb); Charles Stephens (tb); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Emmett McDonald (bass horn); Marshall Allen (as, ob, fl, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Eloe Omoe (bcl, fl, perc); James Jacson (fl, bsn, Inf-d); Richard "Radu" Williams (b); Thomas Hunter (d); Luqman Ali (d); Atakatune (cga, perc); Eddie Thomas (perc, voc); June Tyson (voc).

Storyville, NYC,
October 24 and 29, 1977

235. [202] Sun Ra Arkestra

Sun Ra (p, solar org, Mini-Moog syn, Rocksichord); Ahmed Abdullah [Leroy Bland] (tp); Chris Capers (tp); Al Evans (flg); Craig Harris (tb); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Reggie Hudgins (ss); Marshall Allen (as, fl, ob, kora, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Eloe Omoe (bcl, fl, perc); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d); Tony [R. Anthony] Bunn (eb); Hayes Burnett (b); Clifford Jarvis (d); Larry Bright (d); Stanley Morgan [Atakatune] (cga); June Tyson (voc); Judith Holton (dance); Cheryl Banks (dance); poss. Rhonda Patrick (dance).

Châteauvallon, France, August 24, 1976

Although nothing is said on the jacket, "Rose Room" and "The Satellites are Spinning" (title abbreviated to "The Satellites") were released in 1978 on Horo HDP 19-20, Unity; this album also appeared on Japanese RCA RVI9003/9004.  ct has documented the origin of these two tracks with an A/B test of the audience tape and the LP.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Sun Ra Arkestra 

Live at Storyville in NYC 24th October 1977

B13 presents

B135 (2011)  Ltd edition 500 copies

pressed on red vinyl

1. A1 Yesterdays (Kern/Harbach)   5:36 

2. A2 Lightning (Duke Ellington)   2:45 

3. A3 How Am I To Know (King/Parker/Robbins)   9:29 

4. A4 Penthouse Serenade (Jason/Burton)   4:14 

5. B1 Lights (Sun Ra)   5:45 

6. B2 Yeah Man (Sissle/Henderson)   2:43 

7. B3 King Porter Stomp (Jerry Roll Morton)   3:40 

8. B4 Images (Sun Ra)   10:29

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Sun Ra Arkestra

Live at Storyville in NYC 29th October 1977

B136 (2011)  Ltd edition 500 copies

pressed on red vinyl

1. A1 Lady Bird / Half Nelson (Dameron/Davis)   8:38 

2. A2 Halloween in Harlem (Sun Ra)   6:07 

3. A3  My Favorite Things (Rodgers/Hammerstein)   6:07 

4. A4 Enlight[en]ment (Dotson/Ra)   2:16 

5. B1 The Satellites (Sun Ra)   7:16 

6. B2 Rose Room (Hickman/Williams)   9:27 

7. B3 Variety Studio Improvisation (Sun Ra)   7:06

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Sun Ra Arkestra
Unity
HORO HDP 19-20 [CD]

1. Yesterdays   5:50
2. Lightnin'   2:53
3. How Am I To Know?   9:32
4. Lights [On A Satellite]   5:50
5. Yeah Man   3:21
6. King Porter Stomp   3:49
7. Images   10:29
8. Penthouse Serenade   4:22
9. Lady Bird-Half Nelson   8:38
10. Halloween [In Harlem]   6:12
11. My Favorite Things   5:24
12. The Satellites [Are Spinning]   7:17
13. Rose Room   9:19
14. Enlight[en]ment   2:26

I collected this album from the web a few years ago and unfortunately have no recollection of where I found it.  Many thanks to the original uploader.

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