Sun Ra - Cymbals and Crystal Spears

Sun Ra entered into an licensing agreement with Impulse! in the early '70s to distribute both old and new LPs from his own Saturn label. This was his first association with something like a major record company, and though it resulted in ten actual releases, it didn't last long; another 12 planned releases were cancelled. Among these were two newly recorded albums, Cymbals and Crystal Spears, both of which were shelved (though three tracks from the former were later released on the Saturn LP Deep Purple). The Evidence label's extensive Sun Ra reissue program brought these two albums into release for the first time in 2000 as the double CD The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals & Spears, a mere 27 years after they were recorded. Cymbals turns out to be a small band session on which no more than six and usually only four musicians are playing on any one selection. Sun Ra is mostly heard on organ, and his understated playing sets the tone for a group of moody, low-key tracks. No matter who is soloing, this is mostly a quiet, introspective session. It's last-set-of-the-night stuff. From the opening miniMoog solo by Sun Ra, Crystal Spears is something else again: a full band album. Its tunes feature as many as seven horn players on a track, with most of them contributing percussion when they're not blowing. The stretched-out arrangements allow plenty of room for solos, duos, and even periods of near-cacophony. It's doubtful that Cymbals and Crystal Spears would have altered Sun Ra's overall career had they been issued by Impulse! in 1973 as intended, but his work is so extensive and so varied that each individual record provides another valuable piece in the puzzle; here are two more.

AMG Review by William Ruhlmann

199. [178]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Cymbals/
Deep Purple

Sun Ra (org, Mini-Moog syn, Rocksichord); Akh Tal Ebah (tp -2, 4); Danny Davis (as -5); John Gilmore (ts -2); Eloe Omoe (bcl -1); Ronnie Boykins (b); Harry Richards (d); Derek Morris (cga -2, 2, 4).

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, 1973

The World of the Invisible (Ra) -1
Thoughts Under a Dark Blue Light (Ra) -2
The Order of the Pharoanic Jesters (Ra) -3
The Mystery of Two (Ra) -4
Land of the Day Star (Ra) -5

According to Peter Hinds, in a 1984 letter to Down Beat, this album was newly recorded during the Impulse period, assigned the number AS-9296, but never released.  Seth Markow says that Cymbals was also given a notional spot in the Saturn catalog as Saturn LP 555.  Alton Abraham says that the master tapes are still extant.

Thanks to Seth Markow for track listings and personnel for this truly elusive item.  On the Impulse pressing, the titles were "The Worlds of the Invisible" and "The Order of the Pharoahnic Jesters."  On the Saturn release, the spelling is "Pharoanic," which is still incorrect.

The personnel list provided to Impulse by Alton Abraham was identical with the list for Pathways to Unknown Worlds, but the tracks on Cymbals were actually done by a smaller ensemble, and the drummer does not sound like Clifford Jarvis.  The personnel list off the back of Deep Purple (after people who appeared on Side A are deleted) is therefore a much better guide.  Harry Richards is called "Harry Ar" on the Saturn jacket.  As Graham Connah points out, it is Danny Davis and not Marshall Allen on "Land of the Day Star," and Marshall is not present on the other tracks; it is also definitely Eloe Omoe on "The World of the Invisible."  All of the trumpet work is by Ebah (the Saturn liners listed Kwame Hadi as well).  Sun Ra appears to play some Rocksichord (on "Pharoanic Jesters") as well as organ and synthesizer.

Three tracks were issued on Side B of Saturn LP 485, Deep Purple, in 1973 (The LP has been known for years, but its connection to Cymbals was not previously suspected).  Some copies of this LP were titled Dreams Come True.

Sunrise In The Western Sky   (20:20)

200. [177]  Sun Ra Arkestra

Crystal Spears

Sun Ra (org; marimba -1; Mini-Moog syn -1, 3; e-vib -5; Rocksichord -5; gong -5); Akh Tal Ebah (tp -2, 3); Lamont McClamb [Kwame Hadi] (tp -3); Marshall Allen (ob -1, 3, 5; as -2, 3; fl -2; picc -4; perc -5); Danny Davis (as -2, 3; fl -4, 5; perc -5); John Gilmore (ts -2, 3, 5); Danny Ray Thompson (bars -3, 5; fl -4); Leroy Taylor [Eloe Omoe] (bcl -3, 4); Clifford Jarvis (d -1, 3, 5); Russell Branch [Odun] (cga, perc); Stanley Morgan [Atakatune] (cga, perc); Eugene Brennan (cga, perc -5).

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, 1973

Crystal Spears (Ra) -1

The Eternal Sphynx (Ra) -2
The Embassy of the Living God (Ra) -3
Avian Interlude (Ra) -4
Sunrise in the Western Sky (Ra) -5

According to Peter Hinds, in a 1984 letter to Down Beat, this album was newly recorded during the Impulse period, assigned the number AS-9297, but never released.  Personnel and track information were recently provided by Seth Markow (personnel as provided to Impulse by Alton Abraham).  Markow says that a notional Saturn catalog number was assigned: Saturn 562 (indeed, there is a tape reel numbered 562 -- and labeled Crystal Clear!).

As is often the case on Arkestra recordings, the full ensemble appears only on one track: "The Embassy of the Living God" (except that there are two conga players, not three).  The only track that has three conga players at once is "Sunrise in the Western Sky"' the other three use two conga players each.  Thanks to Seth Markow for providing the track-by-track breakdowns.  There is only one trumpet player on "Sphynx" (sounds like Hadi); Davis and Allen both play alto sax in the opening ensemble (Davis has the solo later); in the closing ensemble, one of the two (Allen?) switches to flute.  Sunny was presumably responsible for the gongs during the long keyboardless episode that closes "Sunrise."  There are boo-bams or some type of tuned drum set on "Sunrise"; perhaps Brennan was responsible for these.

It turns out that there are two "master" tapes for this unissued LP.  The tape available to Markow has less dynamic range but better balance overall, and Sunny's keyboards are prominent.  The tape in Alton Abraham's possession has a wide stereo separation, more extreme dynamics, and Ra's keyboards at a consistently low level.  The beginning and end of each piece are edited a little differently, resulting in small differences in track timings.  The most noticeable difference between the Abraham tape and the Markow tape: no keyboard between 2:45 and 5:00 of "Crystal Spears" on the Abraham tape.  The Abraham tape also includes a brief, untitled piece between "Embassy" and "Sunrise."  It is an ensemble of flutes, Marshall Allen on piccolo, and Eloe Omoe on bass clarinet, and it runs just 1:44.  Because of the twittering, we have called it "Avian Interlude."

from Campbell/Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums - Cymbals & Crystal Spears
Evidence [CD] ECD 22217-2

Disc 1 - Cymbals
1. The World Of The Invisible   6:54
2. Thoughts Under A Dark Blue Light   16:33
3. The Order Of The Pharaonic Jesters   7:27
4. The Mystery Of Two   7:39
5. Land Of The Day Star   3:58

Disc 2 - Crystal Spears
1. Crystal Spears   6:05
2. The Eternal Sphynx   4:52
3. The Embassy Of The Living God   10:23
4. Sunrise In The Western Sky   20:20

FLAC
RS1 + RS2
HF1 + HF2

or

320
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HF

2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Other Voices, Other Blues (1978)

Re-Upped & Re-Posted by Re-Quest.

Other Voices, Other Blues is one of several albums done with this basic lineup in January of 1978. This album is billed to the Sun Ra Quartet, but it sounds like there's a bass player present on at least some of the cuts (it could be Ra, but he'd need three hands). As the title implies, this album shows listeners the many sides of the blues and demonstrates what some highly individual players can do with the blues. "Bridge on the Ninth Dimension" starts as a slow, spooky synth blues that morphs into an up-tempo freak-out session about halfway through. This is really the only truly "out" portion of the album, although the blues get decidedly weird on "Rebellion." Sun Ra plays piano on "One Day in Rome," "Along the Tiber," and "Sun, Sky and Wind" and synthesizer on the others. This is really a great setting to hear what these guys can do as soloists, with the easy-to-follow changes of the blues and stripped-down ensemble. Luqman Ali's drumming is the anchor, and everyone gets plenty of solo space. Fans of John Gilmore should surely seek this out, but Michael Ray and Sun Ra are also simply fantastic. As with other Horo releases, this will be hard to find, but well worth it.
AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

Sun Ra Quartet: Other Voices, Other Blues (Horos HDP 23-24)
By avantfront

This is certainly an odd date.  Billed as the “Sun Ra Quartet”, we hear Ra on piano and Crumar Mainman-keyboard, John Gilmore on tenor and percussion, Michael Ray on trumpet, and Luqman Ali on drums recorded in Rome in January of 1978.  It seems Ra recorded a few albums for the label Horos with this group at this time.  This record presents us with Ra on piano occasionally, but mostly keyboard, providing a background for us to experience two of his horn players in a more focused setting.  At times, the music is missing the grandeur of the Arkestra, but it’s still a lot of cosmic fun.

The opening “Springtime and Summer Idyll” is a blues with a down home RnB feel.  We hear Ray’s fanfare-like trumpet herald the good times in this fairly traditional romp.  Ra plays an organ patch, but switches to blips for a brief solo.  The blips highlight and foreshadow the intergalactic fun to come.  “One Day in Rome” is a straight 12 bar blues, but is somehow infused with a little off-kilter feel.  Something akin to what a tourist would feel in Rome, viewing the sites, while a man in a space suit wanders around the coliseum.  Perhaps this comes from Ra’s use of the piano here.  Certainly not a pristine example of the instrument, he seems to enjoy playing the notes that don’t quite sound right or in tune.   Perhaps this is why he felt the need to give it such a temporal title next to all the space jams to come.

The piece on the album which comes closest to a space freak-out is “Bridge on the Ninth Dimension”.  It starts with a cymbal marking time, while a pianissimo synth lurks behind.  Something odd is certainly coming to those unprepared by the relatively straightforward A-side of this disk.  At two minutes the horns weave in and the journey begins.  The players take turns soloing with this putty like piece.  It is fluid enough to let the particular player bend the composition to his liking, and Ra is ready to take it where the horn wishes.  Gilmore is particularly fun to hear.  He has ideas and the commitment to follow them until they become a cohesive statement.  It is not the constant inspiration of an “energy” solo, but a peacefulness to take ideas that come and work with them.  His solo beginning at 5:45 builds to the piece’s climax, and by the 9:00 mark, everyone is in a different dimension.  “Along the Tiber” gives us a chance to hear the bop chops of the players.  Ray is particularly well suited to the challenge and provides a flurry of notes on his tear.

On the ballad “Sun, Sky, and Wind” we are treated to Ra’s piano work.  He visits this ballad with odd abruptly-ending rolls, and even sounds like Cecil Taylor on some of the trails he follows in the latter half of the piece.  “Rebellion” is a swirled and flanged keyboard trip which goes out in a very out way.  On “Constellation”, Ray plays the role of the herald and Ali’s plays a very strange rhythm and the album finishes with an outer space ceremony entitled “The Mystery of Being”.

This is not Ra’s best album.  The sound is spotty at best, and it doesn’t feature the whole Arkestra, but I feel it does two things remarkably well.  It gives a taste of the many styles that Ra composed in and allows us to hear some personal statements from the players.  Because of the reduced palette, we get to hear Gilmore with less restraint and Ra take center stage on his instruments instead of his arrangements.
Review By avantfront



261. [214] Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore

Other Voices, Other Blues

Sun Ra (Crumar Mainman, keyb, p); Michael Ray (tp); John Gilmore (ts, timb, voc); Luqman Ali (d).

Horo Voice Studio, Roma,
January 8 and 13, 1978

Horo HDP 23-24, a 2-LP set titled Other Voices, Other Blues, was issued in 1978.  All information from the album jacket.

The Horo albums were recorded in such haste because Sun Ra was about to leave Italy.  But after they were completed, Sunny changed his mind and extended his stay for another two weeks (Gualberto).
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Other Voices, Other Blues
Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore

A1 Springtime And Summer Idyll        

A2 One Day In Rome        

B1 Bridge On The Ninth Dimension        

B2 Along The Tiber        

C1 Sun, Sky, And Wind        

C2 Rebellion        

D1 Constellation        

D2 The Mystery Of Being

Many choices here.  I have two rips happily contributed by kind readers.  First up is compliments of our great friend, Nikos.  This rip is divided by tracks for those who may wish 

to make their own Quartet compilation!

FLAC
RS
HF1 + HF2 

or

320
RS
HF 

Next is an LP rip true to the magic of the side-long listening experience.  This delightful offering is from Marc E. in Philadelphia who has also provided several wonderful Sun Ra 

rarities, some already presented, some still to come!

FLAC
RS
HF1 + HF2

or

320
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HF 

Sun Ra - Deep Purple / Dreams Come True (1973)

For those who enjoyed the bonus tracks on the recently posted Sun Sound Pleasure!! CD but were longing to hear  Ra's more adventurous offerings, here is the original release of Deep Purple (also released as Dreams Come True).  On this 1973 release, Ra disrupts the space/time continuum by juxtaposing music recorded between 1948 and 1958 on Side A with recently recorded material from 1973 for Side B of the album.  The small group material that makes up Side B was intended for release by Impulse! on Cymbals, an album that evaded release until Evidence's 2000 2-CD The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals & Crystal Spears.

5. [5]  Sonny Blount and Stuff Smith

Herman "Sonny" Blount (p. Solovox); Stuff Smith (vln).

Sonny Blount's apartment, Chicago,
between November 1948 and mid-1949

Deep Purple (DeRose-Parish)

Saturn 485 (released in 1973) was an LP titled Deep Purple (on some copies, Dreams Come True).  The artists on this collection were billed as "Sun Ra and his Arkestra featuring Stuff Smith on Violin."  All of Side A of this LP was reissued on Evidence 22014, Sound Sun Pleasure!!, a CD from 1992.

The Solovox was an early electronic keyboard instrument (already in Sonny's possession as early as 1941; it can be seen attached to his piano in a photograph that was reprinted in John F. Szwed's book Space Is the Place).  When asked for a session date, members of the Arkestra told Bob Rusch "pre-1953," which meant before John Gilmore joined the band (an event that actually took place in 1954); previous discographies have generally said 1953.  However, Anthony Barnett, author of Desert Sands: The Recordings and Performances of Stuff Smith, says that Smith probably left Chicago by the end of 1952, and had relocated to New York by February 1953 at the latest.  Tommy Hunter recalls recording this get-together (supposedly, just one tune because Sonny was running out of tape) in 1948 or 1949.  Sonny Blount had traveled to Cleveland earlier in 1948 to purchase an early model recorder that used paper tapes.

From May 19, 1947 (after the departure of Fletcher Henderson), till the Club De Lisa closed in the spring of 1958, the house band was led by Theodore "Red" Saunders (who had previously held down the job with a smaller unit from late 1937 until June 1945).  Saunders (1912-1981) was a spectacular Swing drummer, much enamored of the Count Basie sound of the late 1930s (Basie was, in fact, a personal friend).  The Saunders outfit was a versatile aggregation which was expected to back guest acts and provide functional music for floor shows.  For a detailed discography of Red Saunders, see http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/saunders.html.

Sonny Blount led the off-night band at the De Lisa for a number of years, functioned as a rehearsal pianist for acts that appeared there, and reportedly wrote arrangements for the Saunders band.  Tommy Hunter confirms that Sonny rewrote Saunders' arrangements on a regular basis.  Some believe that Sunny sat in with Saunders on piano, though Hunter denies this.

Sun Ra never spoke of the arrangements he wrote for Saunders in interviews, so his involvement has had to be identified by ear alone.  Nonetheless, it seems clear that he contributed a good deal to the recordings made by Saunders between 1949 and 1954.  In the earlier years, his job was most often to retouch arrangements by others, some of whom, like Johnny Pate, were no slouches at arranging to begin with.  Toward the end of his involvement with the Saunders band, Sunny contributed original arrangements in his own evolving style (as is apparent on several of Red's sessions from 1953).

24. [13]  Sun Ra

Sun Ra (p.); Wilbur Ware (b -1).

Sun Ra's apartment, Chicago,
around 1955

Piano Interlude (Ra)
Can This Be Love? (Smith-James) -1

According to Julian Vein, these two tracks were sold to Black Lion/Freedom in 1971, along with what is now The Invisible Shield, side B, but were not issued at the time. 

38. [24]  Sun Ra and the Arkestra

Sound of Joy/
Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth/
Deep Purple

Sun Ra (p, Wurlitzer ep, announcement); Art Hoyle (tp, perc); Pat Patrick (as, bars, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Charles Davis (bars,  perc); Victor Sproles (b); William Cochran (d); Jim Herndon (tymp); Clyde Williams (voc).

Unidentified studio, Chicago,
November 1, 1956

Dreams Come True (Ra-Mayo)

Also reissued on in 1983 on the Saturn anthology LP, Just Friends (Saturn XI).  Hoyle is listed as "Arthur Horn" on the jacket of Saturn 485; Robert Barry is incorrectly given there as the drummer.

All tunes from the session were finally united on one disk in 1994 as Delmark DD-414 (a CD again titled Sound of Joy).  On the Delmark CD, the 6-second piano introduction to "Dreams Come True" is included for the first time (it was edited out of the other issues).

41. [27]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Deep Purple

Sun Ra (p.); Victor Sproles (b); Tito (cga); Hattie Randolph (voc).

Budland, Chicago, early 1957

Don't Blame Me (McHugh-Fields)
'S Wonderful (Gershwin-Gershwin)
Lover Come Back to Me (Romberg-Hammerstein)

Hattie Randolph says these tracks were made live at Budland (Cadillac Bob's club in the basement of the Pershing Hotel -- formerly Birdland, before that the Beige Room) after Art Hoyle left the band.  The bassist is not Ronnie Boykins; Victor Sproles was credited on the Saturn LP jacket.  Tito is the only known conga player to have worked with Ra during this period.  Initially released in 1973 on Side A of Saturn LP 485, Deep Purple (some copies titled Dreams Come True).  All tracks from Side A reissued on Evidence 22014 [CD, 1992].

According to Leroy Cooper (who played baritone sax briefly with Sun Ra in 1957), Ra at the time was arranging for singer Lorenz Alexandria (see As Serious as Your Life by Val Wilmer).  Through Ronald Wilson, who was also a member of the Arkestra for a time, played on her first LP for King Records, we have no evidence of Ra arrangements on Alexandria's recordings from this period (she recorded for the King label in Chicago twice in 1957 and again in 1959, but it appears that pianist King Fleming was responsible for all arrangements).

Hattie Randolph recalled a version of "Saturn" featuring her brother Lucious on trumpet.  Although such a thing could have been recorded rather easily, none of the three known versions of "Saturn" from the Chicago period includes Lucious Randolph.  And there has been no confirmation of such a release on the Saturn label.

199. [178]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Cymbals/
Deep Purple

Sun Ra (org, Mini-Moog syn, Rocksichord); Akh Tal Ebah (tp -2, 4); Danny Davis (as -5); John Gilmore (ts -2); Eloe Omoe (bcl -1); Ronnie Boykins (b); Harry Richards (d); Derek Morris (cga -2, 2, 4).

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, 1973

The World of the Invisible (Ra) -1
Thoughts Under a Dark Blue Light (Ra) -2
The Order of the Pharoanic Jesters (Ra) -3
The Mystery of Two (Ra) -4
Land of the Day Star (Ra) -5

Three tracks were issued on Side B of Saturn LP 485, Deep Purple, in 1973 (The LP has been known for years, but its connection to Cymbals was not previously suspected).
from Campbell/Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Dreams Come True (LP)
Saturn 485A & 485B

1.  Deep Purple   4:12
2.  Piano Interlude   1:54
3.  Can This Be Love   5:59
4.  Dreams Come True   3:08
5.  Don't Blame Me   2:53
6.  'S Wonderful   2:18
7.  Lover Come Back To Me   2:49

8.  The World Of The Invisible   6:50
9.  The Order Of The Pharaonic Jesters   7:13
10. Land Of The Day Star   3:52

FLAC

RS

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or

320

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 HF

Deep Purple (Cobbled but Complete CD)
  Evidence ECD 22014-2  Sound Sun Pleasure!! (1-7)
  Evidence ECD 22217-2  Cymbals & Crystal Spears - The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums (8-10)

1.  Deep Purple   4:03
2.  Piano Interlude   1:56
3.  Can This Be Love   6:01
4.  Dreams Come True   3:08
5.  Don't Blame Me   2:53
6.  'S Wonderful   2:18
7.  Lover Come Back To Me   2:49
8.  The World Of The Invisible   6:54
9.  The Order Of The Pharaonic Jesters   7:27
10. Land Of The Day Star   3:58

FLAC

RS

HF

or

320

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Sun Ra - The Summer of '76

Our good friend, Roberto T sent the following concert review and personal photographs of the Arkestra's 1976 visit to Antibes.  It occurred to me that we have some pretty amazing material recorded while Sun Ra and the Arkestra toured Europe during the Summer of '76 and I thought it would be nice to see it all gathered together under a single post.

Click to enlarge

Montreux Jazz Festival

From Transparency 0172 DVD:  Sun Ra Volume 3

Live at Montreux
Recorded July 9, 1976
Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

Visit the Original Post for new links!

The excellent Live at Montreux set from 1976 was released on vinyl by both Saturn and Inner City before disappearing from print for many years. In 2003, the set was reissued by both Universe/Akarma and P-Vine. A full 20-member Arkestra (plus dancers) turns in a typically freewheeling set. From "Take the 'A' Train" (featuring a killer solo from Marshall Allen), to the gospel-influenced "El Is a Sound of Joy," to the almost exotica "Lights on a Satellite," to the free and raucous "Gods of the Thunder Realm," and on to "We Travel the Spaceways," the Arkestra covers as much musical territory in this set as anyone would expect from a live Sun Ra show. This is considered to be another classic in a vast discography. [Completists take note: the Universe edition inexplicably fades out the last four minutes of "On Sound Infinity Spheres," which are present on the P-Vine edition.] 

AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

A short video recorded the following day in Pescara, Italy
July 10, 1976

Cosmos
Recorded August 1976
Paris, France

Visit the Original Post for new links!

First issued in France on Cobra COB 37001, Cosmos, in 1976.  Also issued shortly thereafter on Musicdistribution 600005 and Inner City IC 1020.  All tracks reissued in France on Buda 82479 [CD] in 1991; unfortunately, Bunn's electric bass is mixed too loud on this reissue.  Information from the album jacket.  The band had to be reduced in size because of the smallness of the studio (Vincent Chancey).  According to Buzelin and Hardy's 1979 discography, the Arkestra recorded an (unissued) album's worth of Duke Ellington tunes the same day.  Abdullah, however, says this report is incorrect.

233. [200] Sun Ra
COSMOS

Sun Ra (Rocksichord); Ahmed Abdullah (tp); Craig Harris (tb); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Marshall Allen (as, fl); Danny Davis (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl); Eloe Omoe (bcl, fl); James Jacson (fl, bsn); R. Anthony Bunn (cb); Larry Bright (d).

Studio Hautefeuille, Paris, August 1976

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.