Sun Ra - Somewhere Over The Rainbow (1977)

Another priceless gem from Sun Ra courtesy of Paul W. Enjoy the fantastic organ playing by Ra. Thanks again, Paul W.!

Somewhere over the Rainbow
(We Live to Be)
Saturn 7877

Saturn LP 7877, on the Philadelphia label, was released in 1977 under the title Somewhere Over The Rainbow.  Some copies are titled We Live to Be.  Michael Weiss says that the Arkestra played two nights at the Bluebird; each night consisted of two three-hour sets.  Weiss has a few minutes of Super 8 mm film of the Arkestra at this gig (no soundtrack).  He recalls that "the band paraded around playing 'Lights on a Satellite' like on the Montreux album."

Sun Ra (p, org, voc); Ahmed Abdullah (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, flg, voc); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, timb, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d); Eloe Omoe (bcl); ShooBee Doo [Reginald J. Fields] (b); Tommy Hunter (d); Luqman Ali [Edward Skinner] (d); Atakatune (cga, perc); June Tyson (voc); Judith Holton [Wisteria el Moondew] (dance); Cheryl Banks (dance).  

Recorded live at the Bluebird, Bloomington, Indiana, around 7/18/1977.

[Location and date from Ahmed Abdullah; personnel from Geerken with corrections by Abdullah. Bass player identified by Abdullah. Does anyone know ShooBee Doo's real name? Abdullah says Michael Ray and Emmett McDonald were not present. The loud oom-pah on A Train, previously mistaken for McDonald's bass horn, turns out to be a heavily amplified Jacson!]

Two newspaper accounts (both from 7/22/77) say there were 18 people in the band, and imply the presence of Pat Patrick (as, bs) and Vincent Chancey (Frh), plus a possible third drummer. It's not clear whether they were there the night(s) of the recording. Weiss, however, is sure that Patrick and Chancey were not present.  Dancers identified from the newspaper accounts. [rlc]

-from The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra 1st & 2nd eds.

Sun Ra - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Side A:

We Live to Be (Ra)

Gone with the Wind (Magidson-Wrubel)

Make another Mistake (Ra)

[Take the] "A" Train (Strayhorn)

Side B:

Amen Amen (Amen, Meni, Many Amens) (Ra)

Over the Rainbow (Harburg-Arlen)

I'll Wait for You (Ra)

FLAC
or
320

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