According to the jacket of Astro Black, Sun Ra’s first new recording for ABC/Impulse! was made at “El Saturn Studio” in Chicago on May 7, 1972, but that date is questionable since the Arkestra was just leaving California in May -- and the studio name is “strictly mythic” (Campbell & Trent p.186) Whatever the date or actual location, it was clearly made in a professional recording studio as the sound quality is exceptionally good. Sun Ra was obviously determined to take advantage of the mass exposure a major label could bring, producing one his finest albums. Notably, Ronnie Boykins makes a welcome return on bass after a long absence and he is prominently featured here, driving the band to great heights. The Arkestra is augmented with both Akh Tal Ebah and Kwami Hadi on trumpets, Charles Stephens on trombone, Alzo Wright on violin and viola, along with several conga players, who give much of this record its avant-exotica feel. But Boykins’s clearly inspires Sonny and his fluent explorations on organ and synthesizer throughout the album demonstrate a consummate mastery of electronic instruments. Astro Black is, in my opinion, one of Sun Ra’s crowning recorded achievements.
(continue reading at Rodger Coleman's fantastic NuVoid - Sun Ra Sundays blog)
Impulse AS-9255, Astro Black, was released in 1973. Personnel and date from the Impulse jacket; the location was identified as "El Saturn Studio," but that is strictly mythic. There is some question about the precise date as well, because the Arkestra was just leaving Oakland in May 1972. "The Cosmo-Fire, Part II" also appeared on an Impulse Sampler LP, ASD-9267, titled No Energy Crisis. "Astro Black" also appeared in abridged form on an Impulse sampler called Impulsively!, Impulse 1973 or AS-9266. The "mistro-clarinet" was presumably an alto model.
From The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra 2nd ed.
Sun Ra (Mini-Moog syn, e-vib, org); Akh Tal Ebah (tp); Lamont McClamb [Kwame Hadi] (tp); Charles Stephens (tb); Marshall Allen (as); Danny Davis (as); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars); Eloe Omoe (bcl); Pat Patrick (mistro-cl); Alzo Wright (vln, vla); Ronnie Boykins (b); Tommy Hunter (d); Atakatume [Stanley Morgan] (cga); Odun [Russell Branch] (cga); Chica (cga); Ruth Wright (voc); June Tyson (voc).
Studio Recording, Chicago, May 7, 1972
Astro Black
1. Astro Black 10:53
2. Discipline "99" 3:41
3. Hidden Spheres 8:05
4. The Cosmo-Fire (part 1) 6:57
5. The Cosmo-Fire (part 2) 7:08
6. The Cosmo-Fire (part 3) 4:17
or
The images above were collected from the web (as are most images at this site). I tried my best to take some digital photos of my LP but the results are marginal at best. I've included my pics in the download files.
AMG Review
ReplyDeleteby Brian Olewnick
One of a handful of albums Sun Ra released on Impulse in the early '70s, Astro-Black provides a reasonably comprehensive picture of where the Arkestra was around the time, drawing to the end of their ultra-free period and beginning to investigate some traditional jazz forms. The opening title track explores some of Ra's spacier side, sounding a bit like a calmer alternative to his well-known "Space Is the Place" with June Tyson's ethereal vocals and the leader's ghostly synthesizer. "Discipline '99'" is a relaxed, bluesy number, although, as was often the case, one could argue that the band is a bit too relaxed and the piece does plod a little. But this is followed by a lively African-percussion-driven work, "Hidden Spheres," which, along with the propulsion provided by the great, underappreciated bassist Ronnie Boykins, is a fine example of Ra's band at their most enjoyable. "The Cosmo-Fire," the 18-minute track that closes the album, is a sprawling affair, a smorgasbord of Arkestra once again held in place by Boykins' bass, serving as a solid stem off of which Sun Ra launches abstract organ and vibraphone explorations and the rest of the band wails and sputters. Again, the performance is loose, but in a way that enhances the otherworldly effect that Ra strove for. Astro-Black isn't by any means the finest work by this musician, but is a decent introduction to his unique sound world.
Lol, I wanted to ask if someone has this one in flac... And look - there it is! Thanks a lot yotte!!!
ReplyDeleteWill you PLEASE stop putting up all these rare Sun Ra albums? You're making it too easy to have access to them! It took me YEARS of searching, trading, duping, etc., etc. to find all these recordings, and you're just throwing them out there for the world to download.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. There were a few I didn't have in lossless format, and thanks to you, there are very few now.
My pleasure! I finally found a copy for sale and snatched it up - it arrived late last week. I've wanted a decent copy for a looong time! I have no idea why no one has re-released this. It's a fantastic album - Hidden Spheres and The Cosmo-Fire are stunning (as is the rest of the album).
ReplyDeletedmatlb, that breaks my heart! I know exactly what you mean, though. If it makes you feel any better, I think this blog is still a secret to most - it shouldn't show up in most search engines... most visitors arrive via other music sharing blogs (I like that idea).
ReplyDeletejust like sun ra....still a secret to most. and he doesn:t show up on most memory search engines. winton marsalis can:t even say his name. a thousand and one thanks for everything posted up til now. this really is becoming a good library of sun ra. it honestly should exist. this may be as close as we get.
ReplyDeleteThank you, la bruha,
ReplyDeleteI'll keep this up as long as I can!
You're absolutely right about Sun Ra's music being somewhat of a secret. Recently, I pulled out an old college textbook, JL Collier's "The Making of Jazz." There is only one brief paragraph about Sun Ra:
Another figure in this genre who is sometimes considered a jazz musician is Sun Ra, a pianist who in another incarnation worked briefly with Earl Hines. Ra is leader of what he calls the Intergalactic Arkestra, or Intergalactic Research Arkestra. The music appears to exist not so much for itself but as an adjunct to a complicated religion. I have not investigated it in any depth, but it seems to be a mélange of ancient Egyptian mythology and Christian ideals of brotherhood wrapped in a cosmic mantle. Ra has explained that he came from Saturn as a prophet to make us citizens of the universe. The Arkestra, in any case, consists of a varying number of players, up to as many as twenty-two, and employs different kinds of drums, woodwinds, and strings, as well as electric organs and synthesizers. The members play freely much of the time. There is, of course, nothing unusual in music being at the service of a religion. Bach, Handel, Palestrina, to name just a few, wrote a great deal of music meant primarily to accompany ceremonies of the Christian church. Ra's philosophy of itself need not detract from his music. Nonetheless it is difficult to describe as jazz the music on, say, "It's After the End of the World: Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra Live at the Donaueschingen and Berlin Festivals," and I will therefore leave it to another critic.
Such 'critiques' betray the common lack of understanding of Ra's music and his 'mission.' To Collier's credit, he does not completely dismiss Ra; quickly admitting that he knows little of his music. Unfortunately, I think his attitude that Sun Ra's music is not worth the time/effort to investigate fully is extremely common. Many know Ra only by his Egypto-Saturnian reputation and precious few have looked beyond what they consider showmanship to find the music historian/griot that we know Ra to be. I'm hoping that as more of Ra's music becomes available, critics and the public will begin to understand that Sun Ra's music is a gift and sharing in its secrets is both a privilege and responsibility. We're all children of the sun, after all.
(sorry to blah blah blah... sometimes I just can't help myself).
just wondering - is this the stereo or the quad version of 'astro black'?
ReplyDeleteI-)
Hey I-),
ReplyDeleteIt says Quad on the record label but I have no idea if that encoding transfers when I monkey with it in Audacity. I don't know why it wouldn't... but I don't know anything for sure.
it looks like four albums were released in quadrphonic, specifically with the 'sansui standard matrix system' (SSMS).
ReplyDeleteAstro Black - Impulse AS-9255 (QS)
Magic City - Impulse AS-9243 (QS)
Pathways to Unknown Worlds - Impulse ASD-9298 (QS)
Space is the Place - Blue Thumb BTS-41 (QS), BTE-M-841 (QS8)
that last one is an 8-track, if i am not mistaken. :-)
I-)
oops - missed one:
ReplyDeleteDiscipline 27-II. El Saturn Records SR-538 (QS)
so there is a total of five albums, all in QS format.
I-)
A golden time in recorded music
ReplyDeleteSun Ra smiles out at us from all the bins in all the record stores in the malls of America at once
It was only for a little while
But it was enough
In QS format, the left and right rear channels are folded into the left and right front channels. When played quadrophonically, the folded channels are separated by the use of a decoder, but if a decoder is not used, the record will sound like regular stereo.
ReplyDeleteIf you want the best take so far on Sun Ra read JOHN F. SZWED
ReplyDeleteSpace Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra
I can't recommend this book too highly.
Thank you, Anon, you're absolutely right! I've read through it a couple of times now but still can only remember a fraction of what it holds. Like 'The Earthly Recordings,' it's jam packed with details, dates, and anecdotes so it is extremely useful (& enjoyable) reference material.
ReplyDeletethanks for the quote. my sentiments exactly. luckily at this time, there is more than one book about sun ra in bookstores. if people keep writing and releasing (if there are still books in existance), then the world and schools will take notice. if you don`t have it already , i recommend " SUN RA" edited by john sinclair of MC5. there`s a lot of interesting stuff compiled
ReplyDeleteon a side note, could you check the file of ASTRO BLACK? I think a virus tried to invade my computer when i tried to download it. this is the first time so maybe reuping the site might help. mediafire is easy but recently there are more and more popups
Hi la bruha,
ReplyDeleteI agree about Sinclair's book. There's some great stuff init. I also recommend John Corbett's new one "Traveling the Spaceways: Sun Ra, The Astro Black and Other Solar Myths." I've only made it about 1/2 way through this short book but I've really enjoyed it so far.
Graham Locke has an article that is a revision of a portion of his book 'Blutopia' wherein he draws together ideas about alien abduction, astral projection, slavery, religious ceremonies, religious imagery, and remarks on various historical similarities. His ideas/observations were new to me when I read them in 'Blutopia' and blow my entire mind. Super-great chapter.
I'll check out the Astro Black file. Was it the FLAC file or the 320?
it was the 320.
ReplyDeletethanks for the info on the other books. any solid properly gathered and assembled info is welcome. i can only imagine what would have come of me if I had read these in high school!!! I`ll look it up on amazon right now
> la bruha said...
ReplyDelete>
> on a side note, could you check the
> file of ASTRO BLACK? I think a virus
> tried to invade my computer when i
> tried to download it.
do your recall any symptoms, complaints, popups, virus checker warnings, etc., that came up when that happened?
I-)
there usually is a pop up. at least on my side. i`ve put more security since this but haven`t downloaded anything yet. the popup i was aware of. however all of a sudden a new window opened and said i had won something. then it tried to force me to click ok by not allowing me to select other windows. so i just switched off the internet and did a force quit
ReplyDelete> there usually is a pop up.
ReplyDeleteyou may want to configure your browser to block all popups. i have seen something similar to that 'you have won' thing as well - to close it, i think you have to click the 'no' button and then the [x] in URH corner to close that window. i don't see that too often, as i usually have popups blocked.
the 320 and flac files that were available for download are clean.
I-)
la bruha, I'm sorry you had a scare there.
ReplyDeleteI-), thanks for double-checking the files! I'm happy and very relieved to know they're ok.
I-) thanks very much. unfortunately the last time, there was no NO option so hence the scare factor. will be trying again soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Marc! I hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDelete