Sun Ra - Life Is Splendid (1972) [released 1999]

You may have noticed this elsewhere but I doubt you've ever heard it like this.  Life Is Splendid was released as a single 37 minute track.  Paul W was kind enough to divide this 'suite' into songs for us.  Though it is best heard in its entirety, the Life Is Splendid suite can now be subdivided to your parts content.

On September 9, 1972, Sun Ra and His Solar Myth Arkestra performed for more than 12,000 people at the First Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, conceived and produced by the Sixties counter-cultural icon, John Sinclair. The suitably eclectic bill included, among others, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Junior Walker & The All Stars and the legendary Howlin’ Wolf. The proceedings were recorded by Atlantic Records and a 2-LP sampler of the festival (including an edited version of Sun Ra’s “Life Is Splendid”) was released in 1973 as Atlantic SD2-502 (and later reissued as ATL 60058) (See Campbell & Trent, p.189). I have not heard this record but it should be noted here that the Art Ensemble’s set was also released by Atlantic and entitled, Bap-Tizum—it is excellent.

Sadly, the original 16-track masters were lost in a fire, leaving only this two-track reference tape of Sun Ra’s performance which was finally released on CD by Sinclair’s Alive!/Total Energy label in 1999. The sound quality is not great, but it’s not terrible either—certainly way more listenable than many of the audience recordings we’ve been listening to lately! Unfortunately, the tape is incomplete: According to Sinclair’s liner notes, the first several minutes of the set are missing because “a proper mix could not be achieved.” Given the 20+ member size of the Arkestra, I’m sure it was a challenge! It’s a pity since we’re apparently missing the usual opening improvisation and the (possibly) more exploratory material performed that evening. The Arkestra’s sets had by this point become somewhat routine-ized with the latter half of the set devoted to cosmical space-chants, singalongs, and dance/percussion workouts.
(continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sunday)

195. [175] Sun Ra and his Solar-Myth Arkestra

Sun Ra (org, Mini-Moog, syn, voc); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, flg); Lamont McClamb [Kwami Hadi] (tp); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); Larry Northington (as, cga, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, perc); Danny Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Leroy Taylor [Eloe Omoe] (bcl, perc); Lex Humphries (d); Alzo Wright (d); Stanley Morgan [Atakatune] (cga, perc); Russell Branch [Odun] (cga, perc); Robert Underwood [Aye Aton] (d, perc); Harry Richards (perc); June Tyson (voc, dance); Space Ethnic Voices: Judith Holton, Cheryl Banks, Ruth Wright (voc, dance).

Ann Arbor, MI, September 9, 1972
From The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra 2nd ed.

Life Is Splendid

1. Enlightenment    2:11

2. Love in outer space    5:00

3. Space is the place    8:12

4. Untitled improvisations    5:45

5. Discipline27-II (+ What planet is this + Life is splendid + Immeasurable) 7:40

6. Watusi    7:04

7. Outer Spaceways Incorporated    1:48

Each file includes complete scans

Other Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Recordings

Outer Space Employment Agency (1973)

It is Forbidden (1974)