Sun Ra - Sunset on the Nile Video (1986)

Sun Ra - Sunset on the Nile video featuring Bill Sebastian's OVC (OuterSpace Visual 

Communicator)

In 1978-1980 performances, Sun Ra added a large electronic creation, the Outerspace Visual Communicator, which produced images rather than sounds; this was performed at a keyboard by its inventor, Bill Sebastian. During concerts, the OVC usually was positioned at

center stage behind the Arkestra while Sebastian sat on stage with the musicians.

from Wikipedia

V86b. OVC Videos: Sunset on the Nile

Video short by Bill Sebastian, 1986. Made at Mission Control, Boston. 22 min. [Webber]
Includes studio footage with Virtual Reality; also early '70s footage of the Arkestra at the Pyramids. [Webber]

Entry from Moudry's Sun Ra Tapeography

Download

 For the completists, here is Calling Planet Earth by Sun Ra posted previously.

V86a. OVC Videos: Calling Planet Earth
Video short by Bill Sebastian, 1986. Made at Mission Control, Boston. 13 min.
Calling Planet Earth (Ra)

The Arkestra: Ra-keyb, voc; Al Evans-tp; Fred Adams-tp; Tyrone Hill-tb; Marshall Allen-as; John Gilmore-ts; Danny Ray Thompson-bs; Eloe Omoe-bcl; James Jacson-bsn, perc; Bruce Edwards-eg; John Brown-d; June Tyson-voc. Dance, gesture, and Virtual Reality: Michael Ray, Barday, Eddie Thomas (Thomas Thaddeus), Atakatune. "Visuals performed by Bill Sebastian on the Outerspace Visual Communicator." [from package insert; thanks to Pleshar for the video] 

Entry from Moudry's Sun Ra Tapeography

Download

Many thanks to Marc E of Philadelphia for use of his tape!

Bill Sebastian, creator of the Outerspace Visual Communicator

Return of the OVC

Recorded 1986 at Mission Control Studios, Westford, MA
Audio by Robert Suber - see subermusic.com
Visuals by Bill Sebastian - see visualmusicsystems.com
Best viewing is in dark room where the distance from your eyes to the screen is about the same as the screen width (50-60 degree FoV).
The OVC was the visual music instrument used to play the images. It was used in live concerts between 1978-1980. Equipment was built between 1981-1986 to capture the experience in video format. This was one of the last performances before we shut down the project.

Uploaded by visualmusicsystems on Apr 22, 2011

 

Sun Ra in Egypt (article from The Revivalist)

Sun Ra in Egypt

The story of Sun Ra in Egypt begins with the journeys of three men from three geographical origins and three disparate cultures. Their first unification in Egypt in 1971 carries a level of mystery four decades later that still holds significance in the world history and power of jazz music’s transnational exchange. Very little has been documented about it, but it demonstrates a synthesis of ideas years before its time, a self-fulfilling prophesy of Sun Ra’s Afrofuturism movement, which married Afrocentrism with science fiction and ancient spirituality.

The mysticism and obscurity of Sun Ra has reemerged over the years with increasing intrigue. Ra was always eccentric and his creative and political development was eons ahead of his contemporaries. He developed his own unique world philosophies, yet vehemently defended that he was a creator of equations rather than a philosopher of amorphous theories. His distinction was that equations were exact and precise, whereas theories lacked certitude. He was also the ultimate springboard for the merging of space-age mysticism in American fringe music. His equations stemmed from astronomy, numerology, Egyptology, Freemasonry, Black Nationalism, and various other spiritual belief systems that were beyond obscure at the time, and many of which were derived from ancient Egypt. Ra’s deep passion for the history of Egypt was demonstrated in his excavation of Egypt as the root of modern civilization asserting that much of the Grecian influences from the great philosophical thinkers to their artistic achievements were derived and stolen from black Egyptians. His journey would not be complete before reaching the source itself—Egypt.

(continue reading - lots of interesting info at The Revivalist)

 Thanks to Charles Blass of Saturn for bringing this article to my attention.

And by way of example:

Sun Ra and his Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra
Live in Egypt 1
Dark Myth Equation Visitation
Nature's God
Saturn 1272 Thoth Intergalactic KH-1272 (1972)

Sun Ra - Strange Strings (1967)

  
Recorded NYC 1966-1967 

Strange Strings is one of the most obscure and downright weird recordings in all of Sun Ra’s immense (and weird) discography. By 1966, Ra had acquired a selection of odd stringed instruments – ukuleles, kotos, zithers, etc. – to be played exclusively here by members of the Arkestra. That the musicians did not how to play them was the whole point, it was, according to Ra, “a study in ignorance.” Structurally, the music builds on the kind of conducted-improvisation found on The Magic City (1965) (Evidence CD), but the unfamiliar instruments create a truly otherworldly din. Homemade metallic instruments clatter and thrum while strings are plucked, bowed, struck and scraped; sometimes drums and tympani pound ominously. Thick reverb saturates or, at other times, dries up the acoustic, creating shifting and distorted sonic perspectives. Sounding more like Iannis Xenakis than Fletcher Henderson, this stuff is definitely not for the faint of heart! The bonus track, “Door Squeak” features Sun Ra on, yes, a loudly squeaking door (which actually sounds very much like the MiniMoog, which he would take up years later) while more strange strings chatter in the background. Detailed liner notes by Hal Rammel and super deluxe packaging make this CD a must have for the connoisseur of Sun Ra’s furthest interplanetary journeys.

from NuVoid's Sun Ra Sunday blog

Strange Strings is a somewhat legendary album from the mid-'60s. "Worlds Approaching" is a great tune, anchored by a bass ostinato and timpani and featuring several fantastic solos, including Marshall Allen on oboe, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, John Gilmore on tenor, and Sun Ra on electric piano. Off and on throughout the tune, Bugs Hunter applies near-lethal doses of reverb, giving the piece a very odd but interesting sound. "Strange Strings" is one of those songs that is likely to inspire some sort of "you call that music?" comment from your grandmother, or even from open-minded friends. It sounds like they raided the local pawnshop for anything with strings on it, then passed them out to the bandmembers. It's difficult to tell if some of these instruments have been prepared in some way, or if they're simply being played by untutored hands. There are also lots of drums and some viola playing from Ronnie Boykins that is also treated heavily with reverb. Despite the cacophony, there is a definite ebb and flow to the piece and what seem like different movements or themes. Whatever you think of the music contained, there's no denying that it produced some of the most remarkable sounds of the mid-'60s. If you don't like "out," stay clear of this one. [Atavistic reissued the album in 2009.]

AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

Click to enlarge

123. [109] Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra

Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep, perc); Ali Hassan (tb); Marshall Allen (as, ob); Danny Davis (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars, fl); Robert Cummings (bcl); Ronnie Boykins (b); Clifford Jarvis (d, tymp); James Jacson (log drum, perc).

Rehearsal, New York City, around 1966

Worlds Approaching (Ra)

Poor recording quality indicates a different session from the rest of the Strange Strings album.  This session could have been made a year or two earlier than the rest of the album.

124. [110] Marshall Allen (strings); Danny Davis (strings); John Gilmore (strings); Pat Patrick (strings); Robert Cummings (strings); Ali Hassan (strings); Carl Nimrod (strings, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b, vla, dutar); Sun Ra (lightning drum, tymp); James Jacson (log drums); Clifford Jarvis (tymp, perc); Art Jenkins [Thlan Aldridge] (strings, space voice).

Rehearsal, New York City, late 1966

Strange Strings (Ra)
Strange Strings (Ra) (cont.)

Thoth Intergalactic KH-5472, Strange Strings, was issued in 1967 (it is described by Tam Fiori in the January 1968 issue of Jazz and Pop).  It also circulated under the catalog number 502.  "Strange Strings" begins as the second track on Side A ("featuring vocal by Arthur Jenkins"), and the continuation ("featuring lightning drum") fills all of Side B.  Some previous discographies give 1964 as the recording date, but John Gilmore places it after Nothing Is.

What were the strings?  Gilmore described his as "a little Japanese instrument"; in a Melody Maker article, Fiofori refers to "Chinese lutes, moon-guitars, mandolin, bass, koto."  In 1966 photos of a rehearsal in the Sun Studios (by Val Wilmer, in Omniverse Sun Ra), Boykins is shown playing a dutar, a bowed lute used in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (thanks to Ralph Pleshar for background on the dutar), as well as a more Oriental instrument.  Hartmut Geerken points out that none of the strings were actually electric, though they were closely miked and in some cases subjected to reverb (Carl Nimrod was incorrectly credited with "electric strings").  Geerken identifies one of Ra's "sun harps" as a Ukrainian bandura (it is shown on the cover of Holiday for Soul Dance); it is possible that one of the other Arkestra members played the bandura on this date.

On the jacket Jenkins is billed as "Thlan Aldridge," but according to articles in Jazz Wereld, August and October 1968, he and Aldridge are one and the same.  Indeed, the Carnegie Hall program for April 12-13, 1968, lists "Art Jenkins (= Thlan Aldridge)."

from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed

 Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra

Strange Strings

1.  Worlds Approaching   10:17

2.  Strange Strings   12:48

3.  Strange Strange   20:24

4.  Door Squeak   10:29

FLAC

or

320

Visit this 2nd Chance post for new links.

Sun Ra - Live at the Red Garter (1970)

"[Includes] a spectacular, thirteen-minute rendition of [a] My Brother the Wind Vol. II composition, “Pleasant Twilight,” According to Campbell and Trent, there are no other known live performances of this piece."

According to photographer Lee Santa, Sun Ra’s Arkestra played a three-night engagement at The Red Garter (now known as The Bottom Line) in Greenwich Village in early July, 1970...  Santa recalled that “the first night featured six hours of continuous music; the second and third nights slacked off to a mere five hours, without a break” (see Campbell & Trent, p.161-162). It must have been something to behold.

Fortunately, an intrepid fan surreptitiously recorded a seventy-five minute segment one night utilizing a very primitive recording device and, while the sound quality is typically horrid, the music itself is terrific. How bad does it sound? Well, the volume levels fluctuate wildly while consistently retaining a significant amount of distortion; there’s some serious wow and flutter issues; and the monophonic, single-microphone recording is boomy, muddy, and generally indistinct. It doesn’t sound quite as bad as the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival recording, but it also doesn’t sound nearly as good as the 1968 Electric Circus tape. Let’s face it: your cell phone could make a far better-sounding recording. [Note - I believe this copy sounds better than the one Rodger describes - yotte] Nevertheless, the large-ish ensemble sounds particularly well-rehearsed (perhaps in preparation for their upcoming trip to France) and the free-wheeling performance goes to some very interesting places. For the hardcore Ra fanatic, this is well worth hearing as a rare historical document but most people will be understandably repulsed.

Caveats aside, the performance captured on this amateur recording is really quite stunning, beginning with a long unidentified title that alternates between a spacey, mellow groove and full-blast assaults of New Thing-styled energy music. Solos by John Gilmore on tenor sax and Ra on mad-scientist organ keep things interesting, ending with Danny Davis’s woody alto clarinet interweaving with the Arkestra’s antiphonal calls and responses. “Love in Outer Space” follows: a loping bassline holds down the jaunty groove while the entire Akestra gleefully bangs on myriad percussion instruments, with Ra stating the simple, joyful melody and soloing on electric organ. After a brief pause, Ra segues into a quiet, spooky organ improvisation accompanied by Alan Silva’s distinctive cello. After about five minutes, the horns enter with a curiously old fashioned, rubato ballad composition (title unknown) that eventually settles into a gentle swing. Kwame Hadi takes an adventurous turn on trumpet, with Ra rumbling away on organ. Pat Patrick follows with a typically ferocious bari-sax solo while the rhythm heats up and shifting horn sections provide riffing punctuation. After settling back down, the horns return with the old-timey ballad to end. Interesting.

What follows is one of the strangest bits of musical-theater in all of Ra’s discography. John Gilmore recalled the title as “Ladies and Gentlemules” (Id. p.162) and, while the recording is incomplete, the piece appears to be structured like a sanctified church service, with Ra fervently imploring the “gentlemules” to heed his message. The Arkestra plays some bluesy swing and ecstatically chants, but much of the preaching and carrying on is difficult to hear. However, the loud, unison refrain of “another jackass is going to take your place” is clear enough to get the point across. After about six minutes of holy-rolling chaos, the tape abruptly cuts off. Up next is “Somewhere Else,” a then-recent composition which would appear on the studio recording, My Brother the Wind Vol. II, in 1971. Not much happens beyond several repetitions of the lurching, block-chord melody over a gospel-ish vamp, but the effect is hypnotizing. After a brief organ and synthesizer solo (with some barely audible spoken incantations), Ra launches into the nineteen-twenties-era chestnut, “Sometimes I’m Happy.” The Arkestra sounds a little tentative in the ensembles, but Gilmore’s sure-footed tenor solo demonstrates his unique synthesis of pre-war swing, hard bop grit, and avant-garde extended techniques.

The tape concludes with a spectacular, thirteen-minute rendition of another My Brother the Wind Vol. II composition, “Pleasant Twilight,” According to Campbell and Trent, there are no other known live performances of this piece, which is unsurprising given its subtle complexity. Ra begins with a rhapsodic, rubato introduction on organ before the Arkestra enters with the brightly swinging composition. The tempo then slows down by half and, while the ensemble gently rocks back and forth between two lushly sustained chords, Gilmore peals off a starkly contrasting, barn-burner of a solo on tenor sax. Holy smokes! The Arkestra plays their parts with incredible restraint while Gilmore wails away with a terrifying fury. After a honking, emphatic conclusion, Gilmore leads the Arkestra through a half-time run through of the head before returning the original tempo for a high-spirited trumpet solo from Akh Tal Ebah. The Arkestra adds complementary horn riffs and, as the intensity builds, the tempo speeds up again for an enervated reprise and a big finish. Whew! The much abbreviated studio recording, while sparklingly polished, ultimately sounds downright staid compared to this expansive and inspired live performance. It’s a shame this tune fell out of the repertoire.
continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays

Many thanks to Paul W. for sharing his newly acquired copy of this audience tape.  Paul reports that this is a substantial upgrade in sound quality over the copy he has owned for several years.  LUCKY US!  Transparency is expected to release this show within the year.  I'm curious to find out if the official release will have improved sound and/or the missing 15-minutes (approx) that this recording lacks.  The track order of the download differs from the set list offered in The Earthly Recordings and I'm also curious as to what the track order will be in the forthcoming release.

168. [150] Sun Ra Arkestra

Sun Ra (Farfisa org, Mini-Moog syn, Rocksichord, voc); Kwame Hadi (tp, perc); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, perc); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); Danny Davis (as, acl, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, perc); Eloe Omoe (bcl, perc); Alan Silva (clo); Alex Blake (b); prob. William Brister [Rashid Salim] (d); prob. Lex Humphries (d); unidentified (perc).

The Red Garter, NYC, early July 1970

unidentified title [ts; org, syn; clo; acl]
Love in Outer Space (Ra)
unidentified title [clo, org only]
unidentified title (Ra)
[slow minor-key theme; Hadi, tp; Patrick, bars]
Ladies and Gentlemules (Ra) [SR, ens voc; inc]
unidentified title [clo, org only]
Somewhere Else (Ra)
Sometimes I'm Happy (Caesar-Youmans)
Pleasant Twilight (Ra)

There is a 90-minute audience tape of a small segment of this gig.  Location and date from Michael Wilderman; Lee Santa gives it more precisely as early July, and says that the Arkestra played a three-day engagement.  Santa says that the first night featured six hours of continuous music; the second and third nights slacked off to a mere five hours, without a break.  The Red Garter, a Greenwich Village club with obtrusive Gay '90s décor (which can be seen in photos from the original issue of The Solar-Myth Approach Volume I), is better known today as The Bottom Line.  Tommy Hunter and Danny Ray Thompson both recall working there during this period.

Titles and personnel identified by ct.  In a photo taken by Lee Santa, Thompson, Allen, Davis, and Gilmore are visible; Santa confirms the presence of Alan Silva as well.  This tape has often circulated as being from "Newport 6/69"; thanks to Michael Wilderman for help with "Ladies and Gentlemules."  John Gilmore recalled the title to this piece, which is best known for its loud refrain of "Another jackass gonna take your place" (the other words to this mock church service, complete with references to the "congregation," are very difficult to hear).

from The Earthly Recordings


The photos in this post and many more were snapped by Lee Santa.  High-resolution prints

are available for purchase at his website.

Sun Ra Arkestra
Live at the Red Garter NYC, Early July 1970

1. Somewhere Else   6:13
2. Untitled improvisation   3:51
3. Sometimes I'm Happy   6:15
4. Pleasant Twilight   12:52
5. Unidentified title   15:47
6. Love in Outer Space   8:00
7. Unidentified title   15:40
8. Ladies and Gentlemules   5:57

FLAC

or

320

Pics

New Links in Comments!!

Students performing Sun Ra - Door of the Cosmos & Watusa

I get goose-bumps when I see videos like these.
This music deserves to cross both time and space - generational lines and intergalactic pathways cross and meet in the Omniverse!

Door of the Cosmos cover - Shuta Hasunuma

Marc Osterer Brass Project - Watusa

Sun Ra - Unity (1978)

Welcome to the final installment of the Adventure-Equation visit to Italy.  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

"Rose Room" and "The Satellites are Spinning" (title abbreviated to "The Satellites") were released in 1978 on Horo HDP 19-20, Unity....

from The Earthly Recordings

Sun Ra Arkestra
Unity
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.

FLAC

or

320

New links in Comments

Sun Ra - Disco 3000 (1978)

Disco 3000 is yet another release by the Sun Ra Quartet, recorded during an incredibly prolific period in Italy in January of 1978. The players are Ra (keys), John Gilmore (tenor sax), Michael Ray (trumpet), and Luqman Ali (drums), with assistance from the Crumar Mainman synthesizer/rhythm box. The title cut is pretty free, with Ra's carnival organ starting the proceedings along with some programmed rhythms. Everyone takes turns soloing, with Michael Ray doing his trademark trumpet-with-delay imitation and some weird panning effects tossed in. They also veer into the "Space Is the Place" chant, briefly. "Third Planet/Friendly Galaxy" is a more straightforward bop-flavored piece that gives way to a great John Gilmore tenor solo accompanied only by Luqman Ali. "Dance of the Cosmo-Aliens" is basically a Ra keyboard showcase with the rhythm box and only the slightest contributions from Ali. The applause at the end indicates that at least this track was recorded live. This quartet was a short-lived experiment that put out a wide range of material. The more "inside" material was released on the Horo albums Other Voices, Other Blues and New Steps, with Saturn releasing the rest (Media Dream, Disco 3000, The Sound Mirror) (all will probably be difficult to find) [HA! - or maybe not so hard to find - yotte]. This is an interesting, but not essential recording, whose reputation is probably based more on its obscurity/rarity status than the music it contains.
AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

In the winter months of 1977-1978, philosopher, pianist and bandleader Sun Ra was in Italy. The Italian tour resulted in releases on Sun Ra's own Saturn label, all of which have long been out of print and all but impossible to find. With the re-release of DISCO 3000 one of the most celebrated of these elusive Saturn gems is once more available. This release, and it's companion MEDIA DREAMS, capture a side of Sun Ra's work - small ensemble, close form, original composition, rather minimal - that is otherwise under-represented. Depending heavily on Ra's electric and electronic keyboards (including the mysterious Crumar Mainman - of which even the company has no record) and, more unusually, on his intelligent use of sequencers and rhythm machines, this is an important window on the evolution of Ra's musical thinking, rendered even more transparent by the economy of its means; a quartet comprising only saxophonist John Gilmore, trumpeter Michael Ray and drummer Luqman Ali.
from Jazzloft.com

Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore

Disco 3000

1. Disco 3000   26:19
2. Third Planet   6:24
3. Friendly Galaxy   1:17
4. Dance Of The Cosmo-Aliens   11:05

FLAC

or

320

Disco 3000 The Complete Milan Concert
in FLAC
-currently available at-

Updated Links - Sun Ra - It Is Forbidden (1974) released 2001 - Now Divided into Separate Tracks

Adventure-Equation's supreme Saturn benefactor, Paul W, prefers his music divided into song-length tracks.  Lucky for us he has graciously shared his hard work with us.  I must admit that I sometimes grow weary of 60-minute tracks so the track divisions he has created are a useful service in my opinion.  If you feel the same, please feel free to sample the first set of links below.  Scans, as always, are included for your literary and visual gratification.  

In 1974, the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival lost permission to hold the festival in Ann Arbor but was granted access to to the outdoor amphitheater at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario Canada.  Because of the shift in location, the festival was dubbed The Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival In Exile.

 

The ranks of the Arkestra included Ra's greatest reed section ever, with Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Elo Omoe, Danny Davis, James Jacson and Danny "Pekoe" Thompson, plus Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, Dale Williams on electric guitar, Detroit's own Reginald "Shoo-Be-Doo" Fields on bass, Clifford Jarvis at the drums and Stanley "Atakatune" Morgan on congas.  June Tyson and the Space Ethnic Voices, Judith Holton and Cheryl Banks, strutted and crooned out in front of the band, framing the mind-boggling keyboard improvisations and fierce chanted philosophy of their undisputed leader, the great Sun Ra. 

The multi-track master tapes of the Arkestra's performance were quite reasonably withheld by recordist Chuck Buchanan when it became clear that he could not be paid for his work, and they've never been seen again.  What remains is the cassette tape recorded from the board mix during the performance, now transferred into the digital realm and available right here on CD at last.

--John Sinclair
Amsterdam, December 6, 2000 / New Orleans, February 9, 2001

Sun Ra (p, org, syn, voc); Kwame Hadi (tp); Akh Tal Ebah (tp, mell, voc); unidentified (tp); Marshall allen (as, fl, perc); Danny Davis (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, libf, perc); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d, voc); Elo Omoe (bcl); Dale Williams (eg); Reginald "Shoo-Be-Doo" Fields (b); Clifford Jarvis (d); Atakatune [Stanley Morgan] (cga); June Tyson (voc); Space Ethnic Voices: Judith Holton, Cheryl Banks (voc). 

September 6, 1974

St Clair College Amphitheatre, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

-from the CD liner notes-

Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra 

at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival in Exile 1974

It Is Forbidden 
1. Untitled Improvisations   13:15
2. Discipline 27   9:18
3. Love in Outer Space   4:41
4. The Shadow World   6:04
5. Space is the Place   7:18
6. Second Stop is Jupiter   1:40
7. What Planet is This   2:34
8. Images   8:20
9. It is Forbidden   2:33
10. Watusi   5:48
11. Sun Ra and his Band from Outer Space
+ applause   2:46



Sun Ra Sunday Review

 


Other Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Recordings

Life is Splendid (1972)

Outer Space Employment Agency (1973)

Sun Ra - Other Voices, Other Blues (1978)

The Adventure-Equation Sun Ra Quartet Visit to Italy continues with the outstanding and very listenable double album, Other Voices, Other Blues.

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.

Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore

Other Voices, Other Blues

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

or

320
RS

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

or

320
RS

The Eternal Myth Revealed Now At 30 CDs!

Compiler wisely opts to get into "assemblage stage"...

By Fred Mills

Sharp-eyed readers will recall that news item we ran a couple of weeks ago about a massive 14-CD Sun Ra boxed set that was due soon as a joint effort between the Transparency record label and the Sun Ra Music Archive. Today word arrives from the Archive's Michael D. Anderson, who's been spearheading the project, that the box has now expanced to encompass a whopping thirty - count 'em, 30 - discs.

"I had to stop adding things," writes Anderson, in an email, "so I could finally get to the assemblage stage of this micro-detailed presentation."

We are sure all fellow Ra fans are in a combined state of shock and bliss right about now.... We'll keep you posted on update. Go here to read the original news item with details about the box and to view a video EPK about it.

 

VIA

Introductory Videos

Sun Ra Research Promo Flyer (1974)

Many thanks to Sitarswami for sharing this bit of advertising that he received from Saturn along with his 1974 (or so) mail order purchase.  Pretty cool, huh?

Sun Ra - New Steps (1978)

New Steps 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). There are two standards amongst a program of Ra originals, and things get started with a stellar version of "My Favorite Things." The music quickly takes its only sharp turn toward outer space as Ra introduces listeners to "Moon People," the only track where Ra emphasizes synthesizer over piano. "Sun Steps" is a slow tune featuring some beautiful piano playing from Sun Ra. In fact, the remainder of the album is on the mellow side ("When There Is No Sun" is the only track with vocals), and features some great statements by John Gilmore and Ra. Michael Ray is in fine form as well, if somewhat less exuberant than usual. With such a small group, solo space is ample, and Luqman Ali's understated drumming really holds things together nicely. New Steps is another fabulous release from Sun Ra, but all the Horo albums can be difficult to find.

AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

According to Gianni Morelenbaum Gualberto, who produced (New Steps), the Horos were made in a small studio that specialized in jingles, because none of the other studios in Rome were available at the time.  Sunny used a small, cheap keyboard that he found in the "Horo Voice Studio" to program his bass lines.

The 2-LP set Horo HDP 25-26, New Steps, was issued in 1978.  All information from the album jacket.  Sun Ra frequently used his Crumar keyboard to program repeated lines and "drum" sequences throughout the January 1978 sessions in Italy.  These can be heard on live material (like "Disco 3000") as well as the studio tracks.

"Rome at Twilight" was reissued in 1995 on a compilation titled Rendez-Vous 2, put out by the French StreetJazz label.  Thanks to Doug Watson for this information.
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

260. [213]  Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore

New Steps

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

Horo Voice Studio, Roma,
January 2 and 7, 1978

Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore
New Steps

1. My Favorite Things   8:22
2. Moon People   7:50
3. Sun Steps   11:42
4. Exactly Like You   6:07
5. Friend and Friendship   6:57
6. Rome at Twilight   5:12
7. Where There Is No Sun   4:40
8. The Horo   15:35

FLAC

or

320

New Links in Comments!

WHEN - Homage Series Vol. 1: Sun Ra

I've heard more than a few mixes of Sun Ra's music and this one seems head and shoulders above the rest.  I don't know anything about 'When' or this release but it's surely a plunderifically joyous listen.

When - Homage Series Vol. I - Sun Ra

1.  The Angel Speaks   3:47
2.  Spacebound   3:18
3.  Venus   2:03
4.  The Cosmic Ray   2:36
5.  (Talkin' About) Nuclear War   3:27
6.  Celestial Travels   2:56
7.  Disco 2009   3:59
8.  Black Sky And Cosmic Rays   3:19
9.  China Gate Revisited   4:31
10. In This New Space Age   2:53
11. History Is History   4:40

FLAC

 (via We Like It Lossless)

or

320

Sun Ra - Media Dreams Sessions Milan 1979 (2008)

Media Dream is a live recording of the Sun Ra Quartet, from January of 1978 in Italy (all the quartet recordings were done that month). It's a mostly free date, with "Constellation" and "Media Dreams" being the only tunes that seem to have been pre-composed (they are also the longest tracks on the album). The album starts with a keyboard showcase, with Ra supplying some super low tones along with some very queasy sounding organ. Then it's on to "Constellation" which has a great, really cheesy rhythm, courtesy of the Crumar Synthesizer/rhythm box, and excellent soloing from everyone, especially Gilmore. "Media Dreams" starts out really pretty, then gets progressively freakier. The rest of the tracks are basically soloing showcases for all the players.

AMG Review by Sean Westergaard

  

This is the companion to Disco 3000, made on the same classic Italian quartet tour with John Gilmore, Michael Ray (trumpet) and the minimal but perfect Luqman Ali (drums). Ra himself plays piano and electronic keyboards, including the mysterious Crumar Mainman, which Ra describes as like a piano, organ, clavichord, cello, violin and brass instruments and which also, importantly, has a facility for pre-programmed bass-lines and electronic percussion, which Ra uses constantly and to great effect in this small ensemble setting and seldom, if ever, elsewhere. The best of this collection (most of CD1) is luminous: very electronic, often rhythmical and melodic, always economical and making every sound count. These tracks are like no other jazz ensemble and, although recognisable as Ra who else could think of, and then get away with this unlike any other Ra ensemble either. Ra makes the machines do amazing, visionary things while the band exercises restraint, remaining always in focus. In between, there are piano, saxophone, trumpet and drum vignettes, fresh and perfectly judged; this real was a fine band. This places the original vinyl release (and related releases, Sound Mirror and Disco 3000) back into the context of the concerts, from which they were drawn. An important addition to the Sun Ra canon, since it is a rare document of an unusual Ra project that produced three classic late 70s LPs. Beautifully packaged and well annotated.
Amazon Review

262. [215]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

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

Live in Italy, January 1978

The exact locations of the concerts are not known. 
Saturn LP 1978, Media Dream, was released in 1978.  It also has borne the title Saturn Research and the serial number 19783.  The matrix numbers are CMP 1978 C-A and CMP 1978 D-B.

The piece called "Constellation" here is completely different from the "Constellation" that was included in... [Other Voices, Other Blues].
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Media Dreams Sessions Milan 1979

Disc One:  FLAC  

Saturn Research   3:04

Constellation   13:30

Yera of The Sun   4:37

Media Dreams   13:39

Twigs at Twilight   7:23

An Unbeknowneth Love   4:42

Disc Two:  FLAC

Friendly Galaxy   8:07

An Unbeknowneth Love   5:47

Of Other Tomorrow Never Known   8:10

Images   13:42

The Truth About Planet Earth   6:58

Space Is The Place   3:45

The Shadow World   2:48

Both Discs @ 320

New Links in Comments! 

Sun Ra - Medicine for a Nightmare: the singles (2009)

This 2009 compilation includes a few demo versions and alternate takes.  If you enjoy the early doo-wop Sun Ra offerings, give this a spin.

 Medicine for a Nightmare: the singles

Side A:
1. A Foggy Day - The Nu Sounds (George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin)
2. Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie - The Cosmic Rays (Sun Ra-Charles Orio-Calvin Barron)
3. Dreaming - The Cosmic Rays (Sun Ra-Charles Orio-Calvin Barron)
4. Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie - The Cosmic Rays (Sun Ra-Charles Orio-Calvin Barron)
5. Bye Bye - The Cosmic Rays With Le Sun Ra And Arkestra (Matt Swift)
6. Somebody's In Love - The Cosmic Rays With Le Sun Ra And Arkestra (Lonnie Tolbert-Raymond Dancer)
7. Medicine For A Nightmare - Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra Previously Unissued
8. Saturn - Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra
9. Supersonic Jazz - Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra
10. Happy New Year To You! - The Qualities (Sun Ra-Alton Abraham)
11. It's Christmas Time - The Qualities (Sun Ra-Alton Abraham)

Side B:
1. Muck Muck (Matt Matt) - Yochanan (Yochanan-Alton Abraham-Sun Ra)
2. Hot Skillet Mama - Yochanan (Yochanan-Alton Abraham-Sun Ra)
3. Great Balls Of Fire - Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra
4. Hours After - Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra (Sun Ra-Everett Turner)
5. Teenager's Letter Of Promises - Juanita Rogers & Lynn Hollings With Mr. V's Five Joys (Juanita Rogers-Lynn Hollings)
6. I'm So Glad You Love Me - Juanita Rogers With Mr. V's Five Joys (Lynn Hollings-Juanita Rogers)
7. October - Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra
8. Adventure In Space - Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra

FLAC

or

320

click to enlarge

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

FLAC

or

320

Updated links in Comments