Sun Ra - The Nubians of Plutonia (1967)

In the late '50s, Sun Ra emerged from big band to modern/progressive big band status, began to employ electronics, and used a more Afro-Centric percussive focus. This recording perfecly demonstrates those qualities, and more. There are several definitive themes from The Arkestra included, such as "Plutonian Nights," "Nubia," "Africa," "Watusa" and "Aethiopia."

The [album] consists of rehearsal tapes from 1960 with The Arkestra steadily progressing and moving beyond conventional jazz modes into multiple rhythms, chants, and twisting, roaring arrangements spiced by vividly expressive solos.
from AMG Reviews by Michael G. Nastos and Ron Wynn

"The Nubians of Plutonia... evidence an Arkestra moving into ever looser, more abstract ground. The percussion becomes more varied and moves ever closer to the foreground. 'The Golden Lady' seduces with a swaying groove created by a combination of simple parts: hi-hat, cow bell, wood blocks, rolling floor toms and bass. Ra then sets up a dark melodic theme, and then the Arkestra proceeds to weave a series of jaunty, blues-tinged solos into the fabric of the groove. 'Nubia', 'Africa' and 'Aiethopia' continue this excursion into more mystical, rhythm-based territory. The Arkestra utilizes the same ominous, simmering percussion beds, now augmented by more exotic instruments like Pat Patrick's 'space lute', which gives a playfully sinister sound to 'Africa'.... This powerful, multi-faceted music is a great place to start if you are just beginning to travel with Sun Ra, or a great way to continue the journey." 

by Mathew Wuethric from Wikipedia
     

54. [39]  Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra

Lady with the Golden Stockings
(The Nubians of Plutonia)

Sun Ra (p.); Lucious Randolph (tp); Nate Pryor (tb); James Spaulding (as solo); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bs solo); Charles Davis (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); Robert Barry (d); Jim Herndon (timb, perc).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958

Star Time (Ra)

Initially released (in a generic Tonal View of Times Tomorrow cover) by Saturn in 1966 as SR 9956-11E/F, Lady with the Golden Stockings.  In 1967 this album was given the catalog number 406; by the end of 1967 (according to Vein), it was retitled The Nubians of Plutonia, and by 1969 given a new cover by Richard Pedreguera.  Subsequent reissues (on Impulse AS-9242 in 1974 and Evidence 22066 [CD] in 1993) have used the later title.  Personnel from the 1969 Saturn and Impulse issues.  Charles Davis left the Arkestra some months before going on the road with Dinah Washington's band; by 1959 he was in New York.  Lucious Randolph confirms his presence on this cut.


57. [41]  Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra

Lady with the Golden Stockings
(The Nubians of Plutonia)

Sun Ra (p, Wurlitzer ep); Lucious Randolph (tp); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); Robert Barry (d).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

Plutonian Nights (Ra)

Lucious Randolph is not sure whether he was present here, but Phil Cohran (the other trumpeter credited by Saturn and Impulse) was not in the band at this time.


58. [42]  Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep); Lucious Randolph (tp); Marshall Allen (fl, perc); James Spaulding (as, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b); Robert Barry (perc); Jim Herndon (perc); prob. Pat Patrick (bgo).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

(The) Lady with the Golden Stockings (Ra)

Retitled "The Golden Lady" on the jacket (but not the label) of the later Saturn  releases and on Evidence 22066 [CD].  The Saturn label (but not the jacket) refers to the band as "Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra."


59. [43]  Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep, bells); Ronnie Boykins (b); Robert Barry (d); Jim Herndon (cga, tymp, timb, perc); John Gilmore (Nigerian bells).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

Nubia (Ra)

60. [44]  Sun Ra (Wurlitzer ep); Nate Pryor (tb); Marshall Allen (fl); James Spaulding (as, poss. voc); poss. Charles Davis (bars); Pat Patrick (spae lute, voc); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); Robert Barry (d, perc, voc); Jim Herndon (timb, perc); John Gilmore (voc).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

Africa (Ra)

This listing has been somewhat revised from the first edition of the discography.  Careful listening to the CD release, with its superior sonics, reveals that the baritone sax and the space lute are being played simultaneously (for instance, at the beginning of the track).  The baritone work is rather "outside" for Charles Davis; it could be that Patrick played baritone sax and another Arkestran was entrusted with the space lute (which is prominent in the arrangement).  Also, Spaulding's alto sax can be heard in the background near the end of the piece.  Meanwhile, Marshall Allen's flute work is too continuous for him to be contributing to the vocal ensemble.

The vocal ensemble is clearly an arranged one for (most likely four) males singing and humming wordlessly.  John Gilmore is almost certainly among them (and, contrary to what was said in the first edition, his tenor sax is not audible anywhere in this piece).  The other vocal identifications are guesses.  Although the arrangement is more complicated than those of "space chants" like "Interplanetary Music," the vocal group is definitely not the Cosmic Rays, and it doesn't sound much like the Five Joys minus Juanita Rogers.  When Sun Ra copyrighted "Africa" in October 1960, it had lyrics (the same ones used on the December 31, 1980, concert in Detroit).


61. [45]  Sun Ra (p.); William Fielder (tp); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Ronnie Boykins (b); Robert Barry (d, perc); prob. Jim Herndon (perc); prob. Pat Patrick (perc).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

Watusa [Watusi] (Pitts-Sherrill; arr. Ra)

The trumpet player is clearly not Hobart Dotson, and Lucious Randolph, Phil Cohran, and Everett Turner do not remember playing this piece.  Bill Fielder does remember playing it.  Tommy Hunter and Richard Wilkinson claim that "Watusi" was written by Ronnie Boykins.  Research at the Library of Congress has revealed that "Watusi" (which Sun Ra got around to copyrighting in 1967) was composed by André Pitts and Terri Vanne Sherrill (perhaps a dance team?) and arranged by Sun Ra.  Its name was changed to "Watusa" on its first Saturn release, and it was incorrectly attributed to Ra thereafter.


62. [46]  Sun Ra (p.); Lucious Randolph (tp); Nate Pryor (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts, bells); Pat Patrick (bars, bells); Robert Barry (d); Jim Herndon (timb, perc); unidentified (tambourine).

Rehearsal, Chicago, 1958 or 1959

Aiethopia (Ra)

Lucious Randolph recalls recording this piece in a club with bad acoustics; "The mike was on the other end."  On the Saturn label this title is recast as "A Ie Tho Pia."

from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.  Campbell/Trent

The Nubians of Plutonia (1967)

1. Plutonian Nights   4:21
2. The Golden Lady   7:42
3. Star Time   4:16
4. Nubia   8:13
5. Africa   5:06
6. Watusa   2:38
7. Aiethopia   7:12

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