Sun Ra - Wake Up Angels

 The newest 2CD set from Art Yard captures the Arkestra in one of their highest periods of critical acclaim and personal growth. The group had completed work for the epic film Space is the Place the same year of the first performance in the set, 1972. Ra would soon release studio materials with Impulse and many other pivotal labels. Tours all over the world became increasingly easier for the group, especially with Arkestra alumni Danny Ray Thompson taking over a lot of the management duties in the 70′s and on. Africa to Europe to Japan, the Arkestra propelled themselves further and further into the realm of world acknowledgement and the damage from press work of United States journalists in the 60′s could no longer trap the buzz and legacy Ra had created up to that point. Art Yard has slightly truncated the 1972 recording to fit on the 2CD layout with the editing out of two pieces from the set. Present is the Sun Ra Arkestra recorded in 1972, 1973 and 1974 at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz festivals. Remastered from 2 track tapes recorded from the board mixes for reference purposes, these provide the clearest window of these Sun Ra shows to date. Previous versions had been released under the supervision of John Sinclair but this new releases serves as the definitive version to date. 16 track masters were documented of all three festivals in their entirety but like many of the professional quality recordings from that era, have been shelved away, lost or purposely hidden due to lack of payment and other reasons far outside of anyone’s reach. Art Yard has teamed with John Sinclair in the hopes to authentically create a home for these important recordings in the Sun Ra canon along with forging a relationship to present many more of John Sinclar’s massive archive of other artists during the time he was promoting and offer professional recording services. Wake Up Angels presents three mind blowing concerts in some of the best audio quality of the Arkestra during the first half of the 70′s. It doesn’t get much better for this period of the band.

Art Yard recently released this repackaging of  three out of print Sun Ra releases originally on John Sinclair's Blast First label.  You can read Sinclair's take on the new release at his blog, Fattening Blogs for Snakes.  Below is a small collection of recent introductions from some web retailers.

 Really wonderful work from Sun Ra – a host of recordings cut at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Fest in the early 70s – always a very welcoming audience for the Arkestra at the time! We're not sure what was in the water, but it always seems like the group really hit their stride at the festival – opening up with a force and intensity that really goes past some of their other recordings! It's almost as if the enthusiastic mix of ages and cultures present really ignited the best energies in the Arkestra – having them hit the kind of righteous crescendo of their best Space Is The Place identity – and even some of the more avant, outside moments have a focus that the group hardly seems to reach this well! The material is from the John Sinclair archives – originally issued on the CDs Life Is Splendid, Outer Space Employment Agency, and It Is Forbidden – but somehow sounding even more amazing in a tight package like this – with loads of amazing keyboards from Ra, soulful vocals from June Tyson, Cheryl Banks, and Judith Holton, and wonderful supporting reeds from the Arkestra. Titles include "Space Is The Place", "Enlightenment", "What Planet Is This", "Immeasurable", "Love In Outer Space", "Watusi", "Images", and some great untitled improvisations.

Dusty Groove entry

A massive collection of live performances from three years at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz festival, this finds astral traveler Sun Ra and his Arkestra on fine form, showcasing their peculiar take on free jazz through a haze of tape saturation and crowd chatter. As with many great jazz acts, live performance is where Sun Ra came into his own, and this collection is no different with known pieces transformed into extended improvised jams. Chances are if you're a Sun Ra fan this will already be on your list to purchase, but interested Sun Ra newbies might fare well here - there's certainly enough material to really make your mind up.

Boomkat entry

Complete Scans (RS)
Complete Scans (MF)

Wake Up Angels is a compilation of the the three albums below.
Check the comments in each for new links:

Life is Splendid (1972)

Outer Space Employment Agency (1973)

It is Forbidden (1974)