Sun Ra - Sun Ra Sextet at the Village Vanguard (1991)

This recording presents the spiritual and musical explorations of the late Sun Ra in a rare (and relatively quiet and pensive) small group setting; the lone horn player is longtime Ra associate John Gilmore, on tenor sax; and the bassist is John Ore, whose career also included early stints with Cecil Taylor and Thelonious Monk. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard in November of 1991, Sun Ra’s playful synthesizer lines explore standards and originals including extensive versions of “Round Midnight” and “Sun Ra Blues.”

from rounder

The Sun Ra Sextet At the Village Vanguard is an important, if flawed, CD. Recorded in 1991--a mere two years prior to Ra's death--it documents some of Ra's first public appearances after a stroke that seriously limited his ability to play the keyboards, so much so that Chris Anderson was drafted to fill Ra's customary piano chair (succeeding quite nicely) here while Ra adds a sort of commentary on synthesizers atop the rest of the group. The actual gigs were booked under the name of Ra's legendarily underrated tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and, for obvious reasons, the date showcases his playing and reflects his leadership more so than Ra's.

The music captured here is for the most part not that of the freewheeling Ra Arkestra of the sixties and early seventies. Even before the stroke Ra began to include more songs from the standard repertoire alongside his own unique originals in his performances (though his and his band's interpretations were never exactly 'standard'), but this set goes even further, consisting of three standards and two original Sun Ra compositions, the latter including the relatively conventional "Sun Ra Blues." I love the earlier far-out Ra albums, but there's something to be said for this, too--Ra & Gilmore have their detractors who say they are too wild and not grounded in the jazz tradition, but Ra's perfect synth harmonies on "Autumn in New York," and the swinging contributions from the Arkestra's regular bassist John Ore and Gilmore's sumptuous playing on "'Round Midnight" and "'S Wonderful" put the lie to that kind of narrow minded thinking, while guitarist Bruce Edwards adds tasty solos, especially on "'Round Midnight" and "'S Wonderful".

'S Wonderful

I suppose a Sun Ra collection is incomplete without this recording from near the end of his life, but it is the excellent performance under the spotlight by John Gilmore who recorded sparingly outside of Ra's orbit that makes this an essential CD. Gilmore was simply one of the great saxophonists and this album gives his lyrical side a more extensive hearing than the typical Ra release. Ultimately how you feel about this CD will have a lot to do with how you aproach it. If you make allowances for Ra's physical condition, you will be surprised and touched by how much he can do in his compromised state. If you go into it expecting to hear prime Sun Ra, you may find his playing erratic and tired sounding, especially on "'Round Midnight." But just when you've counted him down if not out, he comes back on the set closing "Theme of the Stargazers" with some cosmic sounds that only he could've conjured while Gilmore recites some of his cosmic poetry for your edification.  

from epinionsdotcom

John Gilmore was slated to be the leader for a small band gig at the Village Vanguard in November, as Sonny thought Gilmore had earned it, but at the last second he turned it back to Sun Ra, and they appeared without costumes under the name of Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions (Buster Smith, Bruce Edwards, John Ore, Jun Ra on synthesizers, and Chris Anderson, a blind pianist Sonny had known in Chicago).  It was a strange and slightly melancholy event.

John F. Szwed  Space Is The Place p. 375

727. [471]  Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions [Sun Ra Sextet]

At the Village Vanguard

Sun Ra (Yamaha SY22 syn; Yamaha SY77 syn); John Gilmore (ts, voc, announcement); Chris Anderson (p.); Bruce Edwards (eg); John Ore (b); Buster Smith (d, announcement).

 The Village Vanguard, NYC,

 November 14, 1991

Rounder 3124, At the Village Vanguard, was released on CD in 1993.  There is also a German release on Zensor (ZS 135).  The group is really the All-Star Inventions; the "Sun Ra Sextet" designation is misleading.  The first edition of this discography gave the incorrect date of November 13 for this live recording.  Blass says that much of the material recorded by producer John Snyder suffered from poor sonics and wasn't suitable for release.

It is possible, though a good deal less likely, that some of the material on the Rounder CD was recorded on November 17.
from Campbell / Trent The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

This album was also released on CD in Germany in 1999 on the Jazz Door (JD 12125) label.

Sun Ra Sextet at the Village Vanguard (1991)
Rounder CD 3124

1. 'Round Midnight   21:04
2. Sun Ra Blues   16:11
3. Autumn In New York   11:01
4. 'S Wonderful   10:58
5. Theme Of The Stargazers   5:32

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