Sun Ra - The Lost Arke and a 2nd Chance: Mystery Mister Ra

Tremendous lost works from Sun Ra – three previously-unreleased tracks from Art Yard's vaults – all of them great!  Side one features the wonderful spiritual polyrhythmic percussive groover 'Along Came Ra' featuring vocals from June Tyson to start things out – then given a fiery recitation by Ra over ensemble vocals.  Next is "The Sky Is A Sea Of Darkness" – a spare keyboard tune with some great vocals – beautifully, soulfully sung by John Gilmore with a poetic feel that's wonderful! Last up is one of the most soulful versions of "We Travel The Spaceways" we've ever heard – slow, with piano in the background underneath the vocals – which themselves are deeply personal, and some of the most moving we've ever heard on a Ra tune. All three tracks are on the inside, spiritual side of the Arkestra spectrum.

boomkat/dusty groove album review mashup

Sun Ra & his Arkestra
The Lost Arkestra part 1 (2010)
Kindred Spirits / Art YardKSAY-OFF-1
10" 33 1/3 RPM record

1. Along Came Ra    6:54
2. The Sky Is A Sea Of Darkness    2:32 

3. We Travel The Spaceways    6:37

-FLAC-

RS

HF

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-320-

RS

HF

I don't know when/where all of the above performances were recorded, but I noticed while watching "Mystery Mister Ra" that track 1, "Along Came Ra" was filmed and presented at the beginning of the movie.  Here is some info regarding some performances included in the film:


404. [301] Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
Mystery, Mr. Ra (film)

Sun Ra (p, org, voc); Ronnie Brown (tp, perc); Haji (tp); Tyrone Hill (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl, kora, EVI, sticks, whistle); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, EVI); Eloe Omoe (as, bcl, cacl, EVI, maracas); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, EVI, bgo); James Jacson (bsn, fl, EVI, Inf-d); James Glass (eg); Rollo Radford (standup eb); Clifford Jarvis (d); Marvin "Boogaloo" Smith (d); poss. Chris Henderson (d); Atakatune (cga); unidentified Cuban (cga, perc); June Tyson (voc, dance); Myriam Broche (dance); Greg Pratt (dance); Don Mumford may replace Clifford Jarvis (d); Chris Henderson (d) may replace Marvin "Boogaloo" Smith; Wilbur Little (b); replaces Rollo Radford (standup eb).

Paris Jazz Festival, Paris, November 1983

untitled improvisation [kora]
untitled improvisation [EVIs]
Along Came Ra (Ra)/
Children of the Sun (Ra) [JT, voc; SR, ens voc]
Blue Lou (Sampson) [inc]
Nuclear War (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc]
1984 (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc]
Cocktails for Two (Coslow-Johnston)

405. [302] Same personnel, except Rollo Radford (standup eb) is back in place of Wilbur Little (b).

Le New Morning, Paris, November or December 1983

Love in Outer Space (Ra)
untitled improvisation
[bars, tb, and bcd; p; falsetto ts]
Astro Black (Ra) [JT voc]
Nuclear War (Ra) [SR, ens voc; inc]
untitled improvisation [kora; perc and dance]
Mystery, Mr. Ra (Ra) [SR, JT, ens voc]
Discipline 27 (Ra) [inc]

Mystery, Mr. Ra is a 48-minute documentary, released in 1984, featuring footage from two Paris concerts and interviews with Ra, John Gilmore, and Archie Shepp.  Produced by Hubert Niogret, directed by Frank Cassenti; issued on video in 1993 by Rhapsody Films with sleeve notes by Michael Shore.  Date and tunes rlc.  Personnel rlc with help from Danny Ray Thompson; Mumford and Little are mentioned in the film credits.  This was a distinct performance from the Arkestra's March 1983 appearance at Le New Morning.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Offering below is of higher resolution than stream above.

1.45g m4v

RS1  RS2  RS3  RS4

or

HF1  HF2  HF3  HF4