Sun Ra - Beyond the Purple Star Zone / Oblique Parallax (1982)

Beyond The Purple Star Zone is one of two Saturn LPs recorded during a week's residency by Sun Ra at the Detroit Jazz Center in the last week of 1980.  Just about everything that the Arkestra played that week was captured on tape -- ending with a marathon series of three concerts on New Year's Eve 1980, when the music extended over nearly eight hours, and included over ninety identifiable compositions. There was scarcely any duplication of compositions throughout this marathon night, even though each concert was played before a different audience, the auditorium cleared between sets. The title track, 'Beyond The Purple Star Zone,' is extracted from the second of these three New Year's Eve concerts. In essence, it's a French horn trio, involving Sun Ra, Vincent Chancey and a percussionist.  As well as featuring on this LP as the title track, it was used again by Sun Ra when in 1982 he issued another Saturn LP, Oblique Parallax, to release more material from these December 1980 concerts.  On this second outing, 'Beyond The Purple Star Zone' was spliced together with music played on 30 December to form the piece known as 'Journey Stars Beyond.'  'Rocket Number Nine' also comes from the second of the three New Year's Eve concerts, and is a feature for Ra and the Arkestra's vocal dexterity, and in a quintessential Sun Ra touch melds other compositions in with this tune.  There's a Sun Ra poem embedded -- 'The Space Age Is Here To Stay,' as well as fragments of a Gospel piece.  There's also an early appearance of another Sun Ra composition, 'Face The Music,' which crops up occasionally in 1970s and 1980s concerts, before coming into its own around 1990, when, with a full instrumental arrangement, it was featured frequently.  Considering the dozens of hours of surviving concert tape from this Detroit residency, it's significant that none of the recordings yet auditioned contain the material used on this album for 'Immortal Being,' 'Romance on a Satellite' or 'Planetary Search.'  It is possible -- but uncertain -- that these are performances from this residency, the sonics are very close to those of the first two pieces from this album. At least one Detroit concert (plus one workshop) remain to be researched.  However, the presence of an electric bass player and electric guitarist on 'Romance on a Satellite' suggests that these pieces may have a different origin.  All are fine pieces, for the moment they keep their mysteries.

 -- Chris Trent

Art Yard’s gorgeous re-packaging of the original El Saturn release.  Sun 
definitely has the hyper-space clavinet in effect here.  Often piercing
 and powerful, this righteously recalls the jagged points of “Crystal
 Spears.”  Especially on the title cut, but also on B-side, also lots of
 pulsing synth, washing in and out.  Eerie stacking of notes and a shrill
 beauty, on “Romance on a Satellite” uncredited guitar takes on Sun’s 
keys…the guitar is a softer twinkle and brings out a beachier,
 juke to the keys.  Lastly back on “Planetary Search”, photon torpedos 
again fill Sun Ra’s finger tips…seems like a different galaxy, a
 twirling swirl of sound and some sort of mechanical birds chirping. 
 “Rocket Number Nine” is launched from more UFO sky-searching keys 
but moves into a great vocal melee. Head-bopping, finger-popping
 chaos chorale that will hit a bit closer to earth for many, but the
 deep space vibrations here, though a bit harsher, hit home for me!
  Evidently these transmissions were culled from a week of concerts
 in Detroit, 1980.  Featuring fine folks like Samarai Celestial, June
 Tyson, and Eloe Omoe (now the name of a band on Animal Disguise??).
  More mythic meteor momentum imparted from the Sun??
--Thurston Hunger

338. [261g]  Sun Ra and his Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra

Beyond the Purple Star Zone

Sun Ra (org, syn); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); A. Spencer Barefield (eg); unidentified (eb); Samarai Celestial (d); Craig Haynes (d); Bright Moments (sleigh bells).

Jazz Center, Detroit, December 29 or
30, 1980, 4pm

Immortal Being (Ra) [ds, syns, and eb]
Romance on a Satellite (Ra)
[org, eg, eb, ds, bells]
Planetary Search (Ra) [org, sin only]
unidentified titles

These tracks all appear to come from the Detroit stand; they derive from soundboard tapes with similar sonics to the Jazz Center concerts.  However, they do not match any of the concert tracks (we can be sure of this, because the soundboard tapes are nearly complete, and they were the source for the Saturn LPs).  In fact, no guitarist can be heard on any of the concert sets.

Moreover, when a bass is present on the concert tapes it is Jaribu Shahid playing a string bass, not the electric that is audible here.  The synthesized soloing on these tracks is gentler and more contemplative than most of Ra's playing during the concerts.

The best guess is that these items were made at the workshops Sun Ra and Arkestra members gave (at 4pm on December 29 and December 30).  The first edition of this discography incorrectly listed Skeeter McFarland and Taylor Richardson as Arkestra members, but the solo work on "Romance on a Satellite" sounds like Detroit guitarist A. Spencer Barefield (who is a longtime associate of Jaribu Shahid -- and of drummer Tani Tabbal, who guested on the New Year's Eve concerts).

Saturn LP 123180, Beyond the Purple Star Zone, was released in 1981.  Some copies are titled Immortal Being.

341. [261a]  Sun Ra and his Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra

Beyond the Purple Star Zone /
Oblique Parallax

Sun Ra (org, syn, voc); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Al Evans (flg); Tyrone Hill (tb, voc); Vincent Chancey (Fr hn); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, ob, kora, perc); Noël Scott (as, bars, perc); John Gilmore (ts, cl, timb, voc); Eloe Omoe (bcl, cacl, as, perc); Danny Ray Thompson (bars, fl, bgo); James Jacson (bsn, ob, fl, Inf-d, voc); Jaribu Shahid (b, recitation); Samarai Celestial (d); Craig Haynes (d); Tommy "Bugs" Hunter (d, perc); Bright Moments (sleigh bells, perc, dance, voc); June Tyson (voc, dance); Richard Wilkinson (light show, recitation).

Jazz Center, Detroit, December 31, 1980-
January 1, 1981, 11pm, and 3am

According to Michael Denton, there are nearly complete soundboard tapes (146 minutes for the first set, 176 minutes for the second set, and 151 minutes for the third set).  At 7 hours and 53 minutes (and 90 different titles), this is the longest Arkestra concert documented on any recording.

The tapes were recorded by Rick Steiger and John Lockard, who also provided the personnel and a partial tune listing; additional tunes filled in by rlc and ct.  Bright Moments was a Detroit-area percussion duo that specialized in sleigh bells.  They also seem to be responsible for the vocals on "The World of Africa" (which features two chanting percussionists).  Haynes says that on the final night (12/31/80-1/1/81) Tani Tabbal and two other guests (presumably Tommy Hunter and Ali Mora) were added on trap drums.  Indeed, Ali Mora confirms his presence on this date.

Saturn LP 123180, Beyond the Purple Star Zone, was released in 1981.  Some copies are titled Immortal Being.  Thanks to ct for  pointing out "Beyond the Purple Star Zone" and confirming that "Rocket Number Nine" was also issued on Side A of the same LP.  What is titled "Rocket Number Nine" on the LP includes "The Space Age is Here to Stay" and the first part of "Face the Music" (the LP fades out while the words are being chanted, before the Arkestra sings the usual melody).

Saturn IX SR 72881 was issued in 1982.  It is usually titled Oblique Parallax, sometimes Journey Stars Beyond.  Previously this album was listed as a separate session, with a supposed recording date of July 28, 1981.  Samarai Celestial confirms that the album was actually recorded during the same Detroit stand as Beyond the Purple Star Zone.

According to Malcolm Trent, Oblique Parallax was re-pressed by Blast First and distributed through Venus Records in New York City as well as Blast First's short-lived U.S. office.  Band members were selling it at gigs as late as 1992.

"Celestial Realms" is an improvised ballad for Sun Ra (org) and Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) with some discreet drum and percussion accompaniment.  Steiger and Sinclair called it "Vincent's Top On," and that title is used on some of the tapes in circulation.

Thanks to Graham Connah for catching the fact that "Beyond the Purple Star Zone" and the first part of "Journey Stars Beyond" are one and the same piece!  Connah says that the mix is quite different on the Beyond the Purple Star Zone and Oblique Parallax issues of the same piece, but it is unquestionably the same music.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Sun Ra and his Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra
Detroit Jazz Center 1980
Beyond the Purple Star Zone + Oblique Parallax
Art Yard CD 005 (2010)


1. Beyond The Purple Star Zone   5:50
2. Rocket Number Nine   8:15
3. Immortal Being   4:02
4. Romance On A Satellite   5:01
5. Planetary Search   4:20
6. Oblique Parallax   2:44
7. Vista Omniverse   4:50
8. Celestial Realms   5:03
9. Journey Stars Beyond   13:13

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Beyond the Purple Star Zone (1981)
Art Yard LP 005

1. A1 Beyond the Purple Star Zone   5:29
2. A2 Rocket Number Nine   8:32
3. B1 Immortal Being   4:01
4. B2 Romance on a Satellite   4:50
5. B3 Planetary Search   4:27

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Journey Stars Beyond (Oblique Parallax)
Saturn IX SR 72881 (1982)

1. A1 Oblique Parallax / Vista Omniverse   7:37
2. A2 Celestial Realms   5:06
3. B1 Journey Stars Beyond   13:11


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Oblique Parallax
Saturn IX SR 72881 (1982)

1. 01 - Oblique Parallax - Vista Omniverse   7:30
2. 02 - Celestial Realms   5:15
3. 03 - Journey Stars Beyond   13:18


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