Sun Ra Article in Jazz Magazine (1993)

I don't speak French so the text is lost on me but I LOVE the illustrations and photos!  Many

Thanks to Roberto T for sharing these from his personal collection.

While we're on a visionary trajectory, check out this great collection of Sun Ra Arkestra images from the recent Sao Paulo shows.  There's even some nice music for you to enjoy while you click the pics.

Sun Ra - Sun Song (1957)

This essential title [Jazz by Sun Ra] is also available under the moniker of Sun Song (1956). Regardless of name, this long-player contains some of Sun Ra's most complex, yet accessible efforts. Ra had been an active performer since the late 1940s, recording with his various combos or "Arkestra(s)" as Ra dubbed them. Since this was the first widely distributed platter that the artist cut, it is often erroneously referred to as his debut. The tracks were documented by then-unknown Tom Wilson. If the name rings a bell, it may be because Wilson would go on to produce such rock luminaries as Frank Zappa, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and the Velvet Underground, among others. Ra's highly arithmetical approach to bop was initially discounted by noted jazz critic Nat Hentoff as "repetitious," with phrases "built merely on riffs with little development." In retrospect, however, it is obvious there is much more going on here. Among the musical innovations woven into the up-tempo "Brainville" and "Transition," are advanced time signatures coupled with harmonic scales based on Ra's mathematical equations. Not to be missed is the lush elegance within the delicate, if not intricate arrangements heard on "Possession," as well as the equally involved "Sun Song" -- both of which take on an air of sophistication in their deceptive simplicity. Ra's original LP jacket comments can be found within the liner notes of the Sun Song compact disc. This is noteworthy as one of the rare occasions that Sun Ra sought to explain not only his influences, but his methods of composition and modes of execution as well. As referred to above, Jazz by Sun Ra is arguably the most accessible work in the Sun Ra catalog, as well as one of the most thoroughly and repeatedly listenable.
AMG Review by Lindsay Planer

36. [22]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Jazz by Sun Ra

Sun Ra (Hammond B-3 org -2, p); Art Hoyle (tp, bells from India); Dave Young (tp, bells); Julian Priester (tb, cathedral chimes, arr); James Scales (as); John Gilmore (ts, woodblocks); Pat Patrick (bars, bells from India); Richard Evans (b); Wilburn Green (eb, tambourine); Robert Barry (d, bells); Jim Herndon (tymp, timb, bells); Prince Shell (arr -1).

Universal Recording, Chicago,
July 12, 1956 

Transition TRLP J-10, Jazz by Sun Ra, was issued in 1957.  Personnel details and session date from the booklet included with this LP (and reprinted in the Delmark CD issue).  The Transition LP, with original title, was reissued in the early 1970s in Japan as Transition PA 7006.  Under the title Sun Song, all tracks from TRLP J-10 appeared on Delmark DL-411 and DS-411 (1967), Sonet SLP23 (Sweden), and Delmark DD-411 [CD, 1991].  David Martinelli and Marco Melaragni point out that there was a bootleg LP, derived from Delmark, titled Sun Song volume 2 and released around 1971 by the notorious BYG subsidiary Goody (GY 30002).  On that bogus release, the band was anachronistically identified as Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra.

"Swing a Little Taste" initially appeared in 1957 on an LP sampler (including tracks by Donald Byrd, Jay Migliori, and others) titled Jazz in Transition.  This was reissued in the late '70s in Japan as Transition GXF3126.  "Swing a Little Taste" was also included as a bonus track on Delmark DD-411 (though there it is incorrectly credited to Sun Ra).  "Street Named Hell" take 2 was also reissued on Smithsonian RD108, Big Band Renaissance, as part of a 5-CD various-artists collection.

"Sun Song" was originally titled "Spur of the Moment," and "Brainville" was originally "Brainville, Uranus," according to Sun Ra's copyright filings in July and August 1956.

Three new compositions, plus some false starts, take announcements, and conversations with the band come from a 12" Transition test pressing that was discovered by Pete Gianakopoulos in January 1997.  They have never been issued in any form.  Side A consists of nine tracks from this session, some fragmentary, interspersed with Ra's announcements (total time is 17 minutes).  Side B is outtakes from two sessions for the label by other artists.  Thanks to Gianakopoulos for information on this unique document, and an opportunity to hear a dub.  James Wolf has identified one of the  unfamiliar compositions as "Delight," which was submitted for copyright as the third section of the Transition suite (the first two parts were "The Action," i.e., "Transition" proper, and "The Street," better known as "Street Named Hell").  (After digital noise reduction by ct, Sun Ra and band members could be heard announcing "Delight" on the test pressing.)  The other two new pieces on the test pressing were never copyrighted by Sun Ra, and we still do not know their titles.

According to Allan Chase, Eutrice U. "Prince" Shell arranged "Possession" for the Arkestra; Ra's only change was to add an alto saxophone part for James Scales to play on this session.  Shell did two other arrangements for the Arkestra:  one of Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" (not recorded, at least not in its original form), and a composition of his own dedicated to Gene Ammons called "Memoirs of a Jug."

from Campbell / Trent's The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Sun Ra
Sun Song

1.  Brainville (Ra)   4:14
2.  A Call For All Demons (Ra)   5:16
3.  Transition (Ra)   3:42
4.  Possession (Revel) -1   4:58
5.  Street Named Hell (Ra)   3:39
6.  Lullaby For Realville (Evans)   4:43
7.  Future (Ra)   2:55
8.  Swing A Little Taste (Priester)   4:25
9.  New Horizons (Ra)   3:06
10. Fall Off The Log (Ra)   4:00
11. Sun Song (Ra) -2   3:37

FLAC

RS

MF1 + MF2

or

320

RS

MF

Thanks to I-) for more Web Finds!
I love the Transition labels.  I hadn't seen those before.

Sun Ra & Stereolab - LOVE IN OUTER SPACE

LOVE IN OUTER SPACE
(Secrets of the Sun)

Happy Valentines Day, y'all.

Cadriopo by Stereolab

Two great videos. Special Thanks to Miss T & Mookey's Mood.

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)

Sun Ra and Walt Dickerson - Visions (1979)

A largely overlooked duo improv date recorded on July 11, 1978, by the Danish jazz impresario Nils Winther, Visions matches Walt Dickerson's cool vibes with Sun Ra's idiosyncratic piano in a way that shows both men's contrasting styles to surprisingly cohesive effect. This was not the first time Dickerson and Ra had recorded together; producer Tom Wilson had used the duo on the soundtrack of the 1966 film Impressions on a Patch of Blue. This was their first extended series of duo improvs, however, and each seems to know exactly when to let the other hog the spotlight for a while, as during the moment toward the end of the opening "Astro," when Dickerson lays out and lets Ra launch into a two-fisted free solo. Similarly, Ra leaves the extended opening of "Utopia" almost entirely to Dickerson, adding only a few explosive thumps and some Paul Bley-style picking and strumming of the piano's strings to Dickerson's graceful and melodic playing. Fans of Sun Ra's outer space mythology and chanting lyrics will have to look elsewhere for their fun, but fans of Ra's exceptionally gifted and distinctive free jazz piano playing should be fascinated. Dickerson, one of the few jazz vibraphonists to have little audible debt to Lionel Hampton, also plays with his characteristic exploratory but controlled style. The 1988 CD adds two bonus tracks from the LP sessions, "Light Years" and "Prophesy."

AMG Review by Stewart Mason

276. [222]  Walt Dickerson and Sun Ra
Visions

Sun Ra (p.); Walt Dickerson (vib).

Studio Recording, NYC, July 11, 1978

Steeplechase SCS 1126, Visions, was released in 1978.  All tracks were reissued around 1989 on Steeplechase SCCD 31126, with the addition of "Light Years" and "Prophecy."  Information from album jacket; as is typical on Steeplechase releases, the location is not given, but Copenhagen (mentioned in some discographies) can be safely ruled out!
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Walt Dickerson & Sun Ra - Visions (1979)

[CD Reissue - 1988]

1. Astro   7:52

2. Utopia   8:16

3. Visions   2:55

4. Constructive Neutrons   10:15

5. Space Dance   8:21

6. Light Years (bonus track)   15:20

7. Prophesy (bonus track)   9:05

FLAC

RS

MF1 + MF2

or

320

RS

MF

Thanks again to Sherlock I-) for tracking down some LP scans!

Sun Ra - Walt Dickerson Quartet - Impressions of A Patch of Blue (1966)

I remember the date was quite a challenge.  I don't think there was any music there to refer to.  Or if there was, we didn't necessarily follow it.  There was an understanding who would begin each piece and who would solo on it, and so forth.  But that was it.  The album was called Impressions of "A Patch of Blue", and that's what they were -- improvisational impressions.

-Bob Cunningham (CD Liner Notes)

Impressions of a Patch of Blue was the second time Walt Dickerson recorded an album of rearranged movie soundtrack pieces, following his interpretations of material from Lawrence of Arabia. Starring Sidney Poitier, A Patch of Blue was about a star-crossed pair of interracial lovers, with the twist that Elizabeth Hartman's character also happened to be blind. More important to jazz fans, though, is that the album marked one of Sun Ra's extremely rare appearances as a sideman, playing both piano and harpsichord. And he turns in a masterful supporting performance behind Dickerson, putting his own indelible stamp on the proceedings without ever overwhelming them. Witness "Bacon and Eggs," where Dickerson repeats a melodic theme for most of the piece while Ra's unorthodox reharmonizations dance about in the background. Ra's harpsichord also provides some otherworldly cascades that seem to spark Dickerson's sense of freedom, particularly on part two of "A Patch of Blue" and "High Hopes." Dickerson's own playing is most evocative on the two parts of "Alone in the Dark"; during the first, he plays frantic, jittery phrases that mimic the speech patterns of panic, and in the second he favors quick, repetitive figures that fade away like echoes or unanswered calls for help. All of that is indicative of the level of imagination with which the project is carried out, which makes it a shame that Dickerson retired from performing for a full decade following its release, leaving Bobby Hutcherson to become the most important modernist vibes player of the latter half of the '60s. Verve's 1999 CD reissue of Impressions of a Patch of Blue was a very limited edition, so don't dawdle in picking this one up.

AMG Review by Steve Huey

120. [104]  Walt Dickerson Quartet

Impressions of A Patch of Blue

Walt Dickerson (vib); Sun Ra (haprsichord -1; p except -3); Bob Cunningham (b); Roger Blank (tymp -2; d).

Studio recording, NYC,
late 1965 or early 1966

A Patch of Blue -- Part 1 (Goldsmith)
A Patch of Blue -- Part 2 (Goldsmith) -1
Bacon and Eggs (Goldsmith)
High Hopes (Goldsmith -2
Alone in the Park -- Part 1 (Goldsmith) -3
Alone in the Park -- Part 2 (Goldsmith) -1
Selina's Fantasy (Goldsmith) -1
Thataway (Goldsmith) -1

Impressions of A Patch of Blue was issued in 1966 on MGM E 4358 (mono, the stereo version is MGM SE 4358).  It was an interpretation of Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack for the film A Patch of Blue, not the actual film soundtrack.  Allan Chase points out that the session was produced by Tom Wilson, who arrived at MGM/Verve toward the end of 1965 or the beginning of 1966.  Moreover, the movie was not released till well into December 1965.  Impressions was reissued in August 1999 on CD as Verve 314 599 929 [CD].  Sunny plays harpsichord on four of the eight cuts, not celeste as stated on the original release.
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Impressions of A Patch of Blue (CD)
The Walt Dickerson Quartet

1. A Patch of Blue - part 1   1:30
2. A Patch of Blue - part 2   4:38
3. Bacon and Eggs   5:35
4. High Hopes   5:15
5. Alone in the Park - part 1   3:01
6. Alone in the Park - part 2   7:11
7. Selina's Fantasy   4:05
8. Thataway   4:34

FLAC (RS)
FLAC (MF1 + MF2)

or

320 (RS)
320 (MF)

Read a 2007 interview with Walt Dickerson Here.

Again, Many Thanks to I-) for finding some LP scans on the web to share!

The Sun Ra Repatriation Project (excerpt): Kapwani Kiwanga

Kapwani Kiwanga

Kapwani Kiwanga is an artist and filmmaker. Her documentary, video, installation and sound works explore the intimacies of the human condition in relation to historical, social and political forces.

With a varied background in the audiovisual fields Kapwani Kiwanga has produced work for radio, television and the Internet. Kapwani Kiwanga’s work has been shown internationally on television, at film festivals, in galleries and art centres.

In previous works Kapwani Kiwanga has used documentary to explore the interiority of individuals and communities situated on society’s periphery. Bon Voyage (Colour Video, sound, 3', 2004) is a portrait of one woman in her workplace: the toilets of Paris’ Montparnasse train station. Rooted (Colour Video, sound, 24’, 2004) is a documentary that explores identity in contemporary Scotland through the patrons of black hair salons and their clients.

Kiwanga’s interest in social-political issues guides her current exploration of a formal dialogue between; documentary and fiction cinema, performance and installation.

The Sun Ra Repatriation Project was initiated in 2008 and fashions a system of interplanetary communication to ensure Sun Ra’s return home. This video documents the project’s activities. Kapwani travels to the United States and France to meet experts and scientist to help in the endevour. France’s national police create a composite portrait from video testimonies of those who knew Sun Ra. The composite sketch is then sent into deep space on May 16 2009. A radiotelescope in California observes Saturn for any possible extraterrestrial radio transmissions from Sun Ra. Meetings with experts at the Observatoire de Paris and the NASA-associated: Jet Propulsion Lab, articulate the astronomical aspects of the project.

Sun Ra was an American musician, composer, and poet who affirmed his extraterrestrial origin. On May 16, 2009 The Sun Ra Repatriation Project sent a composite portrait of Sun Ra into deep space.

The installation acts as an observation centre in which one awaits a cosmic sign from Sun Ra. The sounds heard in the installation are a mix of three VLF (very low frequency) sources obtained from space in realtime.

A dot matrix printer continuously records the incoming signals while a video in an adjoining room relates the project’s previous activities.

via

Sun Ra and Henry Dumas - The Ark and the Ankh (rec. 1966)

Writer Henry Dumas and Sun Ra forged a close bond in the mid-1960s when they were residing in New York. This collaborative effort centers on commentary by Sun Ra on a number of social, political and historical issues.

Fascinating, lyrical, poetic and dramatic, the outlooks and opinions of Sun Ra remain timely and urgent. The meeting of the educator and the writer yielded an important project that allows the rays from the genius of Sun Ra to glow upon those who listen to the lectures. 

Amazon review

 

Henry Dumas - The Metagenesis of Sunra
(click below to read the story.  Watch it full screen!)