Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions - November 1991

In November, 1991, Sun Ra played a string of gigs at the Village Vanguard.  Originally, the band was intended to be listed under John Gilmore's name but at the last minute was renamed Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions.  Recordings from November 13th were released by Rounder in 1992 under the title Sun Ra Sextet At The Village Vanguard.  Thanks to the kindness of our friend, Ritzbird, we can all enjoy two more nights from this run, November 15th and 17th.

If one takes away what he knows, that is the health problems of both Gilmore and Ra, the slowing down of energy due to the passing of time, if one doesn't expect the well known exciting performances of the five decades before, well this is a masterpiece. Everything is cut to the core, the instruments have become voices more than they ever were, and we can feel an intensity that very few artists can achieve after many years of dedication.

Roberto T's reflections on the Rounder Release, Sun Ra Sextet at the Village Vanguard

728. [472]  Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions

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); June Tyson (voc - 1st set only); Jothan Callins (flg - 2nd and 3rd sets only).

The Village Vanguard, NYC,
November 15, 1991

1st set:
Friendly Galaxy (Ra)
unidentified ballad [p with syn]
The Shadow World (Ra)
Ankhnaton (Ra)
Love in Outer Space (Ra)
unidentified ballad [p with syn]
Space Aura (Ra)
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [JG, JT voc]

2nd Set:
Images (Ra)/
Deep Purple (DeRose-Parish)
Retrospect (Ra)
What's New? (Burke-Haggart)
Over the Rainbow (Arlen-Harburg) [syn, p only]/
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [JG voc; ens voc]

3rd Set:
Autumn in New York (Duke-Harburg)
Carefree (Ra)
Out of Nowhere (Green-Heyman)

There is an audience tape, slightly under 90 minutes, of the first set.  A second audience tape includes all three sets.  Date and location from Michael Fitzgerald and Charles Blass; tunes for the first set identified by Fitzgerald and ct; tunes from the second and third sets identified by ct.  According to ct, the two ballads were improvisations.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

730. [474] Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions

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 17, 1991

1st set:
unidentified titles

2nd set:
unidentified titles
Space Aura (Ra) [inc]
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [syn only]

3rd set:
Carefree (Ra)
Lights on a Satellite (Ra)
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [JG voc]
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [JG voc]

According to Charles Blass, there are audience tapes of all three sets (approximately 180 minutes in all).  The second set (from "Space Aura" onward) and third set take up one 90-minute cassette.  (Or are there just two sets?  This was a Sunday night at the Vanguard!)  Tunes identified by ct.  June Tyson may have made a cameo appearance on "We Travel the Spaceways."
from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions
The Village Vanguard, NYC,
November 15, 1991

1.  Friendly Galaxy   10:03
2.  ballad/Shadow World   15:43
3.  Ankhnaton   11:04
4.  Love in Outer Space   9:06
5.  ballad   10:47
6.  Space Aura   9:56
7.  Theme of the Stargazers   3:28
8.  Images   1:33
9.  Deep Purple (tape flip)   13:42
10. Retrospect   16:45
11. What's New (tape flip)   24:22
12. Over the Rainbow   1:18
13. Theme of the Stargazers   4:33
14. Autumn in New York   13:35
15. Carefree   19:07
16. Out of Nowhere (tape flip)   9:45

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Sun Ra and his All-Star Inventions
The Village Vanguard, NYC,
November 17, 1991
MP3 320 kbps

Sun Ra Village Vanguard 17 11 1991 disc 1   1:03:17
     Friendly Galaxy (tape flip)   (0:00 - 29:00)
     Autumn in New York   (29:00 - 43:17)
     Space Aura / piano coda   (43:17 - end)

Sun Ra Village Vanguard 17 11 1991 disc 2   1:08:13
     Carefree (tape flip)  (0:00 - 38:00)
     Lights on a Satellite  (38:00 - 51:35)
     Theme of the Stargazers / We Travel the Spaceways  (51:35 - end)

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I-) broke down the track listing even further for us:

set 1
00:00  synth and piano intro >

02:15  Friendly Galaxy (has tape flip) >
28:49  applause >
29:03  synth and piano intro >
32:19  Autumn In New York >
43:16  applause >
43:18  Space Aura / piano coda >
55:30  bowed bass solo >
58:50  group >
59:13  sax solo (seems to cut in suddenly?) > drums > sax >
62:31  applause >
62:32  synth intro of Theme of the Stargazers >
63:05  applause and announcement

length = 63:17


set 2
00:00  synth intro >
01:46  Carefree (tape flip?) >
33:15  drums >
34:38  group
37:47  applause
38:00  synth intro >
38:51  Lights On a Satellite (40:58 = dead air) >
51:28  applause
51:36  synth intro >
52:07  Theme of the Stargazers >
56:56  vocals (john gilmore)
57:55  group and closing vocals
58:43  applause and announcements >
59:36  synth intro >
60:14  We Travel the Spaceways (with vocals)
67:46  applause and announcements

length = 68:13

Sun Ra - Destination Unknown (1992)

“Destination Unknown finds Sun Ra unbowed in spirit and still incisive on piano and synthesizer. The band is exuberant, romping through show tunes and moonwalks." Recorded in 1992 in Switzerland, this was Sun Ra’s last recording on this planet.
-The Jazzloft

Recorded late in Sun Ra's life in concert, this version of the Arkestra was a good one, but far from the band who could make worlds quake in its presence. Featuring Michael Ray, Marshall Allen, Buster Smith, Ahmed Abdullah, Bruce Edwards, and a few others, these 11 men took the music to the people with the usual impeccable arrangements, but without the improvisational fire that was indicative of Ra's band at its zenith. The program of ten tracks, about an hour in length, features well-known Arkestra favorites such as "Theme of the Stargazers," "Calling Planet Earth," "Interstellar Lo-Ways," and "Echoes of the Future," as well as the closer, "We Travel the Spaceways," and the standard nuggets "Prelude to a Kiss" and "S'Wonderful," along with Will Hudson's "Hocus Pocus." The feel is there, but the fire isn't; the groove is in place, but the fierceness of attack is absent; the playing is impeccable, but the chaotic edge has been rounded. There is certainly much to enjoy here if one is listening in a vacuum, but if one has to compare, as one can and should in a line of musical and historical continuity -- especially the one Sun Ra provided so willingly and insistently -- this album pales.
-AMG Review by Thom Jurek

739. [482]  Sun Ra and his Omniverse Arkestra

Destination Unknown

Sun Ra (p, syn); Ahmed Abdullah (tp, voc); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Tyrone Hill (tb, voc); Marshall Allen (as, fl, cowbell); James Jacson (bsn, fl, Inf-d, cowbell, voc); Bruce Edwards (eg); Jothan Callins (eb); Earl "Buster" Smith (d, announcement); Stanley Morgan [Atakatune] (cga); Elson Dos Santos Nascimento (surdo grande, perc).

Moonwalker Club, Aarburg, Switzerland,
March 29, 1992

Carefree (Ra)
Untitled (Echoes of the Future) (Ra)
Prelude to a Kiss (Ellington) [MR, AA voc]
Hocus Pocus (Hudson)
Theme of the Stargazers (Ra) [ens voc]
Interstellar Lo-Ways (Ra)
Calling Planet Earth
[Destination Unknown] (Ra) [ens voc]
[The] Satellites Are Scanning
[Spinning] (Ra) [ens voc]
'S Wonderful (Gershwin-Gershwin)
[Space Is the Place/]
We Travel the Spaceways (Ra) [ens voc]

Enja 7071, Destination Unknown, was released on CD in 1992.  There is also a Japanese CD issue, Enja CRCJ-1017.  All information from the CD leaflet.  Some of the titles are in error; corrections by Ralph Pleshar and rlc.  Also, Marshall Allen is incorrectly credited with a vocal.  The CD appears to consist of one complete set (or nearly so).

Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Phish performs 'Carefree' in Atlanta, April 26, 1994


'Carefree' from Destination Unknown

Destination Unknown (1992)
Sun Ra and his Omniverse Arkestra
Enja 7071 [CD]

1.  Carefree   10:19
2.  Untitled (Echoes Of The Future)   6:24
3.  Prelude To A Kiss   6:50
4.  Hocus Pokus   2:55
5.  Theme Of The Stargazers   6:08
6.  Interstellar Lo-Ways   4:40
7.  Calling Planet Earth   5:41
8.  Satellites Are Scanning   3:31
9.  S'Wonderful   4:56
10. We Travel The Spaceways   4:45

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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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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Purple Night (1990)

Sun Ra's purple night is not only a great album, it is one of Sun Ra's Best, right up there with Heliocentric worlds, Space is the Place, and A Night in East Berlin. It is composed and it isn't. A track like track 3, Love in Outer Space is done as a straight song, but those harmonic touches only Sun Ra could add make it enchanting. A track like track 2 (Friendly Galaxy), on the other hand, is only based off a single bass line: A2, D2,C2,F2, played over and over as eighths (to give you an idea), and what the "arkestra" does with it, how it increases tension or not, and their self-interaction, it makes it a perfect and classic free jazz track. Everything you could ever want in an avant-garde jazz album, Purple Night is as good as it gets.
Amazon reader review

Friendly Galaxy

The album was the second in a short-term recording deal with major label A&M Records, who had a "Modern Masters Jazz Series" imprint going at the time. Sun Ra's profile had risen considerably in recent years, partially because of the support given to the master in interviews by avant-garde alternative rock band Sonic Youth around that time, who had both named him as an influence and opened shows for Ra and his Arkestra.

The album was recorded in one marathon session at BMG Studios in New York City, using a 22-piece group that included several Arkestra members or veterans, including three drummers and two bass players (one on upright bass and another on electric bass), plus fellow free jazz musician Don Cherry, who contributed his trademark pocket trumpet work. During the session, Cherry sat at the right of Ra and his piano.

Seven tracks were used for the Purple Night album; the remainder of the master multi-track tapes were given to Sun Ra and his manager Alton Abraham for future release on their own after the A&M deal concluded; much of these recordings were released three years later by Rounder Records on the album Somewhere Else, released shortly before Sun Ra's death. Currently the Purple Night album is out of print and the copyright on the original album is still believed to be held by A&M's current owner, Universal Music.
Wikipedia

At its best, Sun Ra's orchestra on this CD uses a simple repetitive riff as a basis for lengthy performances that vary dynamics and build up gradually in intensity. At its worst (the 19-minute "Of Invisible Theme"), the ensemble rambles on aimlessly, almost as if were creating a sound effects record. Unfortunately their versions of "Love in Outer Space" and "Stars Fell On Alabama" are quite silly with the former featuring a "glee club" vocal while the latter displays Ra's lack of a singing voice. Another minus is the sudden mood change during an otherwise lyrical piano-bass duet on "Journey Towards the Stars" caused by a surprise entrance from Marshall Allen's out-of-tune alto. Cornetist Don Cherry (always muted), James Spaulding on flute and alto, John Gilmore on tenor and trombonist Julian Priester get some solo space but most impressive is John Ore's busy and versatile bass playing and Ra's frequently Monk-ish piano. However the minuses easily outweigh the good points on this disc.
AMG Review by Scott Yanow

Mr. Yanow was certainly NOT in tune with the cosmos when he wrote this review, was he?!

639. [421]  Sun Ra

Purple Night /
Somewhere Else

Sun Ra (p, syn, voc); Don Cherry (pocket tp); Fred Adams (tp); Michael Ray (tp, voc); Ahmed Abdullah (tp, voc); Jothan Callins (tp); Al Evans (tp, flg); Tyrone Hill (tb); Julian Priester (tb); James Spaulding (as, fl); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, timb, voc); Reynold Scott (bars, fl); James Jacson (bsn, Inf-d); Rollo Radford (eb); John Ore (b); Earl C. "Buster" Smith (d); Samarai Celestial (d); Thomas "Bugs" Hunter (d); Elson Nascimento (surdo grande, perc); Jorge Silva (repinique, perc); June Tyson (voc, vln).

BMG Studios, NYC, mid-November 1989

A&M 75021 5324, titled Purple Night, was released on CD in 1990.  Rounder 3036 [CD], Somewhere Else, was released in 1993; there is also a German release on Zensor 136 [CD].  All information from the CD liner notes; Thomas Hunter is misrendered "Thomas Henderson" on both, and Callins' name is misspelled Collins.  The Rounder CD consists of outtakes from the two A&M sessions.
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.  Campbell / Trent

Purple Night (1990)

1. Journey Towards Stars   3:48
2. Friendly Galaxy   7:48
3. Love In Outer Space   7:18
4. Stars Fell On Alabama   10:33
5. Of Invisible Them   19:14
6. Neverness   13:19
7. Purple Night Blues   4:04

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Related Releases:

Blue Delight

Somewhere Else

2nd Chance: Continuation

Originally released in 1970, Continuation contains a handful of experimental small group tracks recorded at the Sun Studio in 1968 along with two tracks with the full Arkestra recorded live at The East in Brooklyn, New York in 1969.

Side A begins with “Biosphere Blues,” a typically spaced-out blues, taken at a relaxed, almost somnambulant tempo. Interestingly, John Gilmore is probably playing drums on this home recording. After Ra’s piano introduction, Wayne Harris takes a nice solo on trumpet, his tone is warm and mellow, his note choices exquisite. Next up, Ali Hassan takes a single tasteful chorus on trombone. Then, Pat Patrick jumps in with an incongruously aggressive solo on baritone saxophone before giving way to Ra’s jaunty piano. A swelling space chord ends the piece with an odd dissonance. “Intergalaxtic Research” sounds as every bit as alien and forbidding as its title. Robert Barry plays the booming “lightning drum” with James Jacson on log drum and other unidentified percussionists who construct throbbing, asymmetrical cross-rhythms while Art Jenkins does his bit on space voice. Ra twiddles with his space organ and clavinet like a mad scientist, emitting random blasts of noisy timbres, dense, lurching chords, or rapidly spinning constellations of notes. This is a wonderfully strange piece.

The presence of Tommy Hunter and his echo-echo-echo machine on “Earth Primitive Earth” and “New Planet” makes me think these tracks were recorded prior to 1968. In fact, the overall ambience (and massively increased hiss) sounds like some of the Choreographer’s Workshop recordings (but this might just be wishful thinking). Both pieces pit Ra’s echoing piano against a skittering flute choir. On “Earth Primitive Earth,” Hunter plays some kind of metal scraper quite near the microphone, making for an unsettling, spooky atmosphere. “New Planet” takes the echo thing to a whole other level and Robert Cummings turns in another spectacular solo on bass clarinet (I am really starting to appreciate what a great player Cummings is on that most difficult and unwieldy instrument). Incidentally, both of these tracks appeared on the 1989 compilation CD, Out There a Minute (Blast First), although “Earth Primitive Earth” was slightly edited and re-titled “Cosmo Enticement” and “New Planet” was re-titled “Song of Tree and Forest,” presumably at the request of Sun Ra himself.

Side B contains the nearly continuous nineteen-minute live concert segment from 1969, and it’s a corker. “Continuation To” opens with the Arkestra already in full flight over sultry African percussion but Ra soon takes over with a roiling piano solo, full of booming left hand chords and scampering right hand clusters. After bringing things back down a bit, Akh Tal Ebah extemporizes on trumpet while Ra hints at ballad forms and hand percussion gurgles nervously in the background. Suddenly Ra produces a bouncy, repetitive figure and bass and drums join in for some good, old fashioned swinging. Ebah, a newcomer to the band since Sun Ra’s relocation to Philadelphia in the fall of 1968, manages to hold his own amidst the shifting musical landscapes and things really start to heat up when the Arkestra enters with big angular space chords, full of wiry clarinets and blatting trombones. But just as Boykins begins to solo, the track cuts off. “Jupiter Festival” picks up with the end of Boykins’s bass solo and he quickly moves to the fast walking to introduce “Second Stop is Jupiter.” Ra joins in and the Arkestra chants, climaxing with “all out for Jupiter!” A massive space chord erupts which melts into manic group improvisation. Gilmore emerges from the din with a lengthy, super-intense tenor saxophone solo, full of “sheets-of-sound” flurries of notes, heroically over-blown honks and squeals, and impossible multi-register leaps. Sun Ra prods things along with more furious piano, conducting brief entrances and exits of musicians while Gilmore continues to wail. The music finally simmers down a bit with the various horns exhaustedly sighing and moaning but with Boykins agitatedly scraping away with the bow. At one point, there is a tense, held note before the return of the busy piano figures after which screaming clarinets provide contrast against some sweetly melodious alto sax and rippling brass, with Jarvis propulsively pounding away in free rhythm. This deliciously complex texture continues on for some minutes before abruptly cutting off. Argh!

Nevertheless, Continuation is another fascinating album from a fertile, if spottily documented, period in Ra’s career and well worth hearing.

Review from NuVoid, home of Sun Ra Sundays.

Biosphere Blues

149. [132]  Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra

Continuation

Sun Ra (p.); Wayne Harris (tp); Ali Hassan [Al Wardlow] (tb); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); poss. John Gilmore (d).

Sun Studio, NYC, 1968

Biosphere Blues (Ra)

The collective personnel on the Saturn jacket gives Wayne Harris and Akh Tal Ebah as the trumpet players and Ali Hassan as the trombonist (Danny Thompson is not sure who the trumpet player on this track was).  Harris and Hassan were there during the late New York period; Ebah was not.  No bass  player is credited on Saturn, but it sounds like Boykins.


150. [133]  Sun Ra (space org [Gibson Kalamazoo org]; galactone space instrument [Hohner Clavinet]; prob. Robert Barry (lightning drum); James Jacson (log drum, perc); unidentified (perc); Art Jenkins (space voice, perc).

Sun Studio, NYC, 1968

Intergalaxtic Research (Ra)

Personnel from the Saturn jacket, except Art Jenkins, whose presence was pointed out by Jacson.


151. [134]  Sun Ra (p innards, sun harp, gong -1; p -2); Marshall Allen (picc -1; Jupiterian fl -2); Danny Davis (strings -1; fl -2); Robert Cummings (bcl -2); prob. John Gilmore (bells -1); poss. Tommy Hunter (scraper, perc -1; reverb).

Sun Studio, NYC, around 1968

Earth Primitive Earth (Ra) -1
New Planet (Ra) -2

Both tracks also released in 1989 on British LP and CD Blast First BFFP 42, Out There a Minute, and on Restless 71427 [CD] and Torso 33132 [LP].  On these releases, the titles were changed from "Earth Primitive Earth" to "Cosmo Enticement" (this was also edited and is shorter on the Blast First releases than on Saturn) and from "New Planet" to "Song of Tree and Forest" (slightly edited on Blast First).

"Cosmo Enticement" also appeared under that title on David Toop's "ambient" compilation Ocean of Sound, a two-CD set released by Virgin in 1995.  Other tracks on this anthology include an excerpt from Peter Brötzmann's "Machine Gun," along with pieces by Brian Eno, David Toop with John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Erik Satie, and others (Peter Gianakopoulos).

Hunter is not credited on the Saturn jacket but his trademark reverb indicates that he was at least engineering the session.  Continuation is normally dated 1968-1969, but on stylistic grounds an earlier date is possible for these tracks.

Jupiter Festival

152. [135]  Sun Ra (p.); Akh Tal Ebah [Doug E. Williams] (tp, mell); poss. Charles Stephens (tb); Marshall Allen (as); Danny Davis (as, acl); John Gilmore (ts, cl); Danny Ray Thompson (as, libf); Pat Patrick (bars, cl); Ronnie Boykins (b); poss. Clifford Jarvis (d); Carl Nimrod [Carl S. Malone] (space drum); James Jacson (log drum); unidentified (perc).

The East, Brooklyn, NY, 1969

Continuation To (Ra)
Jupiter Festival (Ra)

Saturn ESR 520, Continuation, was issued in 1970.  Matrix numbers: ESR37363NP (Side A) and ESR29691 (Side B).  Both tracks were recorded at the same live concert.

The collective personnel from the original Saturn jacket was used as a guide.  Robert Barry is credited with drums, but the drummer sounds more like Clifford Jarvis.  No clarinets are credited; it is possible that Robert Cummings was present on clarinet as well.  Akh Tal Ebah is credited with playing trumpet, and his mellophone can be  heard in the ensembles.  If Ebah (who joined after the move to Philadelphia) is on trumpet, then the trombonist cannot be Ali Hassan as stated on the jacket.  Bass player is also uncredited but sounds like Boykins.  According to Danny Ray Thompson, the Neptunian libflecto was a modified bassoon constructed by Marshall Allen.  It came in two models, one with a saxophone mouthpiece, the other with a French horn mouthpiece.  Thompson has a recollection ("not 100 percent") of performing this piece at The East. 
From Campbell / Trent The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Please enjoy another Saturn rarity LP rip complements of our friend, Paul W.

Continuation (1970)

Side A:
Biosphere Blues   5:07
Intergaxtic Research   8:14
Earth Primitive Earth   3:15
New Planet   3:09
Side B:
Continuation To   8:42
Jupiter Festival   11:08

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China Gate

Our good friend, I-), entranced by the melancholy tones of Ra's 1961 classic, decided to do a little research on the the arc of this mid-century pop tune.  He was kind enough to share his thoughts and findings with us below.

Ever since first hearing it years ago on 'The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra' album, I have always had a 'thing' for 'China Gates'.  The melancholy vocals by Ricky Murray, the orientally-keyed piano, those percussive effects that sound like a light breeze rippling beaded curtains and glass wind chimes...  it evokes that imagery for me.  Seeing two non-Arkestra associated names - Young and Adamson - credited with the authorship, was always a puzzler.  If you think about it, this is kind of strange for Sun Ra, as he did not perform that many works written by others.

China Gates - The Futuristic Worlds of Sun Ra

China Gate (live) - Music From Tomorrows World

'China Gates' has a rather interesting and at times a seemingly 'odd' story.  For one, the correct title is 'China Gate'.  Victor Young, the composer of the piece, was a well-known composer and arranger for Hollywood movie scores.  'China Gate' was the last score that he composed, and it was for the 1957 film 'China Gate'.  He passed away before finishing the movie score, and Max Steiner finished it.  Harold Adamson wrote the lyrics to fit the rather intriguing musical theme.  The film, directed by Samuel Fuller, stars Gene Barry, Angie Dickinson, Nat 'King' Cole, and Lee Van Cleef.  Barry and Cole are Korean War vets, now in the French Foreign Legion and taking part in the first Indochina War.  Angie Dickinson plays the love interest and Lee Van Cleef is the commander of an ammunition dump that they are planning to blow up.  The song appears twice in the film.  In the first instance, Nat 'King' Cole sings 'China Gate' as he walks through a bombed out village back to his group.  This short video includes those scenes from the movie (approx. 18:33 to 20:32 in the movie).

The second time the song is heard is when he sings the song at the end of film (at approx. 92:24 to 94:51 with the reprise until 95:08).  The song is used as a theme through out the movie.

The movie trailer gives you some idea of what the movie is about.  The person who posted that trailer has replaced the original audio with the Nat 'King' Cole version  of 'China Gate'.  Another video of 'China Gate' incorporates 'gately' imagery more appropriate to the song.  it is also more complete, in that the ending does not have the announcement that the version used for the movie trailer does have.  Both of those versions of 'China Gate' are taken from the album release.

'China Gate' (2:46) next appears on the b-side of 'When Rock and Roll Come to Trinidad.'  The single, Capitol Records F3702, was released in 1957.  'China Gate' is credited as being from the film of the same name and features the music of the well-known composer and conductor Nelson Riddle. 

'The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra' was recorded at the Medallion studio in Newark, New Jersey on October 10, 1961, four years after the movie was released.  Included on the album is that wonderfully evocative version of 'China Gates,' the title slightly misspelled but properly credited.  Its inclusion on the album does raise the question - where did Sun Ra hear it first?  Did he see the 'China Gate' film?  or did he hear the Nat 'King' Cole single?  The version here seems to be closer to the movie version than the single release.  There is a slight lyrics change.  In the second verse, although the word is 'dreams,' it sounds like Ricky Murray sings 'moons.'

china gate, china gate, china gate, china gate
many moons and many hearts you separate.

like two arms
open wide
some you welcome in and some must stay outside.

bowl of rice
bitter tea
is this all the good earth has to offer me?

will i find
peace of mind?
does my true love wait behind the china gate?

china gate, china gate, china gate.

 

The Nat 'King' Cole album 'To the Ends of the Earth' includes 'China Gate.'  Released in the mid 1960s in Europe on the Emidisc label, the album is a 'greatest hits' collection of songs performed by Cole.  'China Gate' is listed as being from 1965. 

In 1965, the Nat 'King' Cole album 'Nat 'King' Cole Sings his Songs from Cat Ballou and Other Motion Pictures' is released on the Capitol label (ST 2340) in the USA, and on the EMI label in Europe.  The album includes 'China Gate'.

Pianist Ramsey Lewis is the next one to perform this song, releasing it on several albums.  In 1966, he released 'The Movie Album.' 

The album is on the Cadet label (lps 782), a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago.  'China Gate' from that album is also released as a single (2:43), Cadet Records 5565, with 'Saturday Night at the Movies' as the B-side.  

One can listen to it here:

In 1967, Lord Cody and the Corlalites release their album 'Sail Out' (Elite Records (10) ñ LPOES 19).  This calypso style 'China Gate' (3:14) appears on side 2 as the third track.

A few years later, in 1972, the double LP album 'Inside Ramsey Lewis' is released as Cadet 2ca-60018 (now part of GRT) in the USA.

In Canada it is released as Cadet Records 9035-60018.  'China Gate' (2:43) is the opening track on the album.

The Ramsey Lewis version of 'China Gate' (2:36) also appears on a two CD compilation made in 1998.  Produced by the Belgian radio station 'Radio Donna', the release is entitled 'Popcorn Oldies:  The Great Singers' (paradiso PA 25 536).
  

In 1979, 'China Gate' gets recorded again, this time by the reggae group Guardian Angel.  It is released in the UK as the A-side of a single on the Laser Records label (LAS 5 T), with 'Gerrard Street' as the B-side.   'Gerrard Street' is a dub version of the 'China Gate' single.

 

In 1979, their version appears on the album 'Reggae Fever' (WEA 58 076) on side 2 as track 2 'China Gate' (3:07).

Guardian Angel re-releases 'China Gate' as an extended play 12 inch single, backed by the extended dub version of 'Gerrard Street'.  This appears on the Matumbi label (MM 7001).

 

Towards the end of 'Gerrard Street' is a short segment featuring a squeaky door.  One gets the unmistakable feeling that they had listened to at least some Sun Ra.

The most recent appearance of 'China Gate', sung by Nat 'King' Cole, is in 2006.  It appears on the 11 CD German release (Bear Family Records BCD 16342 KL) entitled:  'Stardust: The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959.'

For what seems to be a rather obscure song, it certainly has been around.
If you are interested in the film, there is a version to be found here (AVI):

RS1 + RS2 + RS3 + RS4
Many Thanks to an unknown ripper!
I-)

Bonus!

An anonymous visitor was kind enough to direct us to another rendition of China Gate performed by a band with which I am not familiar, Cul de Sac.

From Wikipedia:

Cul de Sac are a rock music group formed in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts and led by guitarist Glenn Jones. Their music is primarily instrumental. Jones and keyboardist Robin Amos have been the only constant members.

They have been classified by some as post rock, but Jones has expressed some discomfort with the term. He states that Cul de Sac is the most "musically satisfying" group he's been involved with; a group that is the "closest to being the band I'd dreamed of forming. It allows me to combine my love of open-tuned guitar, played fingerstyle, with my love for electronics and noise, all placed within a rhythmic rock framework."[1] Jones occasionally plays "The Contraption," a prepared lap steel guitar.

Cul de Sac have collaborated with guitarist John Fahey and with Can singer Damo Suzuki.

Glenn Jones has also recorded three solo albums, This Is the Wind That Blows It Out (2004), Against Which the Sea Continually Beats (2007), Barbecue Bob in Fishtown (2009), and The Wanting (2011).

Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol 3 (1966 rel. 2005)

This previously unreleased recording is taken from the record session for Heliocentric Worlds Volume II, on November 16, 1965, at the RLA Studios in New York City.  Lost for over 35 ears, it has now been found by the Good Doctor, who brought it to ESP.  Deterioration of a portion of the tape required the deletion of about one minute of music, but you won't notice it. 
During this period, Sun Ra joined other ESP artists on a six concert tour of New york State colleges.  Sun Ra kept all of the tapes, except for NOTHING IS, ESP 1045, which he delivered to ESP.
From the CD Liner Notes

Volume 3, subtitled “The Lost Tapes” offers material not previously available in any of ESP-Disk’s earlier incarnations. The centerpiece is a seventeen-minute episodic adventure that cycles through solo segments for Gilmore, Patrick and Allen, each in intense and exemplary form backed only by Ra, Boykins and Blank in various combinations. Eruptions of layered horn polyphony bracket the fulminating improvisations. Mid-piece the energy folds into a splenetic two-fisted improvisation from Ra as the horns circle in for a final rocket-fueled blowout and reverie-structured coda. The remaining four tracks form a microcosm of interests. The moody percussion thicket of “Mythology Metamorphosis,” serves as a return vehicle for Ra’s tuned bongos and marimba. Allen’s nasalized oboe and a strong pizzicato undercarriage by Boykins flesh the piece further. “Heliocentric Worlds” and “World Worlds” arrive like outtakes from an earlier 60s Arkestra album (say Fate in a Pleasant Mood or The Nubians of Plutonia) with structured themes and solos threaded by the horns and the Ra’s bright acoustic and electric chords between washes of cymbal-heavy percussion. “Interplanetary Travelers” employs Ra’s various keyboards as the cynosure of a grand, if brief, saturnalia of dissonant horn voicings and thickly boiling interplay. 

via Dusted Reviews

The recording opens with a sparse "Intercosmosis, where John Gilmore shapes his boat-horn of a tenor around around some abstraction. Sun Ra and bassist Ronnie Boykins enter with a repeated line that further highlights the energy. Pat Patrick's baritone enters, and he and Gilmore twist solos around each other.

The percussion-laden "Mythology Metamorphosis features a brief bit of Marshall Allen's snake-charming alto before Boykins' solo takes it home. The three remaining pieces, each clocking in around five minutes, hint at Ra's elusive live performances. "Heliocentric Worlds has him switching from piano to one of his early electric keyboards, as does "World Worlds, where he does an alternating hands electric/acoustic combination. The final "Interplanetary Travelers" has an all-too-brief Sun Ra energy jam.
By MARK CORROTO,
Published: May 21, 2005
All About Jazz

119. [106]  Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra

Sun Ra (Clavioline, p, tuned bgos); Walter Miller (tp); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars, fl); Robert Cummings (bcl); Ronnie Boykins (b); Roger Blank (d, perc).

RLA Sound Studios, NYC,
November 16, 1965

The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 3 - The Lost Tapes
Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra

1. Intercosmosis   17:03
2. Mythology Metamorphosis   4:15
3. Heliocentric Worlds   4:16
4. World Worlds   5:07
5. Interplanetary Travelers   5:06

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In 2010 ESP Disk' reissued all three Heliocentric Worlds volumes in a single 3-CD package.  The reissue includes several photos, critical writings, and the 1968 documentary "Spaceways."

Heliocentric Bonus Material

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HF1 + HF2

Heliocentric Worlds Vol 1
Heliocentric Worlds Vol 2

Sun Ra Summer Solstice Radio Show

Sun Ra on the radio is always always always a wonderful experience.  Join me in listening to WWOZ tomorrow(ish).  According to my watch, 10 PM CST = GMT -5