Sun Ra - Out There a Minute (1989)

In today’s instantaneous-information and media-saturated age, it might be difficult to imagine what a revelation it was when Out There a Minute appeared in 1989. Billed as “Sun Ra’s personal selection of rare Arkestra recordings from the late 1960s,” this CD allowed a glimpse into the darkest recesses of Ra’s most obscure period. But in typical Saturnal fashion, the packaging was devoid of liner notes beyond some cryptic Ra poetry leaving any definitive information as to dates and personnel merely inferred or totally unknown. That is until the efforts of Prof. Robert L. Campbell to compile a definitive Sun Ra discography began to circulate on the nascent internet. Thanks to Prof. Campbell (and the small but avid cyber-community of Ra fanatics), one could in the coming years finally piece together the murky history of Sun Ra’s Arkestra and gain an understanding of the material that appears on Out There a Minute. The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra was subsequently published by Cadence Jazz Books in 1994 and a greatly enlarged second edition (which I still need to purchase) was published in 2000.

So, it turns out that Out There a Minute contains several tracks that were later issued on CD in their proper album context on Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, When Angels Speak of Love (Evidence ECD 22216), and Night of the Purple Moon (Atavistic ALP 264) along with two tracks from the still-out-of-print Continuation LP from 1968. I will not consider any of these tracks here except to say that Atavistic needs to reissue Continuation pronto. The remainder of the CD consists of never released recordings, some of which derive from the Choreographer’s Workshop era and therefore fits chronologically into our discussion of these crucial early/mid-sixties sessions.

“Somewhere in Space,” “Dark Clouds with Silver Linings,” and “Journey Outward” were all recorded in 1962 and demonstrate Ra’s evolution from the more swing-based traditionalism of the Chicago era to the experimental, avant-garde music that first appeared on Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow and was perfected on Secrets of the Sun. “Somewhere in Space” is a lumbering two-chord march featuring Art Jenkins on “space voice,” actually wordless, improvisatory singing through an inverted ram’s horn (see Szwed pp.192-193 for the whole story). After a while, the horns enter with a simple, but affecting batch of riffs before each picking up small percussion instruments in support of a string of rather meandering solos: Pat Patrick on baritone saxophone, John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute. “Dark Clouds With Silver Linings” is a more conventional Ra original with a mid-tempo blues structure but with some typically unexpected harmonic twists. Gilmore states the melody and his tenor solos glide effortlessly through the weirdly bop-ish changes. Meanwhile, Ra explores some interesting two-handed counterpoint along with his stabbed comping. The ensemble sounds a little unsure of itself when it enters with the restatement of the theme, which yields some mild inadvertent dissonance before the close. “Journey Outwards” appears to be another early example of the conducted improvisations that would characterize this period’s most important work. It opens with Gilmore on mellifluous bass clarinet over softly mumbling drums. Then Gilmore drops out as the percussion builds into a polyrhythmic African groove. Al Evans enters with some mellow, richly melodic flugelhorn statements and Ra joins in with some angular piano figures before fading out. Very nice.

The title track, “Out There a Minute,” remains somewhat of a discographical mystery. According to Prof. Campbell, it could have been recorded at any time between 1962 and 1964, but to my ears it sounds very similar to the hissy, distant quality and subtly swinging combo feel of 1961’s Bad & Beautiful. In any event, it’s another patented off-kilter blues with some slippery piano work from Ra and a spirited Patrick solo on baritone saxophone. “Other Worlds” jumps ahead to the Magic City (Evidence ECD 22069) sessions of spring 1965, with a larger Arkestra and more aggressively avant-garde approach, but probably not recorded at the Choreographer’s Workshop (for one thing, it’s in stereo). Ra plays a quietly intense introduction on simultaneous piano and bell-like celeste before the Arkestra bursts in with a hard-driving atonal workout. Throughout the piece, Ra’s piano attack is every bit as ferocious as Cecil Taylor’s and the entire 11-piece Arkestra blows hot and heavy, tossing lines around with seemingly wild abandon. But repeated listens reveal a tightly controlled compositional integrity that packs the whollop of John Coltrane’s “Ascension” into a mere four minutes and forty-eight seconds. Incredible stuff. “Jazz and Romantic Sounds” probably dates from about 1969 given Ra’s electronic organ. Also, Gilmore is notably absent, but Marshall Allen and Danny Davis duke it out on alto saxophones while Ra conjures up the “space-age barbeque music” vibe similar to My Brother the Wind Vol. 2.

These never-before-released tracks make Out There a Minute a must-have proposition for the hardcore Sun Ra fan while the whole disc is full of prime cuts and a suitable introduction for the novice. Sadly, the CD is now out print although its widespread distribution means it’s readily available in the secondary market and well worth the effort to track it down. Essential.

Read the entire review at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays

77. [66] Mr. Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Bad and Beautiful /
Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow

Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (fl -1, perc -2); John Gilmore (ts -3, perc -4); Pat Patrick (bars -5, perc -6); Ronnie Boykins (b); John Ore (b -7); Tommy Hunter (d).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC,
November-December 1961

unidentified title 2, 3, 5 [inc]
unidentified title [p, b; inc]
The Bad and the Beautiful
(Previn-Raksin) 1, 3, 5
Ankh (Ra) 3,5
Just in Time (Styne-Comden-Green) 3
Search Light Blues (Ra) 2, 3, 6
Exotic Two (Ra) 2, 4, 6
On the Blue Side (Ra) 5
And This Is My Beloved
(Borodin-Wright-Forrest) 1, 3, 5
Lights on a Satellite (Ra) 3, 5, 7
Kosmos in Blue (Ra) 3, 7

Although all but the last two tracks were sold to Black Lion in December 1971, they were never issued on that label.  Saturn LP 532, Bad and Beautiful, was released in 1972.  All tracks were reissued on Impulse ASD-9276 in 1974 and on Evidence 22038 [CD] in 1992.  Julian Vein (the source for the track-by-track breakdowns) points out that the piano introduction to "The Bad and the Beautiful" has been edited out of all issues.  This was done in early 1972 by Richard Wilkinson while preparing the tape for issue on Saturn: "I took out the intro because the tape was frayed.  Sun Ra complained for years."

The last two tracks were first issued in 1965 on Saturn LP 9956, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, on which the band was billed as "Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra."  This LP was given the catalog number 404 in 1967.  The same two tracks were reissued in 1989 on Blast First BFFP 42 [LP and CD] in Britain, on Restless 71427 [CD], and on Torso 31332 [LP] in the Netherlands.  All tracks from the Saturn album were reissued in 1992 on Evidence 22036 [CD].  "Kosmos in Blue" was abridged on the Saturn release; uncut on Blast First (where it is retitled "Starships and Solar Boats") and Evidence.

Date and location from Phil Schaap.  The Choreographers Workshop, managed by the Variety Arts Company, was located at 414 West 51st Street in New York City.  After their arrival in New York, the Arkestra hooked up with Pat Patrick and drummer Tommy Hunter, who was working at the Workshop at the time.  The Arkestra used the practice rooms on the nights and weekends for three years or more (until they moved all their rehearsals to a room at the Sun Studio on East 3rd Street).  John Gilmore has stated that the sessions at the Workshop began after the Savoy session; Tommy Hunter (who recorded the sessions) confirms 1961 as the date and says that he was present on the tracks with two bassists (not C. Scoby Stroman as stated on the Saturn jacket).  These sessions were made in a room on the third or fourth floor, where the acoustics and the piano were not to Ra's liking.


90. [78]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Out There a Minute

Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (as, fl, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, perc); Ronnie Boykins (b); C. Scoby Stroman (d); Art Jenkins (space voice, perc); Tommy Hunter (perc).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Somewhere in Space (Ra)

Stylistically, this track dates from the same period as Secrets of the Sun.  It may even have come from the same session as "Solar Differentials."


91. [79]  Sun Ra (p.); John Gilmore (ts); Marshall Allen (as); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); C. Scoby Stroman or Tommy Hunter (d).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Dark Clouds with Silver Linings (Ra)

92. [80]  Sun Ra (p.); Al Evans (flg); John Gilmore (bcl); Marshall Allen (mor); prob. Pat Patrick ((bgo); prob. Ronnie Boykins (perc); prob. Tommy Hunter (perc).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Journey Outward (Ra)

93. [81]  Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (as, fl); Danny Davis (as, fl); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b, announcement); Clifford Jarvis (d).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC,
late 1962 to early 1964

Out There a Minute (Ra)

These tracks were first issued in 1989 in Britain on Blast First BFFP 42 [LP and CD], Out There a Minute.  Also on Restless 71427 [CD] in the U.S. and Torso 33132 in the Netherlands.

"Out There a Minute" was also included on a 7" EP Blast First sampler that was packaged with an issue of Chemical Imbalance magazine, and in Blast First BFDJ1-10, a collection of 10 7" 45-rpm singles released in October 1989 and titled Devil's Jukebox.  In this singles collection "Out There a Minute" is on the A side of BFDJ7; the B side is "Third Movement" by Glenn Branca.  Other titles in this set by Head of David, Dinosaur Jr., Band of Susans, The Butthole Surfers, etc. (thanks to Henry Weld for this information).  In 1996, "Out There a Minute" was included in a special CD that collected past offerings from Chemical Imbalance.

Digital samples from the performances on Out There a Minute were used on Blast First BFFP 105, an anthology CD sold by mail order only through Wire magazine in 1994.  The title was Deconstruct, and the CD was advertised as "The Blast First back catalogue folded, spindled and mutilated by Christian Marclay, Disco Inferno, Poss/Stenger, Stock, Hausen & Walkman, Bruce Gilbert, Philip Jeck, John Oswald [the last being the impresario of Plunderphonics]."  Thanks to ct. for information.

108. [94]  Sun Ra (p.); Walter Miller (tp); Marshall Allen (as,  perc); Danny Davis (as, perc); John Gilmore (ts -1, perc); Pat Patrick (bars); Robert Cummings (bcl -1); Ronnie Boykins (b); Tommy Hunter (perc, reverb -1, 3).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1963

When Angels Speak of Love (Ra)
Next Stop Mars (Ra) [ens voc] -1

Saturn LP 1966, When Angels Speak of Love, was released (in mono) in 1966.  All known copies have a red portrait of Sun Ra pulled sideways in a copier to create streaks.  The first edition had this portrait on a gold cover, and a black liner with notes by Natel Juni and a personnel list (thanks to Gilbert Hsiao and Len Bukowski for information on this edition).  The second edition used the same portrait on a white cover but left the back blank.  A cover with a black ameboid figure was advertised in the 1967 Saturn catalog, but no copies with this jacket have yet turned up.  All copies of the album have the red Saturn label, which supports the 1966 release date.  In 1967 the album was given the catalog number 405.  It is not known how many Saturn LPs were pressed, but two lots of 75, for a total of 150, is a good guess.  In 1971 the master tape for at least one side of this album was sold to Black Lion, but it was never issued by that label (according to Julian Vein).  At least side B was originally recorded in stereo.

The two tracks from the second session were reissued (in stereo) on Blast First BFFP 42 [CD] and Restless 71427 [CD] in 1989.  The last 4:40 of "Next Stop Mars" has been edited out on these reissues; Blast First BFFP 42 [LP] and Torso 33132 include only "When Angels Speak of Love."


115. [102]  Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra

Sun Ra (p, e-celeste, bass marimba, tymp -1, sun harp, dragon drum -2, 3); Teddy Nance (tb); Bernard Pettaway (btb); Marshall Allen (as, picc, perc); Danny Davis (as -1, 3); John Gilmore (ts -1, perc -2, 3); Pat Patrick (bars -1; tymp -2); Robert Cummings (bcl -1; perc -2, 3); Ronnie Boykins (b); Jimmy Johnson (d).

New York City, April-May 1965

The Shadow World (Ra) -1
Other Worlds (Ra) -1
Abstract Eye (Ra) -2
Abstract "I" (Ra) -3

Three of these tracks were originally issued on Side B of Saturn LPB 711, The Magic City, in 1966.  In 1967 it was given the catalog number 403.  Later issues on Thoth Intergalactic LPB 711 (black label, c. 1969) and El Saturn LP 403 (1970s).  All titles reissued in 1973 on Impulse AS-9243 and on Evidence 22069 [CD] in 1993.

According to James Jacson, "The Shadow World," "Abstract Eye" and "Abstract 'I'" were recorded at Olatunji's loft in New York City.  However, the Evidence reissue reveals that "The Shadow World" was recorded in mono and the two "Abstracts" in stereo, suggesting at least two different sessions.  A 12" pressing from Variety Recording Services has recently come to light.  According to John Szwed, one side consists of "The Shadow World" and what were then labeled "Abstract Experiment Take 1" and "Abstract Experiment Take 2."  The B side contains three tracks labeled "The Other People's World"; these have not yet been checked.  According to Seth Tisue, Impulse 1973, Impulsivity, was a 2-LP sampler that was circulated to radio stations in 1973.  "Abstract 'I'" was also included in a Sun Ra sampler derived from Evidence and released in 1997 on Japanese Paddle Wheel KICJ 315.

"Other Worlds" has the same personnel and the same sonic ambience as "The Shadow World" (except that it is recorded in stereo).  It was first released in 1989 on Blast First BFFP 42 (UK, LP and CD), Torso 33132 (Netherlands), and Restless 71427 [CD], all titled Out There a Minute.


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, 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, an others (Pete 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.


159. [138]  Sun Ra Arkestra

Out There a Minute

Sun Ra (Farfisa org); Marshall Allen (as solo); Danny Davis (as); Pat Patrick (bars); Clifford Jarvis (d).

Early 1970

Jazz and Romantic Sounds (Ra)

Stylistically this piece resembles those from My Brother the Wind II; personnel identified by rlc.


163. [145]  Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra

The Night of the Purple Moon

Sun Ra (Rocksochord -1; two Mini-Moogs, Rocksichord -2); John Gilmore (ts -3; d -4); Danny Davis (d -3; as -5; fl -6; acl -7; bgo -8); Stafford James (eb except -2).

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, mid-1970

Sun-Earth Rock (Ra) -1, 4, 5
The All of Everything (Ra) -1, 4, 6
Impromptu Festival (Ra) -1, 3
Blue Soul (Ra) -2
Narrative (Ra) -2
Outside the Time Zone (Ra) -2
The Night of the Purple Moon (Ra) -1, 4, 7
A Birds-Eye View of Man's World (Ra) -1, 4, 7
21st Century Romance (Ra) -1, 4, 6
Dance of the Living Image (Ra) -1, 4, 8
Love in Outer Space (Ra) -1, 4, 7, 8
Love in Outer Space [alt.] (Ra) -1, 4, 7, 8

Thoth Intergalactic IR 1972, The Night of the Purple Moon, was released before August 1970 (Victor Schonfield); it had a blue-and-white Thoth label.  The same album also appeared as Saturn LP 522.  Location from Richard Wilkinson.  Personnel from the Saturn jacket, with minor corrections.  According to Michael Fitzgerald, the RMI Rocksichord was first sold in 1970.

The alternate version of "Love in Outer Space" was issued in 1989 on Blast First BFFP 42 (British LP and CD), on Restless 71427 [CD], and on Torso 33132 (Dutch LP), all titled Out There a Minute.  Seth Markow points out that the Blast First version of "Love in Outer Space" differs in pitch from the version listed on the Saturn LP, which seems flat; barring a change in the tuning of the Rocksichord during the session, that suggests that the Saturn needs a speed correction.

According to Richard Wilkinson, this session was made after the two My Brother the Wind sessions.  T.S. Mims Jr. provided financial backing and recruited Stafford James for the occasion.

from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Sun Ra
Out There A Minute
Restless/Blast First 7 71427-2

1.  Love In Outer Space [alternate of the version on NIGHT OF THE PURPLE MOON]   5:02
2.  Somewhere In Space [Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962]   8:08
3.  Dark Clouds With Silver Linings [Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962]   4:53
4.  Jazz And Romantic Sounds [early 1970]   4:41
5.  When Angels Speak Of Love [from WHEN ANGELS SPEAK OF LOVE]   4:25
6.  Cosmo Enticement [edited version of Earth Primitive Earth from CONTINUATION]   3:06
7.  Song Of Tree And Forest [slightly edited version of New Planet from CONTINUATION]   3:08
8.  Other Worlds [NYC, 04/05.1965]   4:51
9.  Journey Outward [Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962]   4:23
10. Lights Of A Satellite [from ART FORMS OF DIMENSIONS TOMORROW]   3:03
11. Starships And Solar Boats [Kosmos In Blue from ART FORMS OF DIMENSIONS TOMORROW]   7:32
12. Out There A Minute [Choreographers Workshop, NYC, late 1962–early 1964]   3:24
13. Next Stop Mars [edited version of the track on from WHEN ANGELS SPEAK OF LOVE]   12:00

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Many Thanks to Mads for offering scans of his European CD.
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2nd Chance: Sun Ra - Cosmic Tones / Art Forms

Of all the outlandish and evocative titles in Sun Ra’s discography, Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy stands out in its audacious, baldly prescriptive claim. But, to be sure, the title is no idle put-on. In fact, Ra had presciently been involved in what would nowadays be known as "music therapy” back in the late-1950s:

[Manager] Alton Abraham arranged through his medical contacts for Sonny to play for a group of patients at a Chicago mental hospital…The group of patients assembled for this early experiment in musical therapy included catatonics and severe schizophrenics, but Sonny approached the job like any other, making no concessions in his music. While he was playing, a woman who it was said had not moved or spoken for years got up from the floor, walked directly to his piano, and cried out, ‘Do you call that music?’ Sonny was delighted with her response and told the story for years afterwards as evidence of the healing powers of music (Szwed, p.92-93).

While the term “music therapy” may conjure up some kind of dulcet, inoffensive, New-Age-y pabulum, the Cosmic Tones marshaled here are anything but easy-listening. Ra practices a kind of electro-shock treatment to the soul, seeking to, as with the catatonic mental patient, “touch the unknown part of the person, awaken the part of them that we’re not able to talk to, the spirit” (Szwed, p. 257). Ra did not consider the Arkestra to be musicians so much as “tone scientists” (Szwed, p. 112) whose investigations and manipulations of musical phenomena could help mankind in its earthly struggles. “People are disturbed and need your help 24 hours a day,” he would lecture the band (quoted in Szwed, p. 374).

People are just like receivers, they’re like speakers, too, like amplifiers. They’re also like instruments because they got a heart that beats and that’s a drum. They’ve got eardrums too, and they some strings in there, so they actually got harps on each side of their head. If you play certain harmonies, these strings will vibrate in people’s ears and touch different nerves in the body. When the proper things are played in each person, these strings will automatically tune themselves properly and then the person will be in tune. There will be no discord, they will be tuned up perfectly, just like each automobile have to be tuned according to what kind of automobile it is. My music does have a vibration somewhere within it that can reach every person in the audience through feeling (quoted in Szwed, p. 345).

Electro-shock treatment is also an appropriate metaphor in that electronic technology was always an important tool in Ra’s medic bag. On Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy, Ra eschews the piano altogether for the mewling whine of the Clavioline (an early keyboard synthesizer) and the swirly Hammond organ. Further, electronic echo is slathered onto the proceedings by recordist/percussionist Tommy “Bugs” Hunter, who had accidentally discovered the effect while fooling around with the Ampex 602 tape recorder he had purchased at a pawn shop in 1962. By plugging in a cable from the output jack into the input on the machine, massive reverberant echo was produced.

(Continue reading at NuVoid's amazing Sun Ra Sundays blog) 

Adventure-Equation

109. [95] Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
Sun Ra (Clavioline, cosmic side drums -1); Bernard Pettaway (btb -1); Marshall Allen (ob); John Gilmore (bcl -1, sky tone drums -2); Robert Cummings (bcl); Pat Patrick (bars -1, fl -2); Danny Davis (fl); James Jacson (fl, log drums); Ronnie Boykins (b -2); Tommy Hunter (perc, reverb); Clifford Jarvis (perc).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, late 1963

And Otherness (Ra) -1
Thither and Yon (Ra) -2

110. [96] Sun Ra (astro space [Hammond B-3] org); Marshall Allen (astro space drums -1); Danny Davis (as -3); John Gilmore (bcd, sky drums -1; sky tone drums -3); Ronnie Boykins (b); James Jacson (log drums -1, 3); Clifford Jarvis (drums -2, 3); Tommy Hunter (reverb -1, 3).

Tip Top Club, Brooklyn, NY, late 1963

Adventure-Equation (Ra) -1
Moon Dance (Ra) -2
Voice of Space (Ra) -3
unidentified titles (unissued)

 Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow tacks on two leftover tracks from 1961’s Bad & Beautiful recording session but mostly consists of a 1962 rehearsal recorded in the basement of the Choreographer’s Workshop where there was a good piano and better acoustics. The sound quality is notably improved even if the source tape for this CD is significantly degraded. More importantly, Ra’s music is clearly moving in a new, exciting direction. Drummer/recordist Tommy Hunter had been recording rehearsals on his Apex reel-to-reel and accidentally discovered the feedback/echo effect that appears here for the first time. So while Bad & Beautiful was a somewhat traditional jazz combo album full of show tunes and semi-conventional Ra originals, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow lives up to its title, moving forward into the kind of experimental avant garde music that would cement Ra’s reputation in the 1960s and 70s while also retaining a connection to the living tradition that would continue to center the Arkestra’s aesthetic throughout its career. To paraphrase Michael Shore’s comment in the liner notes to this Evidence CD, if Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy is a Rosetta Stone, then Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow is Ra beginning to carve it in earnest.

“Cluster of Galaxies” is a brief but portentous opening with its spacey “thunder drums,” “sun harp,” and “spiral percussion gong” all drenched in thick cosmic echo and reverb. Afro-psychedelia starts right here – in 1962! P-Funk mastermind George Clinton once remarked, “[Sun Ra] was definitely out to lunch – the same place I eat at!” (quoted in Szwed, p. 264). Shifting gears, the next track is another remake of “Ankh” which originally appeared in a more florid arrangement in 1956 on the Delmark LP, Sound of Joy and more recently on Bad & Beautiful. This composition was obviously important to Ra and the various renditions are fascinatingly diverse. Here, baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick shares solo space with a rare appearance by Ali Hassan on trombone. The mood is brighter, less ominous than usual with some funky gospel handclaps supporting the lumbering riffs. “Solar Drums” is another brief space-out featuring echoing drums, small percussion, bells and faintly tinkling piano. The hissing feed back ebbs and flows across the sonic landscape, sometimes threatening to overwhelm everything until Tommy Hunter suddenly turns a knob, bringing things back into focus.

(Continue reading at NuVoid's amazing Sun Ra Sundays blog) 

77. [66] Mr. Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow
Sun Ra (p.); John Gilmore (ts -3); Pat Patrick (bars -5); Ronnie Boykins (b); John Ore (b -7); Tommy Hunter (d).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, November-December 1961

Lights on a Satellite (Ra) 3,5,7
Kosmos in Blue (Ra) 3,7

78. [67] Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra
Sun Ra (sun harp, spiral percussion gong); Pat Patrick (thunder drums); Tommy Hunter (thunder drums, reverb).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Cluster of Galaxies (Ra)

79. [ 68] Sun Ra (p.); Ali Hassan [Al Wardlow] (tb); Marshall Allen (as, hand clapping); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); C. Scoby Stroman (d); poss. Tommy Hunter (hand clapping).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Ankh (Ra)

80. [69] Sun Ra (p, sun harp, dragon drum); Marshall Allen (bells); John Gilmore (space drums); Ronnie Boykins (b); C. Scoby Stroman (perc); Tommy Hunter (reverb).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Solar Drums (Ra)

81. [70] Sun Ra (p.); Manny Smith (tp); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (cl); Ronnie Boykins (b).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

The Outer Heavens (Ra)

82. [71] Sun Ra (p.); Clifford Thornton (tp); Marshall Allen (sticks, perc); John Gilmore (dragon drums, bcl); Pat Patrick (perc); Ronnie Boykins (b); Clifford Jarvis (d); Tommy Hunter (reverb).

Choreographers Workshop, NYC, 1962

Infinity of the Universe (Ra)

All info from Campbell / Trent  The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed.

Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
Saturn LP Reissue

1. A1 And Otherness   5:09
2. A2 Thither And Yon   4:02
3. A3 Adventure-Equation   8:28

4. B1 Moon Dance   6:35

5. B2 Voice Of Space   7:44

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Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow
Saturn LP Reissue
1. A1 Cluster Of Galaxies   2:23
2. A2 Ankh   6:08
3. A3 Solar Drums   2:29
4. A4 The Outer Heavens   4:50

5. B1 Infinity of the Universe   7:09
6. B2 Lights on a Satellite   3:11
7. B3 Kosmos in Blue   8:08
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...Evidence CD Two-fer...

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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

RS

HF1 + HF2

Heliocentric Worlds Vol 1
Heliocentric Worlds Vol 2

Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol 2 (1966)

Although the "Vol. 2" in the title insinuates some degree of continuity with its predecessor, this is a bit of a misnomer as the only acknowledged connection with The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 (the volume number only indicating the order in which they were issued). Due in part to the wider exposure and distribution of the ESP label, enthusiasts and critics were unanimous in their recognition of this masterpiece of free jazz -- or, as Ra called it, "space jazz." The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 2 is comprised of three unique compositions: "The Sun Myth," "A House of Beauty," and "Cosmic Chaos." Sun Ra's work with an ensemble often presents a stated emphasis on the percussive nature of solos as well as within the group context. The underlying freeform anti-structure allows defining contrasts that ultimately establish the progressing sonic sculpture. "The Sun Myth" showcases Ra's definitive capabilities to guide his assembled musicians from anywhere within said group. He is heard on this recording initiating improvisational exchanges on tuned bongos -- for a portion of the track -- rather than from his customary keyboards. The resulting interactions include mesmerizing bass solos from Ronnie Boykins as well as some impassioned alto sax work from Marshall Allen. Directly contrasting the works that surround it is "A House of Beauty." The emphasis shifts, juxtaposing Allen's unfettered piccolo solos with Ra on piano and Robert Cumming on bass clarinet. Of particular note here are Ra's achingly lyrical piano runs and chord progressions, which weave between the light percussion beds and the dominant woodwind section. "Cosmic Chaos" is the final and most archetypal of the ensemble works that Ra and his various Arkestras would produce throughout the '60s. The extended piece begins with rush upon rush of aggressive counterpoint, building into unreserved group crescendos that are likewise punctuated by various woodwind soloists.

AMG Review by Lindsay Planer

On The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 2, Ra and his Solar Arkestra stretch out and really explore. Recorded nearly 7 months after its predecessor, with a somewhat different line-up of instruments, Vol. 2 trades Vol. 1's more subdued approach for a generally louder, more extroverted excursion. Things get underway with the mournful, bowed bass and wild, untamed percussion of the nearly 18-minute long The Sun Myth. As the exploration continues, deep piano rumbles and crazy high-end brass swirls in spinning vortices through swells of deeper brass, building to climaxes, falling off into spacious emptiness, forming into rhythmic passages that then dissolve into free form chaos again. Finally the piece eases into deep, organic bass tones, quieter cymbal crashes and slow, mysterious and spacey swells of brass to finish things off. A House of Beauty is the only shorter piece on the album, but still manages to range from a free form beginning of shrieking piccolo and stabbing bass to almost ballad style piano jazz and back again. The nearly 15-minute long Cosmic Chaos is a dazzling free form workout, although this is not totally free form. Under Sun Ra's guidance, the Arkestra were masters of emergent rhythms, tying together explosive freak-outs to quieter solo sections with seductively rhythmic passages. Ra also utilizes reverb effects on this one to create some truly cosmic stretches of sound through the middle, with weird, spacey jangling percussion punctuated with dry and bouncing tuned bongos. Truly cosmic jazz!

from an Aural Innovations dot com Review by Jeff Fitzgerald

These sessions were recorded at a pivotal time for the Arkestra. After Sun Ra moved from Chicago to New York in 1961, his albums became increasingly more dissonant, adventurous, and free, penetrating deeper into the spatial motifs that, by 1964’s Other Planes of There, finally begin abandoning the strong archaic imprint of Ra’s mentor Fletcher Henderson and living up to Ra’s “space jazz” concept. 1965, the year of the Heliocentric Worlds session, was also when Coltrane departed from the quartet and formed larger band not unlike Ra’s, developing a concern for cosmic transcendence, and playing on a more dissonant plane on long free albums such as Ascension and Om. Coltrane helped achieve his new sound with young stars of the free jazz scene like Archie Shepp, Pharaoh Sanders, and Freddie Hubbard, the Arkestra’s new East Village neighbors at the time. Ra, however, didn’t infuse his unit with new blood, but instead created his contemporary sounds with John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and a few more members of his old Chicago cast – pushing together into new galaxies, all the while showing the hip free youngsters that, beneath their wild costumes, theatrics, and unusual concept, the Arkestra could run with the best of ‘em.

Heliocentric Worlds Volume 2 contains the long suites “The Sun Myth” and “Cosmic Chaos” with a shorty, “House of Beauty” stuck in the middle (first song, second side on the LP). The “Sun Myth,” introduced by some sophisticated bowed bass work by Boykin, turns on its head when the bongos and cymbals collide against it in random patterns. As the percussion intensifies, a long series of passages begin that feature exciting solos by Gilmore and Allen. “House of Beauty” is a sparse ugly beauty clearly from another realm whose highlights include Ra’s clavoline and piano, more classically informed bowed bass, and Allen’s piccolo fluttering like a PCP butterfly. After it fades out it descends into the aptly titled “Cosmic Chaos.” This one really moves and winds up with a generous helping of Gilmore in top form - stealing the show with his vast vocabulary of frantic bursts and runs alone and accompanied. Though it’s a bit more erratic and meandering than the other numbers, it’s the one with a big finish.

via

119. 106]  Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra

The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 2

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 Sun Myth (Ra)
A House of Beauty (Ra) [pic, Clav, b only]
Cosmic Chaos (Ra)

Originally issued in 1966 on ESP-Disk' 1017, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra volume 2.  According to Henry Weld, it was also available on ESP 8-track tapes in the 1970s.

There have been many reissues: Fontana STL 5499 (1970s), Base ESPS-1017 (Italy, 1981), Boots 2406 (1982), and on CD, German ZYX ESP 1017 from 1992 and Japanese ESP TKCZ-79116.  Bootleg reissues on Explosive 538.108(French, c. 1970), Happy Bird B 90132 (German 1983, with the title The Sun Myth), and Magic Music 30012 (German CD, 1990, with the same title).  Some tracks bootlegged on French Monkey MY 40 014 (1970s).  According to Mark Webber, a 45-second excerpt from "A House of Beauty" was included as track 16, Side B, on the ESP Sampler, ESP-Disk' 1051, around 1967.

A bootleg LP reissue of Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 2 recently appeared in Italy on Get Back GET 1005.

"The Sun Myth" has been mastered three different ways!  Thanks to Victor Schonfield and Julian Vein for contributing research on this vexed matter.

1) The original release of ESP-Disk' 1017 (mono and stereo) had African singing throughout the piece, mixed as loud as the instrumental parts.  This version had (in mono) "ESP 1017A" and "152" as matrix numbers.  Some copies of 1017B with the 152 suffix were issued with a second version of 1017A (on these no changes were made to Side B, i.e., "A House of Beauty" and "Cosmic Chaos").

[If anyone could share the above version, I would LOVE to hear it!  Thanks, yotte] 

2) The original release was quickly withdrawn, and replaced with a more common variant in which the African voices are mixed way down and can be faintly heard at the beginning and end of "The Sun Myth."  This was marked (in the stereo version) EsPS1017A-A(68), ANM967, and DBH.

3) The final remastering removed the African voices entirely.  James Wolf has found a mono ESP-Disk' pressing with no voices and the matrix indications ESPM1017A-1, ORT-2, and DBH.  The last pressings on the original ESP-Disk' label used this final mastering, as did all subsequent reissues, authorized or bogus, including the German ZYX CD from 1992.

The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 2
(LP Rip)

1. The Sun Myth   17:48
2. A House Of Beauty   4:45

3. Cosmic Chaos   14:49

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The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Volume 2
(CD Rip)

1. The Sun Myth   18:21
2. A House Of Beauty   4:55
3. Cosmic Chaos   15:13

-FLAC-

RS

MF

or

-320-

RS

MF

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

RS

HF1 + HF2

Heliocentric Worlds (Vol 1)

 

Thanks to I-) for scouring the web and sharing the following images!