Search & Destroy: Sun Ra

that said ... BUY IT

― the late great

thanks - will get on board. probably a fairly safe introduction to Sun Ra... which the Singles collection is not. it's all over the place (in a good way!!).

it's not really going to help you understand why people think sun ra is special but it's a great set of transitional bop/cool into post-bop/modal jazz and very accessible AND it's an awesome price, i paid at least 10 bucks for each of those

!

http://fromnowherehere.blogspot.com/2013/03/esp-sun-ra-radio-tribute-14-hrs-in-6.html

Well now. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Thanks for posting that!

I started listening to this today and it's been excellent so far. Thanks!

he's the subject of toady's jazz profiles on wkcr. heard the Sound of Joy album which was great. i didn't realize he started playing electric piano in 1956.

Who knows which album has the weird jaunty acoustic version of "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" on it?

which jaunty acoustic version?

idk. but if you haven't heard the paris tapes 1971, you should check it out. the untitled synthesizer solo that closes it is so amazing. it really does sound like it is following an extraterrestrial musical logic that we are only on the cusp of comprehending. in general, his keyboard playing on that is top notch... how it kind of intervenes in the midst of the performance and does its own thing, that is less recognizable as "jazz" or "music" than what the other players are doing.

It's a version of the "Outer spaceways" from "space is the place" but with only acoustic guitar and maybe some keyboards, clavi/moog type things that sound like guitars, and sombre sounding vocals.

I cant remember which album, but it's a studio one, and the rest of it isn't related to "space is the place".

I meant 'wonky', not 'jaunty'.

There is a very mellow and stripped down version on Solar Myth Approach disc 2 with the only instrumentation some distant bassoon-ish sounds and Ra's funky rocksichord electric piano.

That's the one thanks. allmusic says it's only 1:21, doesn't sound right/fair. Any recommendations for more similar melancholy/sombre ra tracks?

Sleeping Beauty from the album of the same name is a 12:00 minute long space lullaby! And some of his very best stuff, IMO. It is from the late 70s. It features the whole Arkestra and the whole album is very lush, down tempo and sleepy sounding. Very aptly named and with very good/clean high fidelity sound quality. Still pretty "out" at times but in a nice calm way that doesn't disturb the overall mood. Sunny plays Fender Rhodes on this album and the singers do a lot of humming and whisper-singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpYa_HW_GxI

That's just what I needed, thanks for sharing.

Anymore?

yeah that's a great album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBNTfXfJhhs

Sleeping Beauty is awesome, thanks. I'm also loving the On Jupiter album.

Agreed, On Jupiter is tons of fun! Ditto Strange Celestial Roads and Languidity from the same era and which have the same funky/groovy aesthetic.

yeah this was a great period for Ra, maybe my favorite

Just got Continuation, which I'd put up there with Strange Strings or Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy -- utterly unclassifiable, and absurdly ahead of its time.

There's a period I'd still like to know the extents of from late 70s tol early 80s when they're doing liquid electric space jazz stuff. My introduction to the band was through Strange Celestial Road which my brother got as a review copy when he was at Birmingham University. Think that was the copy I wound up with though it may have been a different one prompted by my liking his copy.
Period includes Lanquididty, Sleeping Beauty, possibly Disco 3000 and a few others.
I love that stuff to bits.
Is Cosmos as good?

& to repeat a question I asked a while back, is there a critical discography of his work anywhere. Book form or website. Would love to know what was what at a glance.
I need to hear more by him & probably always will. He can be a tad addictive.

most authoritative written work about Ra is surely the Szwed book?

which includes a discography, although I don't think he has details on every single release (dunno if such a thing is even really possible, is there actually someone out there that's heard everything?)

cosmos is the best of that period imo

There was a nice pictorial spread of Sun Ra album covers in an issue of wax poetics years ago, I think. But not complete and not much critical review iirc.

I think when I first asked the question re critical discography I'd just looked up the era I'd really enjoyed and seen that he'd covered it all in about a page or two. Certainly far less in depth than I was looking for.
Subsequently wondered what else there had been written about the music the band had performed.

Search: The Antique Blacks
― Xochipilli, Friday, May 11, 2007 5:22 PM (6 years ago)

YES

definitely, been giving that and Sleeping Beauty a lot of play lately.

what else has that weird funky fusion thing you get on e.g. Antique Blacks or Lanquidity?

the beginning of atlantis

strange celestial roads, night of the purple moon

those are more in the vein of antique blacks, less so lanquidity. but ra has a soul jazz sort of vibe going in all three

On Jupiter

Xp Sleeping Beauty is incredible. I love how beloved Sun Ra is on this board.

Picked up The Paris Tapes on your recommendation, Treeship. That synth solo at the end is brilliant!

and just listened to Black Myth...is Eloe Omoe using some kind of a Varitone or something? Sounds like he's got some kind of octave-doubler dealie happening.

"Disco 3000" is pretty great

I enjoy it a lot, altho as must have been pointed out here before, there is nothing remotely disco about ti

if you like disco 3000 you should check out media dream - it's from the same italian tour

playing synth in a Sun Ra cover show later this month, stoked!

xp glad you like the paris tapes tarfumes! i still play that one in my car sometimes. a really memorable disc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfikmy7koTs&list=PL1R8_DCS7cN9zRPIWaGoVV21gTJxqfvPY&feature=player_detailpage#t=370

Sun Ra Arkestra: Angels And Demons At Play - San Francisco, 8/3/13

marshall lights into the wind synth @ 6:00

I can't believe I missed this show. I'm not likely to see them, ever.

I am apprehensive about trying to d/l all this

but there is a bunch of shit in there that I want and cannot otherwise get

fuuUUUUUCK.

I'm kind of surprised no one tried to do a "complete Saturn recordings" box, but hey, too late now.

also Steveolend to thread:

re: is there a critical discography of his work anywhere. Book form or website. Would love to know what was what at a glance.
apparently there's this. I haven't read it.

http://artistcamp.rebeat.com/store/sun-ra/afternoon-tunes/4053166846872/cover.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zI1Ub0G.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mmPJNBl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IY8Q4Ik.jpg