Doctor Auratheft (-) Sun Ra Mixtapes Part 3

Otherness (Heliocentric Style) (Volume 4)

 

Spiral Prism Rendez-vous (Volume 5)

download - New Link!!
RS

 

This is the third of five posts, each featuring two of  Dr. Auratheft's Sun Ra mixtapes.  Each mix is offered as 128k web stream and is downloadable at Siebe's AAC 320k upgrades (when available).  Clicking the title above each player will link to the appropriate page on Dr. Auratheft's blog.  Enjoy!

For a couple of years DJ, Historian and Philosopher, Siebe Thissen, who is currently the Public Art Director at Centre for The Arts Rotterdam and holds his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam, hosted a blog that many of you may remember as (-) Dr. Auratheft.  Among his many musical loves, Siebe has a long-time interest (infatuation?) in the music of our favorite Saturnian.  I've enjoyed his Sun Ra mixtures tremendously and with a friend's help was able to collect them all.  I contacted Siebe a couple of months ago and he very generously agreed to comb through his archives and upload 320k upgrades of his original 128k offerings for us to enjoy here at Adventure-Equation.  Incredibly, he even sent an unpublished Ra mixtape for posting here.

Siebe explained that he "started making Ra mixtapes in order to really understand his music as it is not very accessible at first listening. So the tapes are the result of a personal musical-anthropological journey. A lot of people people don't know where to start with Ra. It’s almost impossible to list a ‘best of series’ – you really have got to dig into Ra’s oeuvre.

So I started collecting albums (mainly records borrowed from friends,  CD's and MP3’s found on the web) and started listening carefully to them. Each time I enjoyed a particular track I separated it and stored it in a file. Over the years that file grew (and is still growing) and I started combining selections of tracks into mixtapes. There was an educational aspect: after my discovery of Ra, I wanted to show my circle of friends how amazing and incredible this heritage is and how relevant his music is today.

To update his sound,  I decided not to use the many anarchic-horn-blowing-chaos-tracks. No, I focused on composition instead. And I paid tribute to Ra’s smaller band recordings I like a lot. One of my favorite albums is "God Is More Than Love Ever Can Be" (piano, bass, drums) and I love his piano solo albums. Sun Ra is a mighty composer.

My mixes usually include four ‘Ra styles’: 1) songs, 2) open, slow, free jazz, ‘democratic’ group improvisations, 3) traditionals, 4) piano compositions. So yes, some styles are under represented, like Moog synthesizer improv's and loud group jams. As a fan I think they are interesting and belong to his omniverse, however, as an educator/podcast maker – sharing my love for music with others - I think they contribute less to his greatness."

"There's criticism too. Some people say it's wrong to leave out the noisy, free jazz "chaos parts", since as a listener you need that physical/psychological anxiety to really appreciate the tracks that appear after that noise. Only then you can really appreciate the emerging beauty, crawling out of the chaos and opening up your brain cells. I don't agree. I don't think it is necessary to consider each album a conceptual unity (that's why I never mention in the tracklist from which album a specific track was taken). I do not consider his albums "conceptual unities", however, his total oeuvre forms a unity. I think Ra gives us the freedom to create omniverses ourselves. He shows and sheds light on possible routes – consequently, we have to map our own routes and territories."

There are other folks who think you are not allowed to squeeze Ra into a "Greatest Hits" format. I agree. I never did. That's why I made 10 mixtapes!!! And they are not greatest hits, they are "new albums” – personal interpretations of Ra.  Anyway, no one made Sun Ra mixes before, so why shouldn't I give it try? Or better: I had to. The most beautiful thing is, this music is much more than an oeuvre, the guy represents the music of the 20th century. I consider him a genius."

Ra Diddley? Who In The World Do You Love (1985)

 

Just as soon as I feel like I have a clue about Sun Ra and his music, something like this falls into my lap and I realize that the Ra's Omniverse is L A R G E and he's absolutely impossible to pigeon-hole.  I hope you enjoy this rockin' blues number as much as I.

This is taken from the Arkestra's January 4, 1985 performance in Columbus, OH at Stache's.  Many thanks to Nikos for sharing it at Solar Flares!

Sun Ra - Outer Spaceways Incorporated (1968) - Calling Planet Earth Box CD 1

In 1971, Sun Ra sold a stash of tapes to Alan Bates of the German label, Black Lion, who shortly thereafter issued this album under the title, Pictures of Infinity. A 1994 CD reissue added a previously unreleased bonus track (“Intergalactic Motion”) and all cuts were again reissued in 1998 on the three-CD box set, Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612), but there the album is stupidly re-titled Outer Spaceways Incorporated. I say stupidly because a 1974 album originally titled Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Saturn 14300A+B) was also re-issued in the same box set and inexplicably re-titled Spaceways, thereby creating all kinds of unnecessary discographical confusion. Be that as it may, this album (whatever its title) is drawn from an excellent stereo recording of a live performance in New York City circa. 1968 and provides a rare, hi-fi glimpse of the newly evolving “cosmo drama.”

The Arkestra declaims, “Somewhere There!” and immediately blasts off into full-blown, New Thing-styled energy music, Gilmore taking the lead with an astonishingly fleet tenor solo. Unfortunately, a good half of the track’s fifteen minute duration is taken up with more pointless drum solos by Clifford Jarvis and his hyperactive bass-drum pedal. When the Arkestra finally interjects some aimless space chords and free-jazz squealing and honking, it all seems a bit anticlimactic. Maybe you just had to be there. “Outer Space Incorporated” [sic] opens with some rubato free improv until Ra introduces the bouncy chord progression, taken at a bright tempo. The Arkestra chants the words in increasingly dissonant harmony before brief, quiet solos from piano and bass. The free rubato section returns with braying horns, busy percussion, and cacophonous piano before quickly fading out to modest applause. “Intergalactic Motion,” whose correct title is actually “Ankhnaton,” is a jaunty big-band number that dates back to the 1960 album, Fate in a Pleasant Mood (Saturn 202/Evidence ECD 22068). The composition alternates a hugely catchy riff with a swinging bridge section. Bernard Pettaway and Ali Hassan dominate with dueling trombone solos before giving way to Ra’s nimble piano, where he explores the nooks and crannies of odd harmonic inversions. Boykins and Jarvis provide a solid foundation of joyous swing and Boykins eventually takes over with a typically virtuosic bass solo before the horns return for a ragged reprise to end.

(Continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays)

130. [114]  Sun Ra

Pictures of Infinity /
Outer Spaceways Incorporated [sic]

Sun Ra (p.); Marshall Allen (fl); Clifford Jarvis (d); poss. John Gilmore (d); James Jacson (log drums); Nimrod Hunt (hand drums); poss. Pat Patrick (perc); pos. Danny Davis (perc).

New York City, prob. 1967

          Spontaneous Simplicity

Black Lion 30103, an LP titled Pictures of Infinity, was released in 1971.  It was rereleased in 1994 on CD as Black Lion BLCD 760191, foolishly retitled Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  This CD was reissued in April 1998 under the same misleading title (Freedom CD 741085, part of the three-CD set Calling Planet Earth on Freedom 7612).  This track sounds as though it comes from a different live concert than the rest of the LP -- and special credit is given to Saturn Records for this track on the Black Lion jacket.  James Jacson confirms that not all of this LP came from the same concert, or even the same year (Black Lion gives 1968 as the date for all tracks).  Personnel identified by rlc.

"Spontaneous Simplicity" also appears on Black Lion Jam Session, a two-LP set released in West Germany in 1973 (Intercord 28 431-5 Z/1-2).

147. [130]  Sun Ra

Pictures of Infinity /
Outer Spaceways Incorporated [sic]

Sun Ra (p.); Bernard Pettaway (tb); Ali Hassan (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, perc, voc); Danny Davis (as, fl, acl, perc, voc); poss. Danny Ray Thompson (as, perc); John Gilmore (ts, perc, voc); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, perc, voc); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); Clifford Jarvis (d); unidentified (d); Nimrod Hunt [Carl S. Malone] (hand drums); James Jacson (log drums).

Live, New York City, prob. 1968

          Somewhere There (Ra) [ens voc]
          Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Ra) [ens voc]
          Intergalactic Motion [Ankhnaton] (Ra)
          Saturn (Ra)
          Song of the Sparer (Ra)

Black Lion 30103, Pictures of Infinity, was released in 1971.  All tracks also on Black Lion 28421, Freedom 127015, and Polydor 2460106.  All of the original tracks were also reissued in Japan on Black Lion 32JDB-216 [CD, 1992].  "Intergalactic Motion" is included as a bonus track on Black Lion BLCD760191, issued in 1994, with the incredibly confusing title Outer Spaceways Incorporated.  The CD with bonus track reappeared in April 1998 under the same incorrect title (Freedom 741085) in a three-CD set titled Calling Planet Earth (Freedom 7612).

All five tracks sound as though they came from the same live concert.  The personnel list provided by Black Lion is generic -- it includes two trumpet players even though none are present, and three trombonists (one of them Teddy Nance, who died in 1967).  The second trap drummer is not mentioned.  The presence of Pettaway means that these tracks were recorded before the move to Philadelphia in Fall 1968.  Personnel identified by rlc, using the Black Lion list as a guide.

from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed. Campbell/Trent

Outer Spaceways Incorporated (Freedom 741085)

(Pictures of Infinity)

1. Somewhere There   15:03
2. Outer Spaceways Incorporated   7:09
3. Intergalactic Motion*   9:01
4. Saturn   6:15
5. Song Of The Sparer   4:11
6. Spontaneous Simplicity   7:57

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**The txt files included with the d/ls list incorrect track info (my mistake).  The 6 songs listed above are correct for this CD**
Here is the updated file.

Sun Ra - ESP Radio presented by The Good Doctor part 1

In anticipation and celebration of the imminent release of The Eternal Myth Revealed Vol. 1 (pre-order directly from Transparency [transparency2011@yahoo.com] for an exceptional price)!  The set is expected to ship within the next two weeks and Michael S. seemed very excited about not only the music and narration but also the fit and finish of the book / packaging.  It seems that this will truly be a landmark release for the label and a wonderful opportunity for us to listen as Sun Ra himself guides our tour of his influences and earliest recordings.

Several years ago, Arkestra member and official Sun Ra archivist, Michael D. Anderson "The Good Doctor," enhanced the ESP-Disc website with a 14-hour Sun Ra retrospective.  The Good Doctor, just as what I expect to hear from the forthcoming 14-CD Transparency Release, The Eternal Myth Revealed Vol. 1, presents a timeline of Sun Ra's career featuring both classic releases and unheard nuggets from the Archive.  The tribute is divided into 6 parts, each approximately 2 hours for a total of 14 hours of amazing information and music.  Throughout the broadcasts, Michael D. Anderson relates biographical information about Ra and shares many anecdotes of his time with the Arkestra; I find these are particularly interesting and entertaining.

A few of my favorite moments from these broadcasts have already been featured here.  You might remember Rusty Morgan's "Blame Shame" or the Arkestra's remarkable performances of Universe in Blue and I Roam the Cosmos (if you missed these, rectify!).  There are plenty more incredible rarities peppered throughout these broadcasts so stay tuned as each will be featured here over the next weeks.  Each post will feature the original master tape offered in both FLAC and 320k mp3 as well as an mp3 audio stream of the show.

MANY THANKS to our friend, I-), for sending me these wonderful recordings.

ESP Sun Ra Radio Tribute Part 1

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New Links in Comments!

Part 1 Setlist

1. Introduction by the Good Doctor [Michael Anderson] (0:09)

2. Message to Earthman -- Yochannan with Sun Ra & His Arkestra (master take, no spoken intro) (2:16)

3. The Good Doctor (0:21)

4. "This is my day, a sunny day" (Sun Ra studio recitation over pre-recorded music: live Discipline 27) (4:38)

5. Sun Ra speaking (early history) (7:34)

6. The Good Doctor (intro to Wynonie Harris) (0:14)

7. Dig This Boogie -- Wynonie Harris 19460414 [RLC has March 1946] (2:27)

8. Lightning' Struck the Poorhouse -- Wynonie Harris 19460414 [RLC has March 1946] (2:39)

9. My Baby's Barrelhouse -- Wynonie Harris 19460414 [RLC has March 1946] (2:47)

10. Drinking By Myself -- Wynonie Harris 19460414 [RLC has March 1946] (2:35)

11. The Good Doctor (intro to vocal groups) (1:25)

12. He's Got Her and Gone -- Andrew Tibbs [not in RLC; Ra: prob. arr.] (3:12)

13. Holidays Are Over -- Sax Mallard's Combo [not in RLC] ( Ra: p?, prob. arr.) (3:00)

14. Big Time Baby -- The Dozier Boys & Eugene Wright [GD claims this is a Ra composition] (Ra, p., arr.) (2:16)

15. In a Traveling' Mood -- Andrew Tibbs with the Dozier Boys (Ra, p.) (2:55)

16. In Every Man's Life -- Andrew Tibbs with the Dozier Boys (Ra, p.) (3:27)

17. The Good Doctor (2:27)

18. Deep Purple -- Sun Ra & Stuff Smith [from Evidence "Sound Sun Pleasure!!"] (3:56)

19. Yesterdays [inc.] Sun Ra, p. and solovox & poss. Bill Coleman, tp. (same day as "Deep Purple," between Nov. 1948 and mid-1949) (1:01)

20. Darn That Dream -- Sun Ra, p. and solovox (same day as "Deep Purple," between Nov. 1948 and mid-1949) (5:07)

21. The Good Doctor (2:36)

22. Stop Pretty Baby Stop -- Red Saunders w/Joe Williams, voc. 19510420 (Ra, arr. only) (2:46)

23. Boot 'Em Up -- Red Saunders 19510824 (Ra, arr. only) (2:52)

24. Sugar Bounce -- Red Saunders w/Joe Williams, voc. 19510824 (Ra, arr. only) (2:28)

25. The Good Doctor (1:16)

26. Hambone (1st version) -- Red Saunders 19520118 (Ra, arr. only) (2:32)

27. Zeke'l Zeke'l -- Red Saunders 19520403 (Ra, arr. only) (2:20)

28. The Good Doctor (0:56)

29. Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie -- the Cosmic Rays [from "The Singles"] (2:58)

30. Spaceship Lullabye -- Nu Sounds (1954 or '55) [from "Spaceship Lullabye"] (2:15)

31. "Are you afraid of spaceships? Earth is a spaceship" (Sun Ra studio recitation over pre-recorded music: "Neptune") (1:15) [also on disc 2, track 11, but a bit longer there]

32. The Good Doctor (0:31)

33. The Good Doctor (0:15)

34. Sun Ra speaking ("the most neglected artist in the world") (2:55)

35. Hot Skillet Mama -- Yochannan ["The Singles"] (3:10)

36. The Good Doctor (1:43)

37. Just You Just Me -- jam session, Pershing Ballroom, Chicago, poss. 19560610. Personnel includes Ra, p; Pat Patrick, bs; Gene Ammons, ts; J.J. Johnson, tb (off-mic) (11:27)

38. The Good Doctor (0:59)

39. Bernard Stollman speaking (7:02)

40. Heliocentric [from "Heliocentric" vol. 1] (4:12)

41. "There's music everywhere" (Sun Ra studio recitation over pre-recorded music) (0:43)

42. Outer Nothingness [from "Heliocentric" vol. 1] (7:36)

Sun Ra's Astrological Chart Explained (2008)

Following the momentous appearance of the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen at the Palais Royale in October 2008, local astrologer Julie Simmons ran down the founding father’s chart on morning jazz program, AM/FM with Ron Gaskin, that until recently, broadcast on CKLN FM. With little or no prior knowledge of the man or his music , she nonetheless, hits some solid notes in providing an insight to the enigma that is Sun Ra.

via

d/l

Sun Ra - The Solar-Myth Approach, Vols. 1-2 (1969-71)

The French record label BYG/Actuel was founded in March 1967 by Fernand Boruso, Jean-Luc Young, and Jean Georgakarakos (a/k/a “Karakos”) as an outgrowth of Actuel magazine, an underground arts journal active in the student protest movements of the time. In July, 1969, the Pan-African Arts Festival attracted a number of American musicians to Algiers and photographer and hardcore jazz fan, Jacques Bisceglia was enlisted to attract some of the expatriate Americans to Paris with a promise of paying work and the opportunity to record. A number of studio recordings were made that summer by such luminaries as Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Dave Burrell. The label also planned an Actuel Festival to be held in Paris, but the French government denied them permission given their (tenuous) connection to the riots of 1968. The festival finally occurred in October, 1969 in the Belgian town of Amougies and while it was an economic disaster, the music was excellent and provided further material for the fledgling label. By 1972, BYG/Actuel had released almost fifty LPs documenting the cream of American and European free jazz and experimental musicians, but financial difficulties caused the partnership to disintegrate into acrimonious litigation and eventual bankruptcy. The original albums, with their striking graphic design by Claude Caudron, quickly fell out of print and remain valuable collector’s items today. Accusations of impropriety have tainted the label ever since its dissolution and bootlegged editions of certain titles (including this one) have been widely available over the years, lending credence to these allegations. Georgakarakos went on to found Celluloid while Young started Charly, small record labels with their own reputations for questionable business practices. Nevertheless, in 2002, Charly commissioned Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and journalist Byron Coley to curate Jazzactuel, a three-CD box set of highlights from the BYG era and, for a few years thereafter, legitimate (and, later, not-so-legitimate) reissues of the catalog started appearing on the market. (Currently, the BYG/Actuel label has been seemingly resurrected and is re-releasing titles on LP only, but I haven’t heard any of them.) Ethical issues aside, the music is uniformly wonderful and well worth seeking out.

Sun Ra himself was unable to personally attend the festivities in Europe, but instead compiled two LPs worth of music for the label entitled Solar Myth Approach Volumes 1 and 2, which were released as BYG/Actuel 529.340 and 629.341 in 1972, toward the end of the label’s existence. Consisting of various recordings made between 1967 and 1970, each volume is carefully sequenced to highlight the most avant-garde, experimental and downright trippy elements of the Arkestra’s music while remaining a satisfyingly coherent pair of albums. “Spectrum” sets the mood, opening Volume 1 with thick, dissonant chords that rise and fall over the ominous heartbeat of Ra’s clavinet. Meanwhile, Gilmore blows tightly controlled overtones on tenor with Patrick asserting angular counter-figures on baritone sax. The drummer-less texture sounds more like contemporary classical music than any kind of “jazz” but the following track, “Realm of Lightening,” features clattering clouds of trash-can percussion and blatting trombones over a hypnotic, repeated bass line. Things briefly settle down with a lovely rendition of “The Satellites Are Spinning,” taken at a lugubrious tempo with June Tyson and Gilmore singing in unison over Ra’s rhapsodic clavinet and some softly supportive hand drums. “Legend” is the centerpiece of the album, an astounding ten-minute excursion for straining trombones and frenzied oboes, with Gilmore and Ra engaged in pitched battle, Sonny attacking the clavinet with an unusually Cecil Taylor-ian aggression. “Seen III, Took 4” is another inventive Minimoog solo from 1970. By de-tuning the oscillators and with a call and response form, Ra simulates polyphony on the monophonic instrument, adding creative volume swells, filter and ring modulator effects, and ending with swooning pitch bends. “They’ll Come Back” is a short but tantalizing composition that calls to mind both Bélá Bartok and Duke Ellington with its interlude of fiercely rumbling piano and ringing, childlike celeste before a dramatic full stop and beautifully rendered coda. Volume 1 closes with “Adventures of Bugs Hunter,” which starts out as a groovily choogling number for Ra’s funky clavinet and Boykin’s rock-solid bass. But then Marshall Allen intercedes with some ear-piercing piccolo, in a deliberately contrary key and rhythm, all of which is swathed in Hunter’s patented echo/reverb effect. Far out, man! A perfect ending to an adventurous LP.

Volume 2 is perhaps even more intense, opening with “The Utter Nots,” another minimalist composition for maximalist Arkestra, consisting of an insistent one-note figure interspersed with blasting space chords... (continue reading at NuVoid's Sun Ra Sundays).

These two discs from Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra are not, as their title suggests, parts of a singular or continuous work. They were initially issued as two separate titles -- similar to the two-part Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra -- by the Belgian BYG Actuel label in 1971. Both volumes consist of mid-fidelity and primarily self-realized and -produced recordings. Despite the claim that these sides were taped in New York City at Sun Studios, Ra discographer Robert L. Campbell notes that by the time these tracks were documented, the Arkestra had ended its N.Y.C. residency and returned to Philadelphia. Although this collection may not be the highest priority for potential converts or the uninitiated, there is a tremendous spectrum of sounds from Ra and the Arkestra on these discs. Volume One ranges from the atonal sparseness of the keyboard solo "Seen III Took 4" to the equally intimate ensemble work of "Adventures of Bugs Hunter" -- which in true Ra fashion doesn't even feature the musician. There are also more percussive works such as "Realm of Lightning" -- whose lead instrument sounds like newspaper being struck with pencils. This is augmented with a percussive onslaught featuring several distinct waves of rapid and emphatic timbale-style solos. The performances on Volume Two contain a noticeably heavier and more aggressive sound from the Arkestra. "The Utter Nots" is a classic example of many early-'70s arrangements, which were becoming almost ridiculously arithmetical. The extended work features some inspired and nimble fretwork from Ronnie Boykins (acoustic bass). Also of note are early renderings of "Outer Spaceways, Inc." and "The Satellites Are Spinning." These vocal tracks would be reworked and recycled into Ra's groundbreaking film Space Is the Place. [In 2001, after some years in obscurity, The Solar Myth Approach, Vol 1-2 was issued as a two-CD set for the first time in the domestic U.S.]

AMG Review by Lindsay Planer

Solar-Myth Approach vol. 1

One of Sun Ra's more experimental sets (and that's saying something), 1970's The Solar-Myth Approach, Vol. 1 is an eclectic set of tapes from sessions that date back to 1967 and include some of Sun Ra's earliest experiments with Moog synthesizers (the clatteringly primitive solo "Scene III, Took 4" sounds like it could have come from the very first time he experimented with the machine) and evidence of his increasing interest in dissonance and repetition. For example, the opening "Spectrum" sets various horn and reed players against each other in such a fashion that they sound woozily out of tune, even though they're playing in the same key; like most of the rest of the album, this piece is built on the most minimal compositional skeleton, with little in the way of melodic development or counterpoint. The pieces are also recorded with typically eccentric instrument groupings; most of the ten-minute "Legend" is an extended duet for trombones, and only the rollicking "They'll Come Back" has a typical small-combo lineup. Those who are into Sun Ra's most non-traditional musical ideas should look no further.

AMG Review by Stewart Mason

Solar-Myth Approach vol. 2

Recorded between 1970-1971, The Solar Myth Approach, Vol. 2 is comprised of solo keyboard explorations by Sun Ra, couched in between two free-form workouts by his whole Arkestra. Kicking off the set is the first band workout "The Utter Nots," which, amidst a relentless Afro-percussion backdrop, features a loose mix of fiery and mild statements by most of Ra's main soloists (alto saxophonist Marshall Allan, oboe player James Jackson, tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, et al.). The more frenetic of the two Arkestra features, "Strange Worlds," alternates between full band outbursts and cryptic keyboard and vocal interludes. The high points of the album, though, are Ra's wonderfully strange excursions at the keys. Evoking a child's outer-space play land, Ra produces a dizzying whirl of celestial noises on the Moog synthesizer for "Scene 1, Take 1" while switching the keyboard to harpsichord mode for a hauntingly beautiful meditation of baroque proportions on "Pyramids." The final solo finds Ra running amok over both the piano keyboard and the strings inside, producing a ghostly haze of sound. Balancing out the momentous proceedings are two brief and whimsical numbers, "Ancient Ethiopia" and "Outer Spaceways, Inc.," the last of which includes a pleasant vocal request to join Sun Ra and the Arkestra on a journey to world beyond, an invitation implied throughout the disc.

AMG Review by Stephen Cook

The Solar - Myth Approach Vol. 1 - 2

1.  Spectrum   5:02
2.  Realm Of Lightning   12:24
3.  The Satellites Are Spinning   3:32
4.  Legend   9:56
5.  Seen III, Took 4   3:29
6.  They'll Come Back   3:51
7.  Adventures Of Bugs Hunter   6:38

8.  The Utter Nots   11:23
9.  Outer Spaceways, Inc   1:21
10. Scene 1, Take 1   8:22
11. Pyramids   2:29
12. Interpretation   7:43
13. Ancient Ethiopia   2:49
14. Strange Worlds   8:32

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The Solar - Myth Approach Vol. 1 (LP)

1. Spectrum   5:00
2. Realm of Lightning   12:20
3. The Satellites are Spinning   3:30
4. Legend   9:53
5. Seen III, Took 4   3:29
6. They'll Come Back   3:50
7. Adventures of Bugs Hunter   6:35

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Tapestry of Sound - They Dwell on Other Planes

I hope you enjoy this interesting, improvised performance based on the Sun Ra tune from Blue Delight.

video




from Blue Delight

Doctor Auratheft (-) Sun Ra Mixtapes Part 2

Friendly Galaxies (Volume 2)

Spontaneous Simplicity (Volume 3)

download - New Link!!
RS

 

This is the second of five posts, each featuring two of  Dr. Auratheft's Sun Ra mixtapes.  Each mix is offered as 128k web stream and is downloadable at Siebe's AAC 320k upgrades (when available).  Clicking the title above each player will link to the appropriate page on Dr. Auratheft's blog.  Enjoy!

For a couple of years DJ, Historian and Philosopher, Siebe Thissen, who is currently the Public Art Director at Centre for The Arts Rotterdam and holds his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam, hosted a blog that many of you may remember as (-) Dr. Auratheft.  Among his many musical loves, Siebe has a long-time interest (infatuation?) in the music of our favorite Saturnian.  I've enjoyed his Sun Ra mixtures tremendously and with a friend's help was able to collect them all.  I contacted Siebe a couple of months ago and he very generously agreed to comb through his archives and upload 320k upgrades of his original 128k offerings for us to enjoy here at Adventure-Equation.  Incredibly, he even sent an unpublished Ra mixtape for posting here.

Siebe explained that he "started making Ra mixtapes in order to really understand his music as it is not very accessible at first listening. So the tapes are the result of a personal musical-anthropological journey. A lot of people people don't know where to start with Ra. It’s almost impossible to list a ‘best of series’ – you really have got to dig into Ra’s oeuvre.

So I started collecting albums (mainly records borrowed from friends,  CD's and MP3’s found on the web) and started listening carefully to them. Each time I enjoyed a particular track I separated it and stored it in a file. Over the years that file grew (and is still growing) and I started combining selections of tracks into mixtapes. There was an educational aspect: after my discovery of Ra, I wanted to show my circle of friends how amazing and incredible this heritage is and how relevant his music is today.

To update his sound,  I decided not to use the many anarchic-horn-blowing-chaos-tracks. No, I focused on composition instead. And I paid tribute to Ra’s smaller band recordings I like a lot. One of my favorite albums is "God Is More Than Love Ever Can Be" (piano, bass, drums) and I love his piano solo albums. Sun Ra is a mighty composer.

My mixes usually include four ‘Ra styles’: 1) songs, 2) open, slow, free jazz, ‘democratic’ group improvisations, 3) traditionals, 4) piano compositions. So yes, some styles are under represented, like Moog synthesizer improv's and loud group jams. As a fan I think they are interesting and belong to his omniverse, however, as an educator/podcast maker – sharing my love for music with others - I think they contribute less to his greatness."

"There's criticism too. Some people say it's wrong to leave out the noisy, free jazz "chaos parts", since as a listener you need that physical/psychological anxiety to really appreciate the tracks that appear after that noise. Only then you can really appreciate the emerging beauty, crawling out of the chaos and opening up your brain cells. I don't agree. I don't think it is necessary to consider each album a conceptual unity (that's why I never mention in the tracklist from which album a specific track was taken). I do not consider his albums "conceptual unities", however, his total oeuvre forms a unity. I think Ra gives us the freedom to create omniverses ourselves. He shows and sheds light on possible routes – consequently, we have to map our own routes and territories."

There are other folks who think you are not allowed to squeeze Ra into a "Greatest Hits" format. I agree. I never did. That's why I made 10 mixtapes!!! And they are not greatest hits, they are "new albums” – personal interpretations of Ra.  Anyway, no one made Sun Ra mixes before, so why shouldn't I give it try? Or better: I had to. The most beautiful thing is, this music is much more than an oeuvre, the guy represents the music of the 20th century. I consider him a genius."

Sun Ra - Music from Tomorrows World 1960 (2002)

Driving down Cottage Grove you couldn't miss it, right next to the bank, with glass-brick facade and a sign out front: Wonder Inn.  South of the southeast corner of 75th Street, the club was just a dozen blocks from the busiest jazz intersection on Chicago's south side, 63rd and Cottage.  Advertising for goings on at the Wonder Inn was done mostly word-of-mouth, perhaps augmented by a small ad in the Chicago Defender like the one in late July, 1960, that announced: "Sun Ra and his recording band."

The Wonder Inn was a long tavern, a straight shot back to the restrooms at the rear with a bar stretching along one side and tables on the other.  An odd, baroquely decorated canopy arched over the cramped stage, classic Chicago pressed-tin ceiling above it.  There was music nightly from 10 PM to 4 AM, and for a very long stretch - nobody's sure precisely how long - the house band was Sun Ra and his Arkestra, in a rather economical six-piece incarnation of the ensemble featuring tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, cornetist Phil Cohran plus occasional vocals by Ricky Murray.  For Ra, this was probably the most consistent gig presenting his band since his mid-50s stint at Birdland/Budland.  During much of the run, the group played seven nights a week, rehearsing six hours during the day (first in a big heated space at 47th and Lake Park, then in a converted studio on South Chicago and 75th), then performing six hours per night.  "The music was everything, it was what we lived for," says Cohran.  "That's where I learned the importance of that concept, to dedicate myself to one thing.  And for us, music was the only place we could be happy, unmitigatedly happy."
from the CD notes by John Corbett, Chicago, August 2002

Historical document or musical revelation? Music from Tomorrow’s World, the latest release in Atavistic’s Unheard Music Series, again poses this seemingly eternal, yet pertinent, question. Should live recordings be made available to the listening public, even if the sound quality distorts and obscures the musical content? Many would say no, but in the case of Sun Ra the parameters of the debate change, and for this album the musical content comes across as vivid and exciting—with a little patient listening, of course.

This album catches Ra and his Arkestra live in 1960 during their Chicago tenure. The tunes are grouped into two different sessions. The first session was taken from Ra’s stay at the Wonder Inn, while the second is from an unknown venue called here “Majestic Hall”.

The Wonder Inn cuts capture the Arkestra in transition, and consequently displays many facets of their musical personality. They play three Ra originals and four standards, two of which feature vocals by Ricky Murray. On “Angels and Demons at Play” and “Spontaneous Simplicity” one can almost hear the Arkestra mutating from progressive big band to the bustling, percussion-heavy unit they would evolve into later in the 60s. Both pieces feature Ronnie Boykin’s percussive bass pulses and an exotic variety of percussion textures. Almost more exciting, we get to hear tenor saxophonist John Gilmore stretch out over the funky swing of “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and the bop harmony of “How High the Moon”.

The Majestic Hall sessions contain more distortion than atmosphere, but through the hiss one can still discern Ra’s lush, swinging arrangements and the Arkestra’s deft, disciplined playing. This session contains four unidentified pieces, dubbed here “Majestic 1-4”. “Majestic 1”, a ballad penned by the under-recognized trumpeter Hobart Dotson, drifts along on lost melancholy. Baritone saxophonist Ronald Wilson phrases a gentle, loving solo off the melody. “Majestic 2” shows the flipside of the Arkestra as they burn their way through an energetic, jumping chart. Gilmore shines again, and Wilson reels off a ripping baritone-sax solo. These tracks show that the Arkestra was not only an important innovator, but simply put, one of the most vital big bands jazz has seen.

Music from Tomorrow’s World definitely works as both historical document and musical revelation. The atmosphere of the Wonder Inn clearly manifests itself-cash registers ring, conversations continue and the crowd exhorts the Arkestra forward-but instead of detracting from the music, it adds to the feeling that we are getting a picture from another time, the essence of a forgotten moment recaptured from the past in an audio postcard. And as for the distortion on the Majestic Hall tracks, the previously unheard compositions overcome any technical qualms.
-AllAboutJazz review by Matthew Wuethrich

          Credits via Discogs:

              Alto Saxophone – Gene Easton (tracks: 8 to 17)
              Alto Saxophone, Flute – Marshall Allen
              Artwork [Cover] – Claude Dangerfield
              Baritone Saxophone – Ronald Wilson (tracks: 8 to 17)
              Bass – Ronnie Boykins
              Cornet – Phil Cohran (tracks: 8 to 17)
              Drums – Jon L. Hardy* (tracks: 1 to 7), Robert Barry (2) (tracks: 8 to 17)
              Electric Piano, Percussion – Sun Ra (tracks: 1 to 7)
              Mastered By [Transferred, Restored By] – John McCortney
              Piano – Sun Ra
              Reissue Producer [Production Assistance] – Terri Kapsalis
              Reissue Producer, Liner Notes – John Corbett
              Tenor Saxophone – John Gilmore
              Trumpet – George Hudson (tracks: 1 to 7)
              Vocals – Ricky Murray (tracks: 1 to 7)
              Written-By – Ra* (tracks: 1 to 3, 9, 11 to 14, 16, 17)

Music From Tomorrow's World

Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Chicago 1960

1.  Angels & Demons At Play   3:24
2.  Spontaneous Simplicity   3:12
3.  Space Aura       3:28
4.  S'Wonderful   3:35
5.  It Ain't Necessarily So   4:42
6.  How High The Moon   6:28
7.  China Gate   4:01

8.  Majestic 1   4:30
9.  Ankhnaton       3:56
10. Posession   6:27
11. Tapestry From An Asteroid   2:06
12. Majestic 2   6:05
13. Majestic 3   3:06
14. Majestic 4   6:24
15. Velvet   4:36
16. A Call For All Demons   2:05
17. Interstellar Lo-Way [Introduction]   0:28

Tracks 1-7 - Live at Wonder Inn  Chicago, IL
Tracks 8-17 - The Majestic Hall Session  Chicago, IL

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Sun Ra - Nothing Is... LP and CD (1966) (Released 1969)

 

Sun Ra and his Arkestra issued only a handful of titles on the groundbreaking indie ESP-Disk' label. Each title respectively contains some of their most expressive musical statements to date. The eight cuts on Nothing Is (1970) were documented during live performances at various New York State colleges in the spring of 1966. Ra (piano/clavioline) leads the band through a series of free improvisations and more melodically structured compositions. "Dancing Shadows" evolves out of a chaotic brass and percussive assault with some extended inspired keyboard runs during the opening. These eventually nestle into a charming upbeat slice of extemporaneous post-bop. Front and center beside Ra are Ali Hassan (trombone), Teddy Nance (trombone), Marshall Allen (alto sax/flute/piccolo/oboe), John Gilmore (tenor sax), Pat Patrick (baritone sax/flute), Robert Cummings (baritone clarinet), James Jacson (flute/log drums), Ronnie Boykins (bass/tuba), Clifford Jarvis (drums), and Carl Nimrod (aka Carl S. Malone/Nimrod Hunt) (sun horn/gong). The leader's solos and accompaniment shimmer with many of the same highly advanced effervescent chord progressions incorporated onto early sides such as "Brainville" or "Transitions." Gilmore, Allen and Patrick playfully blend Eastern-flavored intonations along with Jarvis and a second, albeit uncredited, kit drummer. According to Sun Ra scholars, both Jimmy Johnson, Jr. (drums) and Roger Blank (drums) toured at various times during the mid-'60s with the Arkestra. "Imagination" includes a brief recitation followed by a full-blown band improv. This undulates over a fast-paced choral mantra of "the second stop is Jupiter" -- a chant which had also been worked into the waning moments of "Rocket #9." The slithery charm of "Exotic Forest" -- featuring a hypnotic oboe lead from Allen -- excels in allowing the mostly percussive contingency of the Arkestra to organically support Boykins equally entrancing contributions. The short piano solo "Sun Ra and His Band from Outer Space" segues into the last lengthy side, "Shadow World." Patrick streamlines his opening solo around the sonic swirl of Jarvis and Ra. The saxophonist then emerges with an unaccompanied blow that demonstrates his perfection in the context of spontaneity. Allen follows with a solitary oboe that borders on maniacal before eventually settling into a final free for all from the entire band. Nothing Is concludes with a mostly Ra driven "Theme of the Stargazers" which develops into an early version of the "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" and "Next Stop Mars" chants. Caveat emptor: these sides have turned up on numerous repackagings, many of which have been transcribed from poor-grade vinyl. [The 2005 ESP-Disk' contains three added tracks.]

AMG Review by Lindsay Planer

NuVoid's Sun Ra Sunday Review

122. [108]  Sun Ra and his Arkestra

Nothing Is

(Sun Ra (p, Clavioline); Ali Hassan (tb); Teddy Nance (tb); Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc, ob); John Gilmore (ts, perc); Pat Patrick (bars, fl, perc); Robert Cummings (bcl, perc); James Jacson (fl, log drums); Ronnie Boykins (b, tuba); Clifford Jarvis (d); Roger Blank or Jimmy Johnson (d); Carl Nimrod [Carl S. Malone] (sun horn, gong).

Tour of New York State colleges,
early May 1966

ESP-Disk' 1045, Nothing Is,  was released in 1969.  According to Henry Weld, it was also available on 8-Track tape from ESP in the 1970s.

All tracks were reissued on Base ESPS-1045 (Italy, c. 1981), Boots 2416 (1982), German ZYX ESP 1045 [CD, 1992] and Japanese ESP TKCZ-79126 [CD].  There are two German bootleg reissues: Happy Bird B 90130 from 1983 and Magic Music 30013 [CD, 1990], both using the title Dancing Shadows.  Marco Melaragni points out a French bootleg on ESP Explosive 538.106 (c. 1970).

A bootleg LP reissue of Nothing Is came out in Italy on Get Back GET 1007.

"Dancing Shadows" was also reissued in 1983 on a Saturn anthology LP Just Friends (Saturn XI).

Personnel and date from the ESP jacket.  The second trap drummer (according to Tommy Hunter, the Arkestra often worked with two drummers around this time) is clearly audible but not mentioned in the credits; John Gilmore suggested that it might be Roger Blank or Jimmy Johnson.  According to Patty Waters, the tour included SUNY Buffalo and Syracuse University.

The ESP catalog of 1969 listed a fourth Ra album on ESP 1046.  This never materialized.  According to Bernard Stollman, Ra promised, but did not deliver, a concert recording; no tapes ever came into the possession of the label.
from The Earthly Recordings 2nd ed. Campbell/Trent

This was my first Sun Ra album, given to me by a friend in the early 1990s.  Unfortunately, the LP had been improperly cared for during much of it's existence and therefore contains many pops, clicks, and a skip or two.  I did my best to clean it up and the results are satisfactory but not exactly 'audiophile' quality.  I thought it would be nice to offer, simply for those who prefer LP rips; the original track listing might be a listening experience of interest to many, as well.  I've added additional links for Artwork-only for those who might want to mix things up a bit (or already have the music but without the lovely images).

Nothing Is… (LP)
1. Dancing Shadows   9:49
2. Imagination (incl. Second Stop is Jupiter)   1:52
3. Exotic Forest   9:47
4. Sun Ra and his Band from Outer Space / Shadow World   15:50
5. Theme of the Stargazers / Outer Spaceways Incorporated /
 Next Stop Mars   3:04

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LP Images

Nothing Is...  (ESP Disk 2005 CD Re-Release)
1.  Sun Ra & His Band From Outer Space   11:18
2.  The Shadow World   4:30
3.  Theme Of The Stargazers   1:49
4.  Outer Spaceways Incorporated   0:32
5.  Next Stop Mars   0:35
6.  Dancing Shadows   9:45
7.  Imagination   0:41
8.  Second Stop Is Jupiter   1:12
9.  Exotic Forest   9:44
10. Velvet [bonus]   7:21
11. Outer Nothingness [bonus]   15:43
12. We Travel The Spaceways [bonus]   1:31

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CD Images

***Be sure to check the Comments for other editions of this 20th Century Masterpiece***
THANK YOU, Zyxirion!

Phil Cohran on his time with Sun Ra's band (video)

I came across this great interview video by way of ubu roi's recent Phil Cohran post.  He mentions several other videos and links in the comments but this is the only one I've had a chance to watch.  THANKS, Ubu!

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Doctor Auratheft (-) Sun Ra Mixtapes Part 1

For a couple of years DJ, Historian and Philosopher Siebe Thissen, who is currently the Public Art Director at Centre for The Arts Rotterdam and holds his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam, hosted a blog that many of you may remember as (-) Dr. Auratheft.  Among his many musical loves, Siebe has a long-time interest (infatuation?) in the music of our favorite Saturnian.  I've enjoyed his Sun Ra mixtures tremendously and with a friend's help was able to collect them all.  I contacted Siebe a couple of months ago and he very generously agreed to comb through his archives and upload 320k upgrades of his original 128k offerings for us to enjoy here at Adventure-Equation.  Incredibly, he even sent an unpublished Ra mixtape for posting here.

Siebe explained that he "started making Ra mixtapes in order to really understand his music as it is not very accessible at first listening. So the tapes are the result of a personal musical-anthropological journey. A lot of people people don't know where to start with Ra. It’s almost impossible to list a ‘best of series’ – you really have got to dig into Ra’s oeuvre.

So I started collecting albums (mainly records borrowed from friends,  CD's and MP3’s found on the web) and started listening carefully to them. Each time I enjoyed a particular track I separated it and stored it in a file. Over the years that file grew (and is still growing) and I started combining selections of tracks into mixtapes. There was an educational aspect: after my discovery of Ra, I wanted to show my circle of friends how amazing and incredible this heritage is and how relevant his music is today.

To update his sound,  I decided not to use the many anarchic-horn-blowing-chaos-tracks. No, I focused on composition instead. And I paid tribute to Ra’s smaller band recordings I like a lot. One of my favorite albums is "God Is More Than Love Ever Can Be" (piano, bass, drums) and I love his piano solo albums. Sun Ra is a mighty composer.

My mixes usually include four ‘Ra styles’: 1) songs, 2) open, slow, free jazz, ‘democratic’ group improvisations, 3) traditionals, 4) piano compositions. So yes, some styles are under represented, like Moog synthesizer improv's and loud group jams. As a fan I think they are interesting and belong to his omniverse, however, as an educator/podcast maker – sharing my love for music with others - I think they contribute less to his greatness."

"There's criticism too. Some people say it's wrong to leave out the noisy, free jazz "chaos parts", since as a listener you need that physical/psychological anxiety to really appreciate the tracks that appear after that noise. Only then you can really appreciate the emerging beauty, crawling out of the chaos and opening up your brain cells. I don't agree. I don't think it is necessary to consider each album a conceptual unity (that's why I never mention in the tracklist from which album a specific track was taken). I do not consider his albums "conceptual unities", however, his total oeuvre forms a unity. I think Ra gives us the freedom to create omniverses ourselves. He shows and sheds light on possible routes – consequently, we have to map our own routes and territories."

There are other folks who think you are not allowed to squeeze Ra into a "Greatest Hits" format. I agree. I never did. That's why I made 10 mixtapes!!! And they are not greatest hits, they are "new albums” – personal interpretations of Ra.  Anyway, no one made Sun Ra mixes before, so why shouldn't I give it try? Or better: I had to. The most beautiful thing is, this music is much more than an oeuvre, the guy represents the music of the 20th century. I consider him a genius."

This is the first of five posts, each featuring two of  Dr. Auratheft's Sun Ra mixtapes.  I plan on offering web streaming for each at 128k and downloads at Siebe's AAC 320k upgrades (if available).  Clicking the title above each player will link to the appropriate page on Dr. Auratheft's blog.  We will begin with Dr. Auratheft's mix of Sun Ra covers performed by a variety of artists, followed by Mixtape #1 titled "The Saturn Myth-Science Conspiracy."

Infected. Sun Ra Covers and Inspirations

The Saturn Myth-Science Conspiracy

download - New Link!!
RS