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Search Result for Artist sun ra
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2CD
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HOL 136CD
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$27.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/26/2024
Born Herman Poole Blount in Alabama during 1914, Sun Ra first emerged on the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. One of the great avant-garde composers of his generation -- leading the way on piano, organ, and (eventually) synthesizer -- beginning in the mid-1950s and lasting until his death in 1993, led the Arkestra, a band through which a near countless number of important artists passed and collaborated with, and many remained for the duration of their careers, notably Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson. Known for their wild costumes and theatrics, Ra's eccentric image and claims that he was from Saturn was deeply political, imagining an alternate social order, history, and future for African Americans that rests as a pioneering force in the Afro-Futurist movement. Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980, comprising an astounding 27 compositions, including the highly celebrated "Astro Black," "Mr. Mystery," "Romance of Two Planets," "Space Is the Place," "We Travel the Spaceways," and "Calling Planet Earth." High among the greatest live gigs by the Arkestra captured on tape, carefully mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio, Live in Rome 1980 is a near perfect snapshot of the band's versatility and range, including many of their most notably and famous songs, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number "Big John's Special," Fletcher Henderson's "Yeah Man!," and "Limehouse Blues," displaying Ra's willingness to address and rework the entire, diverse history of jazz in a single go. Heard in its totality, perhaps what makes Live in Rome 1980 most striking is the way in which the concert plays out. Roughly the first half encounters the band locked in some of the most out-there, free jazz fire that can be imagined, weaving a startling sense of interplay and furious energy into a brilliant tapestry of writhing sonority, the likes of which were only really achieved by this band. The second half, with only moments of exception that return to the furious energy of the first, is a very different affair, easy toward the vocal standards, led by June Tyson's vocals and the joyous collective chanting of the band, for which they have become so widely celebrated, threading the sounds of off-kilter big band swing with heavy grooves and imagines of outer space.
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LP
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ORGM 2110G-LP
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Originally released in 2023. "Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an 'acquired taste,' with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra's grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like 'Time After Time,' 'Easy to Love,' and 'But Not for Me.' Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; 'Can This Be Love?' was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra's longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963. The album was mastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering, and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany."
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3LP BOX
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HOL 136LP
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Born Herman Poole Blount in Alabama during 1914, Sun Ra first emerged on the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. One of the great avant-garde composers of his generation -- leading the way on piano, organ, and (eventually) synthesizer -- beginning in the mid-1950s and lasting until his death in 1993, led the Arkestra, a band through which a near countless number of important artists passed and collaborated with, and many remained for the duration of their careers, notably Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson. Known for their wild costumes and theatrics, Ra's eccentric image and claims that he was from Saturn was deeply political, imagining an alternate social order, history, and future for African Americans that rests as a pioneering force in the Afro-Futurist movement. Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980, comprising an astounding 27 compositions, including the highly celebrated "Astro Black," "Mr. Mystery," "Romance of Two Planets," "Space Is the Place," "We Travel the Spaceways," and "Calling Planet Earth," over six vinyl sides. High among the greatest live gigs by the Arkestra captured on tape, carefully mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio, Live in Rome 1980 is a near perfect snapshot of the band's versatility and range, including many of their most notably and famous songs, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number "Big John's Special," Fletcher Henderson's "Yeah Man!," and "Limehouse Blues," displaying Ra's willingness to address and rework the entire, diverse history of jazz in a single go. Heard in its totality, perhaps what makes Live in Rome 1980 most striking is the way in which the concert plays out. Roughly the first half encounters the band locked in some of the most out-there, free jazz fire that can be imagined, weaving a startling sense of interplay and furious energy into a brilliant tapestry of writhing sonority, the likes of which were only really achieved by this band. The second half, with only moments of exception that return to the furious energy of the first, is a very different affair, easy toward the vocal standards, led by June Tyson's vocals and the joyous collective chanting of the band, for which they have become so widely celebrated, threading the sounds of off-kilter big band swing with heavy grooves and imagines of outer space.
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ORGM 2014G-LP
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Gold-color vinyl. "Sun Ra's Arkestra was at its most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967 - 1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. A must have for any serious avant garde jazz fan."
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SNS 026CD
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Spuren & Gegenworte began with a quasi-telepathic collaboration between Kohei Matsunaga and Ralf Wehowsky. Both recorded a track on May 3, 2021, from 8:00 PM to 8:10 PM. These recordings were subsequently transformed, combined, juxtaposed, and further modified over the course of several months, resulting in the completion of the four pieces on the CD. Spuren & Gegenworte can be translated as "traces and antonyms," opening up a wide range of interpretations. "Traces" may refer to the remnants of the original sounds that have been transformed in the process of reworking, or it can symbolize the cultural and musical influences that can be discerned. "Antonyms" oscillates between contrasting/contradictory and complementary meanings. Of course, other interpretations are also possible. The four titles are indicated as Japanese terms on the cover: 痕跡、対立、変動、補完. They stand for the themes of traces, confrontation, fluctuation, completion.
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R 106LP
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Recital presents a newly unearthed recording of an interview between Sun Ra and composer Charlie Morrow recorded at his New York studio in 1989. This voice-only recording develops more like a kaleidoscopic sermon than any standard interview. Charlie Morrow recalls: "My 1989 Summer Solstice Celebration featured Sun Ra and his Arkestra. On March 29, 1989, ahead of this historical performance, Sun Ra came to New York to plan the performance and do an interview with me in the Charles Morrow Associates studio. There were members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, some of my team, and a photographer present. Once in the sound studio, Sun Ra wanted to record the discussion. What he says is so much more than anyone expected. I pushed record on the tape recorder, which quietly took it all in. What Sun Ra recorded is a breathtaking expression of his feelings and strong convictions, illustrated with personal memories and stories. My few questions to him about the upcoming Solstice and about the sun and his thoughts about a dawn event triggered his mind. He launched into a nonstop journey of ricocheting stories and concepts, climaxing when I started jamming with Sun Ra on conch horn. Our duo drives to a climactic peak with explosive conch breath sounds giving line-by-line affirmations to Sun Ra's points. The 1989 Summer Solstice event brought together Sun Ra and his constellation of musicians and fans with my large-scale gatherings and work with the New Wilderness Foundation. Here in 2023 and beyond, the events live again. Sean McCann of Recital was drawn to Sun Ra's words, which inspired the production of this edition. Sun Ra's words seem to have an even greater resonance in present time. Ra is calling out the turbulence of the bad actions of the righteous and the good actions that an evil man, as he dubs himself, can perform, all the time believing that music has the possibility to bring all humans to a better place." One-time pressing of 425. Includes 12-page booklet with photos and full transcription of interview. Also includes 24"x18" poster of Sun Ra 1989 Solstice performance photograph.
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2LP
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SA 039LP
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2023 restock. "S. Araw "Trio" XI is a new configuration of the Sun Araw band, the live-action collaborative branch of Sun Araw. Over the course of several studio dates in Hollywood, California, 'Trio' players Cameron Stallones, Alex Gray, and Mitchell Brown (with no prior intentions of doing any such thing) successfully planted a garden of 'non-dimensional' objects, not only spontaneously generating these objects but also mastering their nurture and cultivation. And you can too! Gazebo Effect is a 2LP nocturnal stroll into the depths of the garden, its upper lawns and outbuildings. The listener is advised that as the objects have been 'set growing' their location at any given time is difficult to predict. The garden cannot be exited by the path it is entered, the angles involved being extremely precise. These factors (and others) clearly illustrate the value for oneself (and others) in the building of an observational structure: the gazebo. However, it must be understood that the presence of this structure has a transformative effect on the garden itself. In other words, the 'gazebo effect' is a music production system that allows a performance to be obstructed & (thus) interpreted while it is being played. What a savings!"
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LP
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ORGM 2091LP
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2018 release. "Janus is a compilation of rare material from Sun Ra and his Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. The album has been remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany."
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2CD
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CMR 007CD
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"Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's 'Core Collection' as an album that 'will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records.' Jazz in Silhouette is the quintessential record of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago period. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hardbop stage, as his interstellar traveler persona began to transform the band (and the music). It also charts the future, showcasing the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces the iconic playing of Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. This expanded edition includes the complete, contemporaneous "Sound Sun Pleasure," rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks."
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2LP
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CMR 007LP
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LP version. "Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's 'Core Collection' as an album that 'will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records.' Jazz in Silhouette is the quintessential record of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago period. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hardbop stage, as his interstellar traveler persona began to transform the band (and the music). It also charts the future, showcasing the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces the iconic playing of Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. This expanded edition includes the complete, contemporaneous "Sound Sun Pleasure," rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks."
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10"
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PPMTEN 003EP
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"A limited-edition Sun Ra 10-inch EP cut at 45 RPM. Four tracks, two unreleased. Features artwork by Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), lettering by Archer Prewitt. Mastered by Dave Cooley. 'Just Friends': This live recording was only issued on a rare 1982 Saturn album entitled Just Friends. So few copies of 'Just Friends' were pressed, that this track is almost unknown to Ra fans. This is the first reissue of this track in any format. The location and actual date of the recording are unknown. Recorded 1982, location unknown. 'Just Friends': This is a recording made around 1960 of Sun Ra playing organ in his Chicago apartment while softly singing the song 'Just Friends.' It has not been previously issued in any format. Recorded 1960 at home, Chicago. 'Under the Spell of Love': This live recording was also issued on the rare 1982 Saturn album Just Friends. This is the first reissue of this track in any format. As with the title track on side A, the location and actual date of this performance are unknown. Recorded 1982, location unknown. 'Cherokee': This work was composed by Ray Noble. 'Cherokee' was a 1940s big band standard, and was a big hit for Charlie Barnett. It was also recorded by Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Bud Powell, and many others. This is the only known recording of the title by Sun Ra. There is no information about the date, location, or personnel. It sounds like a home rehearsal, and probably dates from the 1970s. It has not been previously issued in any format."
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CD
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CMR 006CD
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"A collection of torrid live club performances at the legendary NYC venue Slugs. Originally released in 1972, these recordings provide an intriguing glimpse of the Arkestra's repertoire and virtuosity towards the end of their first decade in New York. Universe in Blue is a rarity. After-hours music, showcasing Sun Ra's twisted take on the Blues, these recordings brought him to the greater attention of New York jazz writers and helped cement his reputation for audacious showmanship. Ra and his band performed at the famed East Village Slug's almost every Monday night for several years through the late sixties, and took the stage sporadically for several years thereafter. This collection of undated performances from 1970-71 was issued in small-run pressings with two different LP covers on Sun Ra's Saturn label around 1972, but has largely escaped further notice."
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LP
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CMR 006LP
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LP version. Tip-on jacket. "A collection of torrid live club performances at the legendary NYC venue Slugs. Originally released in 1972, these recordings provide an intriguing glimpse of the Arkestra's repertoire and virtuosity towards the end of their first decade in New York. Universe in Blue is a rarity. After-hours music, showcasing Sun Ra's twisted take on the Blues, these recordings brought him to the greater attention of New York jazz writers and helped cement his reputation for audacious showmanship. Ra and his band performed at the famed East Village Slug's almost every Monday night for several years through the late sixties, and took the stage sporadically for several years thereafter. This collection of undated performances from 1970-71 was issued in small-run pressings with two different LP covers on Sun Ra's Saturn label around 1972, but has largely escaped further notice."
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2LP
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IOR 771221LP
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"Forever alterable, young again & freshly strengthened, the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen presents itself on Live at the Babylon the 14-piece Centennial Dream Arkestra at Istanbul's Babylon music club. It is a landing to the spot on the hundredth birthday of its founder, Jack-of-all-trades Sun Ra, kicking off the jubilee tour 2014, which led the band around the globe. The ensemble sparks with a briskness that is testimony to the timelessness and infinity of the mission. The jubilee-concert at the Babylon is an illustration of to the enthusiasm of the brothers Mehmet and Ahmet Uluğ. The tenacious Sun Ra fans indeed made it happen, to bring the Sun Ra Arkestra to Istanbul for the very first time on April 1990. Marshall Allen, Knoel Scott and Elson Nascimento are the eyewitnesses within the Arkestra, who extend the grand moment of Istanbul into this truly amazing recording. Attracted by rhythm layers which reach into each other, the listener gets into the musical cosmos in a quite gentle way, as if sleepwalking. The pieces build upon each other and grow into each other. Microton-sequences oscillate across the entire interplay of compositions, they emerge and dive, change perpetually, as if the tones were alchemical ingredients of a lively and ever more self-generating primeval soup. The merit goes to Marshall Allen, who is tirelessly evaluating and interpreting the immeasurable treasure of the tone-documents Sun Ra left behind. These recordings stem from the never-ending rehearsals in Sun Ra's headquarter, and their musical treasure has never before been unveiled in front of an audience, and also never before been recorded with decent quality. Being reconstructed from the original, compositions such as 'Ra #2' and 'Carefree #2' experience a splendid resurrection, be it in the live concert or on the recording Live at the Babylon. It is a sensation. It is Sun Ra rediscovered."
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7"
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CVSDS 003EP
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In 1961 Sun Ra took off from Chicago -- where he had established the Arkestra, his dedicated ensemble and the vehicle for his mission to better the planet -- and with a scaled-down version of the band he landed in New York. Their first recording session was in Newark in October of that year. The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, recorded for the Savoy label, is a beautiful document of the material they'd honed during a long residency at the Wonder Inn at the end of the Chicago period. Among tracks left in the vault from that day in the studio were these two great ballads sung by Ricky Murray, both of them redolent of the bright popcraft that had long been part of Ra's repertoire, with classic Afrofuturist themes of navigating outer space and altered destiny cloaked in sweet songs with tart arrangements. This 7-inch vinyl single is limited to 1000 copies, with full-color cover including a rare photo of the band with Ricky Murray. Ricky Murray remembers: "We did that at the Wonder Inn, just before going to Montreal. When we played the Wonder Inn didn't have too big a crowd but we were playing like it was a concert! In Montreal, though, we packed them in! College kids from McGill. They thought we were going to play rock 'n' roll, but Sunny said we didn't drive all this was to do that. Sunny said: 'We're going to New York.' So that was it. We had bass fiddle, drums, and about four guys in one vehicle, very tight. Ronnie Boykins' father's car broke down on the bridge on the way into Manhattan. We had an audition at The Five Spot when we first hit New York, another place called the African Room. We stayed at the Hotel Scott, a floor above Chubby Checker's room. Kinda rough when we hit New York, boy! Mean days. We were doing those songs, 'I Struck a Match' and 'Dreamsville,' also 'China Gate' and a few others that Sunny had. We had an audition also at the Village Gate I think. Marshall Allen especially liked playing 'I Struck a Match on the Moon' because he got a chance to light up a cigarette while we were singing."
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4 BOOKS
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CVSD SUNRA
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Limited reprint. Corbett vs. Dempsey announce the release of four books of poetry by Sun Ra. Two of these were pamphlets that accompanied early Sun Ra albums issued in the late 1950s; the other two were published more than a decade later by Infinity Inc./Saturn Research. CvsD's reprints are fastidiously designed facsimiles of the original publications, marking the first time they have been available in their Ra-ordained form since they were published. An architect of Afrofuturism and one of the great musical thinkers of the 20th century, Ra's work extended far beyond jazz and even music to the realms of pageantry, performance, theater, philosophy, visual art, and literature. In the mid-1950s, he handed out leaflets and gave street corner lectures -- revisionist interpretations of the Bible and bold meditations on the status of African Americans in American society. A few years later, Ra began disseminating his poems in -- and sometimes on -- his albums. His debut, Jazz By Sun Ra, was issued in 1957 by the Boston-based Transition label, a short-lived company that sold records by subscription; this record contained a beautiful booklet, now as prized as the LP itself, with rare photographs and a selection of poems and proclamations, as well as the personnel and recording credits. Ra's Jazz In Silhouette was released two years hence on Saturn Records, the label he started with Alton Abraham, and it came with a mimeographed liner booklet -- now exceedingly rare -- that was folded, unstapled, as an ultra-economical accompaniment to the vinyl. The CvsD version folds this slim pamphlet of poetry into a slipcover with a classic photo portrait of Ra by Thomas "Bugs" Hunter on the back. Perhaps Ra's best-known book of poetry, reprinted in many alternative versions with different contents over the years, is The Immeasurable Equation; this incarnation restores the original Infinity Inc./Saturn Research version, published in Chicago in 1972 and distributed widely by the Arkestra, often from the bandstand. It features more than 60 of Ra's poems. Finally, perhaps the rarest of Ra's poetry books is Extensions Out: Immeasurable Equation Vol. II, which was also published by Infinity Inc./Saturn Research. This 8 1/2 x 11 inch book is a massive compendium of more than 130 poems, very much in step with the mimeo poetry publications of its era -- simple staple binding, one-sided pages -- featuring three photographs of artwork by Ayé Aton, a close ally of Ra's in this, the period of the Arkestra classic Space Is The Place, on which Aton plays percussion. Great care was taken to reproduce the special textured cover of this highly sought-after book. These four books are exclusively sold as a set. The first edition is limited to 1000 copies. Corbett vs. Dempsey is proud to represent the non-musical side of the Sun Ra Estate. The label gratefully acknowledges Irwin Chusid and Sun Ra LLC for the permission to release this historically rich chronicle of Ra's poetry, presented as he originally conceived it.
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7"
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ARTYARD 45003EP
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Side B: Sun Ra Quartet featuring John Gilmore's "The Sky Is A Sea Of Darkness When There Is No Sun To Light The Way" is cut at 45rpm (recorded in 1978). The Other Side B: "Somewhere In Space" is cut at 33rpm, alien vocal version (recorded in 1957). Pressed as a heavy weight single 70gram with a picture sleeve.
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CD
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IO 77122CD
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2015 release. "Forever alterable, young again and freshly strengthened, the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen presents itself on Live at the Babylon the 14-piece Centennial Dream Arkestra at Istanbul's Babylon music club. It is a landing to the spot on the hundredth birthday of its founder, jack-of-all-trades Sun Ra, kicking off the jubilee tour 2014, which led the band around the globe. The ensemble sparks off with a briskness that is testimony to the timelessness and infinity of the mission. 100 Years of Sun Ra, 90 Years Sun Ra. The Arkestra performing with an all-star lineup up of Sun Ra alumnis. Istanbul's hot spot, The Babylon Club, supplied the perfect landing field for this intergalactic Space ship. Sun Ra's spirit can be felt every moment."
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CD
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IO 77098CD
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2010 release. "For 55 years, the Sun Ra Arkestra has imperturbably maintained the grand tradition of the legendary big bands of the swing era. But the star-studded cast of the fourteen-piece orchestra is also ready to blast off any time to any sphere of sound, true to their motto 'space is the place'. The Sun Ra Arkestra's steadfast spirit of freedom and creativity, its innovative strength and exuberant enthusiasm inspired about 3,000 listeners at the ZXZW festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands. As 'Artists in Residence', the Arkestra performed on five evenings at the Paradox Music Club from September 15th to 20th. Each of these concerts appeared to be a Big Bang. Live at the Paradox was recorded on the very last evening of this memorable concert series, combining jazz history and immortal myth. Founded in 1954 by piano genius, master composer, arranger and mystic visionary Sun Ra, the Sun Ra Arkestra continues to be an important stimulus and source of inspiration."
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2CD
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CVSD 071CD
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Two certifiable Sun Ra classics refreshed and renewed and rolled into the perfect package. First released on the French label BYG/Actuel in 1971, the companion volumes of The Solar-Myth Approach were essential in introducing Ra's monumental program to an international audience. As with many Arkestra records, the information on these gatefold packages was dubious at best. Here they appear with corrected lineups and dates, showing that the music actually stretches back to the early 1960s, but was assembled into a beautiful chronological mosaic that serves as a gripping survey of early-post-Chicago Ra. It's an ideal way to start listening to his music, and for his fans absolutely essential items in the gargantuan discography. These LPs have been reissued a number of times since BYG/Actuel folded, and with each new batch the fidelity has diminished, so that they've been a pale shadow of the original recordings. For the first time, the sound has been lovingly restored to a previously unimagined level of omniversal fidelity, and one track ("Scene 1 Take 1") that was mastered at the wrong speed on the original -- perhaps a Ra idea, perhaps just a disconnect between the producers and the composer -- has been included as a bonus track remastered at the corrected speed. Packaged in the glorious original LP designs, with a definitive essay by Irwin Chusid, this is The Solar-Myth Approach as it was meant to be experienced.
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2LP
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LQ 009LP
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It was one of the most peculiar landings of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Time: December 7, 1986, Polish People's Republic, still separated from the West by the Iron Curtain. It's a grey and poor twilight of a real socialism era. In three years, the Eastern Bloc would collapse, but what still occupies the minds of Poles now is mostly the martial law imposed by the Pro-Moscow regime in 1981, when the country wanted to free itself from the influence of the Soviet Union. Place: Kalisz, one of the oldest Polish cities dating back to the 10th century, historically connected with the first kings of Poland, grew into a multinational centre with time as not only the Czech Brethren escaping the Habsburg monarchy found refuge here, but also prominent rabbis known across Europe used to operate and expound in the local Jewish community. In the 20th century Kalisz became a provincial city and its presence in the cultural life of Poland was most significantly marked with the International Jazz Piano Festival. It was during the 13th edition of the festival that Sun Ra Arkestra performed. What turned out to be most memorable for the concert-goers was the closing procession of musicians who left the stage to walk around the audience, circle the venue, and return. Researchers of the Sun Ra mysticism recognized such gestures as rituals of passage corresponding to the cosmic cycles of death and resurrection. From a European perspective, Sun Ra's work turns out to be a dream come true for Wagner and Stockhausen. His music brought the myth to life. The myth connecting the past with the future 00 above the unfavorable present -- which created a sphere of freedom. However, Ra used to say that it was not freedom that was at stake here, but precision and discipline.
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ARTYARD CIA100
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2021 repress available in September. Art Yard present a reissue of Sun Ra's The Antique Blacks, originally released in 1974. The vitality you hear on The Antique Blacks is a testament to the unique energy of the community around The Foxhole Cafe in Philadelphia, as Ra honed his unique brand of Afro-futurism through the late '60s and '70s. Cosmic theater, spiritual chants, and experimental electronics make this record an essential document that was ahead of its time. Recorded as a radio broadcast in Philadelphia, according to Dale Williams, The Antique Blacks has a well-defined but oddball structure. Sun Ra was a master architect, very concerned to use the unfolding of an album, a broadcast, or a live performance to create a satisfying structure. "Song No. 1" is a lively, tonal introduction, featuring John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, Sun Ra on roksichord, Dale Williams, then aged 15, on guitar, and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpet. Sun Ra's poetry is featured on "There Is Change In The Air", a track which has on occasion been used for the album title: in its original incarnation as a Saturn LP, there was no dedicated sleeve artwork, and this record appeared under many names. Ra's poetry is allusive, elusive, and paradoxical, and this was its first major appearance on a record. During instrumental passages, Williams's guitar is heard, along with the saxophones of Marshall Allen and Danny Davis. The Antique Blacks is a similar setting for a Sun Ra poem, which encompasses "spiritual men", and Lucifer as a dark angel. The Arkestra is heard in conducted improvisational ensembles, in between the sections of the poem. "This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God" has Arkestral vocals, with John Gilmore's voice in the foreground. Sun Ra's poetic declamations provide the structure for "The Ridiculous I" and "The Cosmos Me", which also has a fine unaccompanied tenor solo by John Gilmore, keyboard improvisations by Sun Ra, and closes with bass clarinet from Eloe Omoe. Sun Ra's keyboards are heard with minimal Arkestra support on "Would I For All That Were" -- a fine synthesizer improvisation, with electric piano left hand accompaniment. Tension is resolved by "Space Is The Place", which rounds the album out in an upbeat mood, with Akh Tal Ebah, James Jackson, and Sun Ra prominent among the vocalists. The closing section includes the chant Sun Ra And His Band From Outer Space, often used at the close of live performances.
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CD
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CMR 005CD
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"One of a number of sessions cut at the Choreographers' Workshop, this 1963 set establishes Sun Ra's Arkestra as a New York band, sonically coupled to developments in the decidedly urbane downtown arts underground. The stargazing clamor of the music reflects the intensity of a cultural crossroads where concrete and dust pervade any skyward view, from East 3rd Street to Mars and beyond. One of Sun Ra's rarest releases, it had negligible circulation through shops. While most of the Saturn output couldn't get any rarer or mysterious than it already was, When Angels Speak of Love was released in 1966, it was the most elusive and mysterious in the Sun Ra catalog. It's speculated that the record was issued in two micro runs, with estimates around 150 copies. Hard core collectors around the world had been searching for this gem to no avail until Evidence Records' released a CD of the music in 2000. This updated offering utilizes the actual master tapes and we get to hear the Arkestra in its cosmic mid-60's prime via mono and stereo fidelity. Features three additional stereo tracks, with liner notes by jazz historian Clifford Allen."
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LP
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AYOOT 002LP
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All the material on Media Dreams comes from live performances from January 1978, when Sun Ra was in Italy with a quartet -- Michael Ray, John Gilmore, and Luqman Ali -- making recordings for Aldo Sinesio and the Horo label. The trip also included concerts in Rome, Milan and elsewhere; these produced enough recorded material for several Saturn albums, including Media Dream. The exact dates are uncertain; all the musicians were present in Rome as early as January 2nd, when they recorded New Steps (1978) for Horo; they were still in Italy on January 23rd, when a concert in Milan resulted in the Saturn LP Disco 3000 (1978) (COSMO 111LP). These recordings, of which Media Dream is a great example, feature an instrument newly added to Sun Ra's arsenal: the Crumar Mainman. It's a rare keyboard, probably made in small numbers by Crumar, which manufactured synths from the late 1960s until 1984. Martin O'Cuthbert also played the Mainman -- he uses it on several recordings from 1979 and 1980: it's described in that context as a "string synthesizer." After that, it seems to disappear from view. It was reportedly the first keyboard to provide preprogrammed beats -- Sun Ra certainly uses that feature on Media Dream. The album opens with Sun Ra building dark organ tonalities at the start of "Saturn Research," creating an ominous barrage in the lower register, while Ali contributes a subdued accompaniment. Ra's is an orchestral concept here, a depiction of an ominous, portentous scene. Unlike some of his other explorations in this musical territory the piece is not developed here into a large-scale structure, but presented as a short sketch, satisfying and complete in itself. Applause separates it from the next track on the album: these are two pieces were clearly played one after the other in concert. As "Constellation" gets under way after the applause, Sun Ra lightens the mood, laying down rhythmic patterns with the Mainman, Ray's is the first musical statement over the top of these. Ra adds other keyboard layers above the rhythm to take the music in a different direction. There's almost a hint of minimalism as performed by others here, but the way Sun Ra bends and deconstructs the mechanical patterns are all his own. In their original context, these Italian concert recordings served to document Sun Ra's musical activity; his music was a cosmic newspaper, he once said.
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12"
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MA 004EP
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Mirae Arts presents Hush Residence, joined by old friends and new comrades from the Kantō underground. C-Kay is co-founder of the Tokyo-based collective Space Baghdad and resident DJ of Constant Value. Saraam is a Tokyo-based sound artist, performer, and DJ under the Constant Value banner. Katsunori Sawa and Damaskin return to Mirae Arts in their usual noisy disguises. Hush Residence is a compilation featuring four experimental techno tracks. Artwork illustration by Sydney-based architect, Patti Bai.
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