What better stimulus for a Sun Ra concert that the coming of a comet? Particularly one with a projected orbital cycle of 75,000 years. Cosmic mechanics were in place for just such a confluence in December of 1973 when the Arkestra convened at Town Hall in New York City. Kohoutek’s Earth-visible attributes were reportedly less than momentous, but that didn't dishearten Ra from raising a raucous tribute to the evanescent celestial body.
From an annotative perspective, the new edition of this album is at odds with earlier incarnations, but not being all that interested in such matters I didn’t expend too much effort trying to jibe it with its predecessors.* The notes are also strangely devoid of roster information. Instead, they include an essay by Bernard Stollman breaking down the particulars pre- and post-concert. Ronnie Boykins, in what purportedly would be his final Arkestral appearance, experiences some problems with audibility and amplification, but Ra, the horns and percussion come through loud and relatively clear. Regulars like John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Dannys Thompson and Davis, and Eloe Omoe also populate the mid-size version of the band.
Futilely attempting to edify the audience with a slideshow of celestial flora, the unnamed emcee is swiftly heckled off the stage. “Astro Black” juxtaposes June Tyson’s beguiling vocals with bursts of horn cacophony. Parsed in two, the space processional “Discipline 27” ambles through a medley of permutations and solos, the band sounding off like an otherworldly counterpart to a New Orleans second line band. Five minutes into “Part 1” Ra’s mini-Moog cuts through a Kwami Hadi trumpet solo, knobs and dials twiddling to beam down a barrage of oscillating space dust static. Other band members like drummer Bugs Hunter eventually join in and it’s another cavalcade of garrulous instrument collisions culminating in an excoriating altissimo turn from what sounds like Allen on alto.
Sadly, the rendering of the space chant “Enlightenment” isn’t much more than a fragment and a funky take on “Outer Space Employment Agency” burns out in under a minute. But the sprawling title piece accords Ra another opportunity to put his keyboards through a rigorous improvisatory paces, dirtying his palette with metallic swells and abrupt pitch implosions and the occupying the piece’s center with a typically inscrutable cascade of delirious noise that drags on a bit too long for my tastes. “Love in Outer Space” also features some colorful Ra comping on electric keys with Hunter and a chorus of horn players-turned-percussionists building a crenellated wall polyrhythms around their leader on stockpile of implements including the famous Ancient Egyptian Infinity Drum. The disc closes with a rousing and soulful version of “Space is the Place” with more soaring comet keyboard-technics from Ra and Tyson singing the mantra she was born to sing.
Decisions to pick this disc up should probably hinge on how much Ra you have already got in your collection. It’s good representation of the Saturnian’s live shows of the era, but in some cases, as on the commemorative title piece, a little can go a long way.
[*I’ll leave that to the experts like our missing-in-action man in Tejas, Clifford Allen.]
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on September 26, 2006 7:38 PMClifford's take on this will appear at the other place on October 1st.
You'd have thought that they might have gone the distance and printed up a definitive list of personnel, but no (Clifford and I had to search it out on the Web). Another choice example of ESP sloppiness. At least the track titles have been correctly named this time, but the five minute opening rant could and should have been dispensed with. Musically though I've always enjoyed Kohoutek, and (unlike you Derek?) could listen to the divine chaos of a Ra Moog solo for hours.
Good to know, Dan. What’s that they say about the grass is always greener? I figured as much and wanted to beat him to the punch :)
The specs on this session are readily available within a few clicks over at Joe Moudry’s indispensible Saturn Web: http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~moudry/disc_c.htm#61 (though, it seems, with the old track titles still in place). I actually found the opening “lecture” kind of amusing & its positioning makes it easy to skip on subsequent spins. You’re right about that mini-Moog solo, the first stretch is pretty cool, the but final one makes my ears tingle in a most peculiar way. I’m more partial to Ra’s organ opuses, the greatest among them “Atlantis”. There’s some gripping organ work on here too.
Now on to that newly minted Frank Wright Moers set. Does that look sweet, or what?
Posted by: derek at September 27, 2006 3:13 AMYep, those long Ra solos are amongst my all time favorite musical moments.
Some years ago a finaly found one of those Tiger organs. They are very light and sound great. I use it in the Corkestra whenever I don't have to fly.
Cor
"Now on to that newly minted Frank Wright Moers set. Does that look sweet, or what?"
Yeah, who're you reviewing it for?!!
Speaking of sloppily released Sun Ra treasures...Has anyone picked up any of the DVDs on the Transparency label? I bought Volume 3 which has a solo piano bit and then the Arkestra in Montreux & Lugano. The quality of the video is awful. It looks to be someone's fifth generation vhs dub that was taped straight from Italian television - they made no effort to find the master tapes of these things. Suckers. Or, perhaps, I am the sucker.
Posted by: Joel Wanek at September 27, 2006 5:52 AMYep, those long Ra solos are amongst my all time favorite musical moments.
Right on.
Dunno, Dan. Anyone got a lock on it for PT?
Posted by: derek at September 27, 2006 8:07 AMJoel, I owe you a couple of emails, sorry for the silence. Curious if there’s any contact information printed in the packaging of those Transparency dvds? I’ve been trying to get in touch with those folks for the past few months regarding their recent line of cd releases. From what I’ve read, they’re pretty decent from a sonic standpoint and contain mammoth-sized concerts. Any help would be much appreciated. Here’s a rundown of their cd catalog to date:
Sun Ra - Live at Myron’s Ballroom, Los Angeles 1981 [184 minutes]
Sun Ra – Live at the Club Lingerie, Hollywood 1985 [99 minutes]
Rufus Harley – Re-Creation of the Gods, 1972
Derek:
"Newly minted Frank Wright Moers set"? May we have some more details, please? Personnel, recording date, label and number, to be specific!
Thank you.
http://www.espdisk.com/esp4028.html
Posted by: derek at September 27, 2006 12:18 PMOK, thanks Derek. I thought for a wonderful moment you had come up with something as yet unheard.
Posted by: Graham L. Rogers at September 27, 2006 12:34 PMHey, Derek. Got your email today. Thanks very much for that. The only contact info for Transparency appears to be an email: meridianavenue AT yahoo.com
On the topic of Sun Ra rareities, I don't know if you're familiar with dimeadozen.org but its a site where people electronically trade live recordings, radio broadcasts, etc. I've gotten at least 50 or 60 live Sun Ra concerts (and many, many others) from there. Many of them have been excellent quality soundboard recordings or radio broadcasts.
There are often videos up for trade too and there have been some real gems. One memorable Sun Ra is a 1981 performance by the whole Arkestra on David Sanborn's short lived television show, SoundStage. They played two pieces. On the second, Sanborn joins the band and blows his ass off. No joke.
Posted by: Joel Wanek at September 27, 2006 9:17 PMThough I feel the opening rant should've been disposed of, otherwise this is a grade A release. From what I recall, this is a mono recording, but who cares, when the music speaks volumes. Anyone know if ESP has any more Ra tapes in the vaults?
Posted by: Tom Sekowski at September 28, 2006 4:39 PMI got the Wright disc in today's mail, and will be writing it up for the Wire. It's two long tracks by the Center Of The World band, though credited to Wright solo this time out for whatever reason. Smokin' stuff, especially the incredible Silva bass solo during Part 1.
But now I have to go back to the Robert Plant solo-album boxed set from Rhino, which I also received very recently.
Posted by: pdf at September 28, 2006 5:37 PMI'll leave you to the Plant, Phil. I'm tied up with the Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza box.
Love the line in your Pere Ubu piece btw when David Thomas says "If you put our view of the human condition alongside Britney Spears's, one of them is extremely experimental and weird, and it's Ms Spears."
"Good to know, Dan. What’s that they say about the grass is always greener? I figured as much and wanted to beat him to the punch :)"
...as you did for the John Blum, which I was gonna write up here!
The Wright is good, I have a copy from the tapes that I got from a friend a while back. Heavy stuff.
Posted by: clifford at October 2, 2006 6:24 AMZing! Well, the Khan Jamal's still an open target, have at her. We miss you around here, hombre.
Posted by: derek at October 2, 2006 7:06 AMYeah, I was going to write up both this week... you got it!
Super busy, and most of my writing has been assignments from AAJ.
C
Posted by: clifford at October 2, 2006 7:55 AMAs a member of the Arkestra, director of the Sun Ra archives, and music promotions director for ESP-Disk, it was my pleasure to finally correct the song titles of the current reissue of this CD which includes the complete M.C. intro comments previously not available.
Go to espdisk.com for more info.
Posted by: Michael D. Anderson at March 14, 2007 1:39 PM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................