Ankh om a minute… this is amazing! The CDs (it’s a double-disc feature) arrived yesterday. I’m listening to it now for the first time. I have to say that I’m finding it mind-blowingly wonderful.
There’s a lot here that falls into areas Inwas hoping for and expecting. And I already knew a bit about Sun Ra; I’ve seen several films about him (inc Space Is The Place), and have a few of his albums. But even so, there’s plenty that surprises.
The first real surprise is the doo-wop track, ‘Dreaming’, on disc one. I really wasn’t expecting anything like that! But, given Sun Ra’s hugely diverse and prolific output, he could be said to embody the phrase ‘expect the unexpected.’
Disc 1:
01. Sun Ra And His Myth- Science Arkestra- Calling Planet Earth
02. Sun Ra- Sun Song
03. The Cosmic Rays With Sun Ra And The Arkestra - Dreaming
04. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - India
05. Sun Ra And His Myth- Science Arkestra - Space Loneliness
06. Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra - Love In Outer Space
07. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Adventure Equation
08. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Spontaneous Simplicity
09. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Brazilian Sun
10. Sun Ra Quartet - When There Is No Sun
11. Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra - My Brother The Wind
12. Sun Ra And His Astro Arkestra - Mystery, Mr. Ra
13. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Black Sky And Blue Moon
14. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Watusa
15. The Sun Ra Arkestra - The World Of Africa
16. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - Cluster Of Galaxies
17. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - Strange Worlds (Live in France)
18. Sun Ra And His Blue Universe Arkestra - Blackman
Disc 2:
01. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - Twilight
02. Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra - Sleeping Beauty
03. Sun Ra - Moog Solo (Live in France)
04. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - They Plan To Leave
05. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - Reflects Motion (Part 1)
06. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - Children Of The Sun
07. Sun Ra And His Myth-Science Arkestra - We Travel The Spaceways
08. Sun Ra And His Arkestra -Astro Black (Live in Zurich)
09. Sun Ra And His Mythic Science Arkestra - Somebody Else’s idea (Live in Paris)
10. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - I Roam The Cosmos
11. Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - On Jupiter
12. Sun Ra - There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)
13. Sun Ra And His Interglactic Arkestra - The All Of Everything
14. Sun Ra - Enlightenment
15. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - Make Another Mistake
16. Sun Ra And His Arkestra - Space Is The Place (Live in France)
What Gilles Peterson has done, as well as curate the terrific selection of incredible music, is to ‘mix it’, somewhat like a DJ (which he is, of course). So that the tracks run into each other in places. There’s a really good flow to it all. No mean feat, considering Sun Ra and co venture way off the map, voyaging across their idiosyncratic musical universe.
The whole crazy mystic schtick winds up being genuinely wonderful. Rather as it does – albeit in a very different manner – with John and Alice Coltrane. What could be comical winds up being sublime. At least to my ears.
One outcome of this acquisition, very much anticipated, but nota foregone delusion, was that I’d wind up wanting to get lots more Sun Ra. And of course I do! Who better to recommend which recordings than GP?
