The Latest News from Neptune - a Sun Ra thread

I just registered with this forum because of this thread, and the community vibe I was feeling while browsing around which is so much nicer than an Australian forum *cough* advertising vehicle that will remain nameless :cool:

Love Sun Ra and his cohorts. Like many of you I have enjoyed discovering his uplifting music and philosophy over the last decade since seeing the Arkestra play in Sydney. Normally I am averse to cult like figures, but somehow I feel comfortable with this one ;)

I'm dreaming of travelling to the States to witness Marshall and co celebrate his 100th birthday!
 
Welcome!
Dave_o0o_ said:
I just registered with this forum because of this thread, and the community vibe I was feeling while browsing around which is so much nicer than an Australian forum *cough* advertising vehicle that will remain nameless :cool:

Love Sun Ra and his cohorts. Like many of you I have enjoyed discovering his uplifting music and philosophy over the last decade since seeing the Arkestra play in Sydney. Normally I am averse to cult like figures, but somehow I feel comfortable with this one ;)

I'm dreaming of travelling to the States to witness Marshall and co celebrate his 100th birthday!
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Dave_o0o_ said:
I just registered with this forum because of this thread, and the community vibe I was feeling while browsing around which is so much nicer than an Australian forum *cough* advertising vehicle that will remain nameless :cool:

Love Sun Ra and his cohorts. Like many of you I have enjoyed discovering his uplifting music and philosophy over the last decade since seeing the Arkestra play in Sydney. Normally I am averse to cult like figures, but somehow I feel comfortable with this one ;)

I'm dreaming of travelling to the States to witness Marshall and co celebrate his 100th birthday!
Click to expand...

Welcome. Thanks for finding your way to us!
 
I'm curious @Dave_o0o_, what are some of your favourite Sun Ra albums you've discovered along your journey so far? And are there any you've not checked out yet that you're particularly looking forward to?

For myself, Space is the Place was my gateway into the Omniverse, and I definitely feel Jazz In Silhouette is an important piece of the overall jazz canon even if folks have little interest in digging further into Ra's works (1959 was a helluva year!). Those aside a couple of my favourites these days (in no particular order) are:
  • New Steps
  • God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be
  • Somewhere Over The Rainbow **This is at the top of my list of albums I'd like to see reissued
  • The Other Side Of The Sun
  • When Angels Speak Of Love **Also sorely in need of a reissue
  • The Soul Vibrations of Man

And while the obvious answer for me as far as which ones I've yet to check out I'm most interested in is, "ANY!," here are a couple of the ones I'm most curious to check out:
  • I, Pharaoh
  • Sound Mirror
  • Dreams Come True / Deep Purple
  • Song Of The Stargazers
  • When Spaceships Appear / Children Of The Sun
 
My favourite is probably Strange Celestial Road. The track, "Say" is one of my favourite pieces of music, period.

What attracts me to the music of Sun Ra is that it is both uplifting and mysterious. These are the two biggest boxes to tickle my fancy. Lately I have been consuming music faster than I can assimilate it and for me that is a good place to be. I like surprises and I like not having a complete understanding of what I am listening to, so that when I revisit an album it still sounds fresh and worth exploring again. Sun Ra gives me this in spades, which also makes it difficult for me to define favourites because I dislike dealing in absolutes and finality and prefer things to remain open, and that for me is always inviting.

In terms of what I want to see released on vinyl for me to consume, I'm ready for all of it. If I haven't heard it before, bring it on! 🤯🤩
 
I also love big band music and the textures and contrasts it can generate. This is an album by a Canadian/Egyptian experimental large ensemble led by guitarist/oud player Sam Shalabi called Land of Kush - Monogamy. There are many parallels with Sun Ra Arkestra, 23 musicians playing conventional and unusual instruments, psychedelic textures, soulful female vocals, rhythmic complexity, extended techniques and just plain good grooves. Great band IMO and worth checking out for fans of Sunny 🙂
PXL_20240221_104246476.jpg
 
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Euro: Sun Ra – Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988 (LP) – Soundohm
NA: ? (Maybe Stranded soon?)

Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988​

Sun Ra Arkestra, Live in Japan! Recorded at Shinjuku Pit Inn on August 8, 1988, this recording has undergone fresh remastering from the master tape, marking the first reissue in 36 years


Deluxe LP edition * After concluding their tours of the United States and Europe that began in the spring of 1988, they made their first visit to Japan on July 30. At this time, Sun Ra was 74 years old. After completing five performances across Japan, the tour's final show took place on August 8th at Shinjuku Pit Inn.

During this Japanese performance, Sun Ra Arkestra delivered a remarkable performance, showcasing big band jazz, including standard tunes. The concert was characterized by intricate arrangements, individual virtuosity of each player, and a telepathic unity within the band. The performance was truly memorable, reminiscent of their peak era, as it demonstrated the mysterious space music through the sound vibrations of Sun Ra, the "mythical scientist of sound".

Sun Ra: piano, synthesizer, vocals
Ahmed Abdullah: trumpet
Tyrone Hill: trombone
Marshall Allen: alto sax, flute, percussion
Danny Ray Thompson: baritone sax, percussion
Eloe Omoe [Leroy Taylor]: alto sax, bass clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, percussion
June Tyson: violin, vocals
Bruce Edwards: electric guitar
Rollo Radford: electric bass
Samarai Celestial [Eric Walker]: drums
Earl "Buster" Smith: drums

You can listen to the show here:
 
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NoTrend said:
View attachment 196503
Euro: Sun Ra – Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988 (LP) – Soundohm
NA: ? (Maybe Stranded soon?)

Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988​

Sun Ra Arkestra, Live in Japan! Recorded at Shinjuku Pit Inn on August 8, 1988, this recording has undergone fresh remastering from the master tape, marking the first reissue in 36 years


Deluxe LP edition * After concluding their tours of the United States and Europe that began in the spring of 1988, they made their first visit to Japan on July 30. At this time, Sun Ra was 74 years old. After completing five performances across Japan, the tour's final show took place on August 8th at Shinjuku Pit Inn.

During this Japanese performance, Sun Ra Arkestra delivered a remarkable performance, showcasing big band jazz, including standard tunes. The concert was characterized by intricate arrangements, individual virtuosity of each player, and a telepathic unity within the band. The performance was truly memorable, reminiscent of their peak era, as it demonstrated the mysterious space music through the sound vibrations of Sun Ra, the "mythical scientist of sound".

Sun Ra: piano, synthesizer, vocals
Ahmed Abdullah: trumpet
Tyrone Hill: trombone
Marshall Allen: alto sax, flute, percussion
Danny Ray Thompson: baritone sax, percussion
Eloe Omoe [Leroy Taylor]: alto sax, bass clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, percussion
June Tyson: violin, vocals
Bruce Edwards: electric guitar
Rollo Radford: electric bass
Samarai Celestial [Eric Walker]: drums
Earl "Buster" Smith: drums

You can listen to the show here:
Click to expand...


Exciting! I have an OG picture disc of this and it's a stellar show. Looking forward to hearing this remaster.


[EDIT: just now noticed the July release date - Guess I'll be looking forward for a while yet!]
 
avecigrec said:
Exciting! I have an OG picture disc of this and it's a stellar show. Looking forward to hearing this remaster.


[EDIT: just now noticed the July release date - Guess I'll be looking forward for a while yet!]
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Starting to pop up elsewhere too:
elusivedisc.com

Sun Ra Arkestra Live at Pit-Inn Tokyo, Japan, 8, 8, 1988 LP

Elusive Disc, Inc., Features Only The Best In Audiophile Hardware, Accessories and Music. We Offer a Wide Variety Of Audiophile Turntables, Cartridges, Phono Stages, Record Cleaners, SACD Players, Speakers, Headphones, Pre-Amps, LP Cleaning Fluids, Cables, Vibration Control, Record Brushes &...
elusivedisc.com elusivedisc.com
 
avecigrec said:
View attachment 190251

Might be a bit before I get to spinning it, but this looks, smells and feels great. May have been more expensive than I'd hoped, but it's obvious a great deal of care went into making it.
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Thoughts on this one, particularly sound quality. Lone comment on Discogs is favorable. I assume it’s better than what little i can find online.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
Thoughts on this one, particularly sound quality. Lone comment on Discogs is favorable. I assume it’s better than what little i can find online.
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The concert itself is fantastic — it happens to to fall into my faourite Arkestra era so I'm sure there is some bias in that. I'll try to remember to toss it on tomorrow to double check the sound quality. I seem to remember thinking it was quite good overall given the size and movements of the band and the age of the recording but I'll give it another go to be sure.
 
Does anyone have Walt Dickerson - Impressions of a Patch of Blue on vinyl? Sun Ra is a sideman on this one. I just bought and returned an OG mono due to grading issues. I think the source recording isn’t gonna make audiophiles clamor, but the copy I received sounded like it was recorded in a mud bath. Cymbals, piano and drums barely audible. Digital versions (youtube) are much better than what I returned.

Curious whether the specific copy I returned is indicative of all vinyl copies or had its own issues (I think groove wear or something like it)
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Portland Sheriff said:
Does anyone have Walt Dickerson - Impressions of a Patch of Blue on vinyl? Sun Ra is a sideman on this one. I just bought and returned an OG mono due to grading issues. I think the source recording isn’t gonna make audiophiles clamor, but the copy I received sounded like it was recorded in a mud bath. Cymbals, piano and drums barely audible. Digital versions (youtube) are much better than what I returned.

Curious whether the specific copy I returned is indicative of all vinyl copies or had its own issues (I think groove wear or something like it)
View attachment 200020
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I recall getting this in a tape trade taken from a vinyl rip and it sounded ok, not great. The Verve CD reissue seemed better as I recall, worth tracking down.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
Does anyone have Walt Dickerson - Impressions of a Patch of Blue on vinyl? Sun Ra is a sideman on this one. I just bought and returned an OG mono due to grading issues. I think the source recording isn’t gonna make audiophiles clamor, but the copy I received sounded like it was recorded in a mud bath. Cymbals, piano and drums barely audible. Digital versions (youtube) are much better than what I returned.

Curious whether the specific copy I returned is indicative of all vinyl copies or had its own issues (I think groove wear or something like it)
View attachment 200020
Click to expand...
Well if there is one guy here, it would be @avecigrec
 
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