The Latest News from Neptune - a Sun Ra thread

This is an absolute monster of a record, and while a bit pricey....is completely worth it. Purchased right away (I assume this may go fast once more word gets out, again I know the price is kinda steep...)

SunRa_LiveAtMohren_LP_00-min-jpg.jpg


Europe: Sun Ra – Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984 (2LP, Deluxe Edition) – Soundohm
North America: Sun Ra - Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984 2xLP De Occulta - Stranded Records


In a truly monumental event, De Occulta Records launches their brand new Willisau Jazz Series - drawing on 30 years (1968 - 1998) of incredible live recordings made at the legendary Swiss musical institution, Willisau Jazz Festival, by its founder Niklaus Troxler - with “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”, comprising an astounding and never before heard, 75-minute performance by Sun Ra and his Arkestra.
Biggest tip ever! * 444 individually numbered copies, one-time press deluxe edition in Tip-on Gatefold sleeve with Gold Foil and glossy UV-varnish, released with the full approval of the Sun Ra Estate * Unquestionably one of the most striking archival releases to have emerged in years from this band or any other, across its sides Sun Ra and His Arkestra cover a remarkable amount of ground - spanning pulsing group chants, hard blown free jazz fire, and driving spiritual jazz - as they chart a path through brilliant renditions of some of their most famous tunes - “Discipline 27-II”, “Children of the Sun”, “Nuclear War”, “Space is the Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Carefree (Egyptian Fantasy)” - and three brand new pieces, revealing that even in their final decades they remained a force to be reconned with and one of the greatest bands on the scene.

Within the history of jazz, few names loom larger than that of Sun Ra. A visionary titan whose work traversed nearly half of the 20th Century, continuously pushing the idiom at every turn, fueled by his legendary Arkestra he was one of the great originators of Afro-futurism, spiritual jazz, and big band free jazz. While a great many of Ra's peers can be regarded as having been incredibly prolific, few have a discography as large, dense, and varied as his. Roughly 100 full lengths bear his name, beginning with 1957's “Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1”, and stretching well beyond his death in 1993. Remarkably, rare and previously unheard recordings continue to emerge and amaze into the present day. One such case is “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”, the latest from De Occulta Records and the first entry in their Willisau Jazz Series, a new collection of vinyl releases featuring previously unheard live recordings drawn from the Willisau Jazz Archives. Issued as a beautifully produced double LP, housed in a gatefold sleeve with multiple inserts and rare photos, this musical marvel captures Sun Ra and his Arkestra in the midst of their most spirited sonic adventures of the era, seamlessly covering, as they go, a remarkable amount of creative territory - chanting bliss, spiritual highs, and hard blown fire - in what is unquestionably the most remarkable live documents of this band to have emerged in years.

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, he 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, Pat Patrick 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.

While Sun Ra and his Arkestra can best be located within the broader movements of avant-garde jazz of the 1950s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s - particularly as innovators of free and spiritual jazz in their evolving forms - the composer was notoriously hard to pin down on creative terms. It was as though he ingested and incorporated the entire history of African American music - the blues, R&B, soul, gospel, ragtime, hot jazz, swing, bebop, free jazz, fusion, etc. - into his work, without any division, hierarchy, or what might bubble to the surface and when. It is exactly this dynamic range that presents itself across the incredible creative journey of De Occulta Records' “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”.

During the summer of 2009, at the Willisau Jazz Festival - one of the premier Swiss jazz festivals that had been founded in 1975 - its organizer, Niklaus Troxler, mentioned to the jazz journalist Tom Gsteiger that he had numerous live concert recordings in storage at home. Immediately clear to Gsteiger that these recordings were likely of huge historical and creative significance, a process was begun to house what turned out to be 720 hours of recordings, made between 1968 and 1998, at the Hochschule Luzern for archiving and preservation. Among this treasure trove, from which De Occulta's Willisau Jazz Series will continue to draw, was the previously-unheard live recording of Sun Ra and his Arkestra from 1984 that marks its inauguration.

Sprawling to 75-minutes of glorious music, spread across four vinyl sides, “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984” encounters Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their absolute best. Unlike many other bands encountered during the 1980s - a notoriously low period in the history of avant-garde jazz that witnessed many artists raining in the fire and embracing a form of classicism - here we encounter Ra and his roving band digging deep and pushing hard, proving that his singular form of sonic radicalism was alive and well. Ranging from pulsing group chants, hard blown, far out playing, and driving spiritual jazz infused moments, not only do they chart a path through brilliant renditions of some of their most famous tunes, but they embark upon the rendering of three brand new pieces, never before heard and rarely encountered since or anywhere else.

Infused with passion and forward-thinking creativity, across the length of “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984” we encounter the beginnings of Sun Ra's final decade on Earth and the truth that he never gave up the drive toward the outer realms. Truly incredible and an engrossing listen that brings you back again and again for more, once heard it's hard to believe this remarkable recording remained in the shadows for as long as it did. We can't wait to hear what De Occulta's Willisau Jazz Series digs up next.

Issued in a beautifully produced double LP, housed in a gatefold sleeve with multiple inserts and rare photos, this is an absolute must for any fan of Sun Ra, the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large.
 
NoTrend said:
This is an absolute monster of a record, and while a bit pricey....is completely worth it. Purchased right away (I assume this may go fast once more word gets out, again I know the price is kinda steep...)

View attachment 183184


Europe: Sun Ra – Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984 (2LP, Deluxe Edition) – Soundohm
North America: Sun Ra - Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984 2xLP De Occulta - Stranded Records


In a truly monumental event, De Occulta Records launches their brand new Willisau Jazz Series - drawing on 30 years (1968 - 1998) of incredible live recordings made at the legendary Swiss musical institution, Willisau Jazz Festival, by its founder Niklaus Troxler - with “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”, comprising an astounding and never before heard, 75-minute performance by Sun Ra and his Arkestra.
Biggest tip ever! * 444 individually numbered copies, one-time press deluxe edition in Tip-on Gatefold sleeve with Gold Foil and glossy UV-varnish, released with the full approval of the Sun Ra Estate * Unquestionably one of the most striking archival releases to have emerged in years from this band or any other, across its sides Sun Ra and His Arkestra cover a remarkable amount of ground - spanning pulsing group chants, hard blown free jazz fire, and driving spiritual jazz - as they chart a path through brilliant renditions of some of their most famous tunes - “Discipline 27-II”, “Children of the Sun”, “Nuclear War”, “Space is the Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Carefree (Egyptian Fantasy)” - and three brand new pieces, revealing that even in their final decades they remained a force to be reconned with and one of the greatest bands on the scene.

Within the history of jazz, few names loom larger than that of Sun Ra. A visionary titan whose work traversed nearly half of the 20th Century, continuously pushing the idiom at every turn, fueled by his legendary Arkestra he was one of the great originators of Afro-futurism, spiritual jazz, and big band free jazz. While a great many of Ra's peers can be regarded as having been incredibly prolific, few have a discography as large, dense, and varied as his. Roughly 100 full lengths bear his name, beginning with 1957's “Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1”, and stretching well beyond his death in 1993. Remarkably, rare and previously unheard recordings continue to emerge and amaze into the present day. One such case is “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”, the latest from De Occulta Records and the first entry in their Willisau Jazz Series, a new collection of vinyl releases featuring previously unheard live recordings drawn from the Willisau Jazz Archives. Issued as a beautifully produced double LP, housed in a gatefold sleeve with multiple inserts and rare photos, this musical marvel captures Sun Ra and his Arkestra in the midst of their most spirited sonic adventures of the era, seamlessly covering, as they go, a remarkable amount of creative territory - chanting bliss, spiritual highs, and hard blown fire - in what is unquestionably the most remarkable live documents of this band to have emerged in years.

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, he 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, Pat Patrick 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.

While Sun Ra and his Arkestra can best be located within the broader movements of avant-garde jazz of the 1950s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s - particularly as innovators of free and spiritual jazz in their evolving forms - the composer was notoriously hard to pin down on creative terms. It was as though he ingested and incorporated the entire history of African American music - the blues, R&B, soul, gospel, ragtime, hot jazz, swing, bebop, free jazz, fusion, etc. - into his work, without any division, hierarchy, or what might bubble to the surface and when. It is exactly this dynamic range that presents itself across the incredible creative journey of De Occulta Records' “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984”.

During the summer of 2009, at the Willisau Jazz Festival - one of the premier Swiss jazz festivals that had been founded in 1975 - its organizer, Niklaus Troxler, mentioned to the jazz journalist Tom Gsteiger that he had numerous live concert recordings in storage at home. Immediately clear to Gsteiger that these recordings were likely of huge historical and creative significance, a process was begun to house what turned out to be 720 hours of recordings, made between 1968 and 1998, at the Hochschule Luzern for archiving and preservation. Among this treasure trove, from which De Occulta's Willisau Jazz Series will continue to draw, was the previously-unheard live recording of Sun Ra and his Arkestra from 1984 that marks its inauguration.

Sprawling to 75-minutes of glorious music, spread across four vinyl sides, “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984” encounters Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their absolute best. Unlike many other bands encountered during the 1980s - a notoriously low period in the history of avant-garde jazz that witnessed many artists raining in the fire and embracing a form of classicism - here we encounter Ra and his roving band digging deep and pushing hard, proving that his singular form of sonic radicalism was alive and well. Ranging from pulsing group chants, hard blown, far out playing, and driving spiritual jazz infused moments, not only do they chart a path through brilliant renditions of some of their most famous tunes, but they embark upon the rendering of three brand new pieces, never before heard and rarely encountered since or anywhere else.

Infused with passion and forward-thinking creativity, across the length of “Live at Mohren, March 25th 1984” we encounter the beginnings of Sun Ra's final decade on Earth and the truth that he never gave up the drive toward the outer realms. Truly incredible and an engrossing listen that brings you back again and again for more, once heard it's hard to believe this remarkable recording remained in the shadows for as long as it did. We can't wait to hear what De Occulta's Willisau Jazz Series digs up next.

Issued in a beautifully produced double LP, housed in a gatefold sleeve with multiple inserts and rare photos, this is an absolute must for any fan of Sun Ra, the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large.
Click to expand...

Aw yeah! Thank you for posting. @MikeH tagged me on this elsewhere and I immediately purchased as well, but neglected to come back and post it here. Poor form on my part - epecially given how stellar this set looks to be!

I have to say, it's been a mighty fine year for Sun Ra (and related) releases!
 
Another forthcoming archival release!

8dfce2a3-34cc-6dc3-ad39-92fa848f0662.jpg

We are particularly proud of the album that we will launch on November 23: the first album in the new Jazz in Paradiso series. In this record series we document important jazz concerts that saxophonist and tireless jazz promoter Hans Dulfer organized in the 'Cosmic Relaxation Center' Paradiso from 1968 onwards. At these progressive happenings, an entire generation of concertgoers were introduced to jazz for the first time, never to be let go of it again.

It is now high time to listen to the sounds of the past with fresh ears, also for younger generations.

Space is the place! That body piece - in a historically early version without lyrics - opens the album Paradiso Amsterdam 1970, on which you can hear how the Netherlands first became acquainted with Afrofuturism. A pivotal moment in the Dutch jazz experience.

It was always thought that the recordings of the long-awaited very first concert that Sun Ra Arkestra ever gave in the Netherlands could not be used for an album release.

After all, the entire Arkestra marched through the massive crowd in Paradiso on November 18, 1970. According to tradition, they barely stood on the stage where the microphones were neatly arranged.

However, the Dutch Jazz Archive traced the complete series of NOS recording tapes and put together a full-fledged album on which the atmosphere of 53 years ago is immediately palpable and that sounds like clockwork.

We are releasing the album on vinyl and CD, with many photos by Paul van Riel, documents and extensive liner notes by Saturnite Rudie Kagie. The publication is a collaboration with Sun Ra LLC, the organization that represents Sun Ra's rights worldwide.

The album will be launched in the basement hall of Paradiso on Thursday, November 23. Starts at 6:30 PM.

The LP version and CD version of the album can already be ordered from us. NJA-Jazz Friends receive a discount.


made the translation in Google Translate guys so sorry for any mistakes.
Click to expand...

Source

Currently listed at Juno, Soundohm and HHV
 
Untitled.jpg
Euro: Sun Ra Live in Roma 1980 3xLP Box Set – Holidays Records

Sun Ra – Live in Roma 1980 (3LP Box + Book, golden vinyl) – Soundohm

US...I would assume Stranded soon?

Another instant buy...

* 100 copies on golden vinyl, deluxe edition 3LP Box, silver print on deluxe Fedrigoni Ultra Black paper, released with the full approval of the Sun Ra Estate * The venerable Holidays, having already had an incredible 2023, returns with their final offering of the year and what might just be their most ambitions release to date, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set that captures the Arkestra immersed in one of their greatest live gigs laid to tape. A perfect snapshot of why this band was so incredible, moving from furious free jazz fire into joyous June Tyson led / collectively chanted, off kilter big band swing, that includes the highly celebrated “Astro Black”, “Mr. Mystery”, “Romance of Two Planets”, “Space Is the Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Calling Planet Earth”, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number “Big John’s Special”, Fletcher Henderson’s “Yeah Man!”, and Django Reinhardt's "Limehouse Blues”, it's a true mind melter, issued in a very limited edition of 400 copies on black vinyl and 100 copies on golden wax, both complete with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, that's absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large.


Since their founding during the early years of the new millennium, the Italian imprint, Holidays Records, has stood at the vanguard of forward thinking sound, building a carefully curated catalog of release that collectively build context and conversation across numerous avenues of exploration - contemporary and historical sitting side by side - within the wider field of experimental and improvised music, via stellar LPs by Cairo Free Jazz Ensemble, Jean-Yves Bosseur, James Rushford, Delivery Health, Henning Christiansen, Four Horsemen, Maria Monti, and whole lot more. With every subsequent release, Holidays has seemed to manage to up their game, and this is unquestionably the case with their latest, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form and arguably the label’s most ambitious endeavour to date. Issued as an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set, with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, in a very limited edition of 400 copies, it encounters Ra’s legendary band entering their fourth decade of activity (1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s) in a rollicking storm of spiritual jazz, free improvisation, heavy grooves, and their defining take on Afrofuturism. Simply put, it’s hard to think of a better live recording of the Arkestra than this.

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.

While Sun Ra and his Arkestra can best be located within the broader movements of avant-garde jazz of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s - particularly as innovators of free and spiritual jazz in their evolving forms - the composer was notoriously hard to pin down on creative terms. He was a visionary titan whose work traversed nearly half of the 20th Century, continuously pushing the idiom of jazz at every turn, ingesting and incorporating the entire history African American music - the blues, R&B, soul, gospel, ragtime, hot jazz, swing, bebop, free jazz, and fusion, etc. - into his work, without any division or hierarchy, producing roughly 100 full lengths bear his name, beginning with 1957’s “Jazz By Sun Ra Vol.1”, and stretching well beyond his death in 1993. Despite how much was captured and released, remarkably, rare and previously unheard recordings continue to emerge and amaze into the present day, notably Holidays’ latest, “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form at the dawn of a new decade.

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 the collections of 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 Django Reinhardt's "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.

Absolutely engrossing and creatively enthralling from the first sounding to the last, “Live in Rome 1980” is Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their absolute best, exiting one of their most productive and prolific decades - the 1970s - and entering the 80s like a well oiled machine. Holidays has done the world a great service with this incredible 3xLP box. Absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large. Truly amazing stuff!

Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980. Sun Ra: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals. Noel Scott: Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. Marshall Allen: Alto Saxophone, Flute, Oboe. Danny Ray Thompson: Baritone Saxophone, Flute. Chris Henderson, Eric “Samurai” Walker: Drums. Kenny Williams: Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. John Gilmore: Tenor Saxophone, Percussion. Michael Ray: Trumpet. June Tyson: Vocals. Mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio. Lacquer cut by Daniel Krieger at SST, Frankfurt am Main. All pictures by Paolo Ferraresi (Milano, Teatro Orfeo, March 26, 1980). All compositions by Sun Ra © Enterplanetary Koncepts (BMI) except where otherwise stated. Holidays Records 2023. Released under license from Sun Ra LLC.
 
NoTrend said:
View attachment 190515
Euro: Sun Ra Live in Roma 1980 3xLP Box Set – Holidays Records

Sun Ra – Live in Roma 1980 (3LP Box + Book, golden vinyl) – Soundohm

US...I would assume Stranded soon?

Another instant buy...

* 100 copies on golden vinyl, deluxe edition 3LP Box, silver print on deluxe Fedrigoni Ultra Black paper, released with the full approval of the Sun Ra Estate * The venerable Holidays, having already had an incredible 2023, returns with their final offering of the year and what might just be their most ambitions release to date, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set that captures the Arkestra immersed in one of their greatest live gigs laid to tape. A perfect snapshot of why this band was so incredible, moving from furious free jazz fire into joyous June Tyson led / collectively chanted, off kilter big band swing, that includes the highly celebrated “Astro Black”, “Mr. Mystery”, “Romance of Two Planets”, “Space Is the Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Calling Planet Earth”, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number “Big John’s Special”, Fletcher Henderson’s “Yeah Man!”, and Django Reinhardt's "Limehouse Blues”, it's a true mind melter, issued in a very limited edition of 400 copies on black vinyl and 100 copies on golden wax, both complete with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, that's absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large.


Since their founding during the early years of the new millennium, the Italian imprint, Holidays Records, has stood at the vanguard of forward thinking sound, building a carefully curated catalog of release that collectively build context and conversation across numerous avenues of exploration - contemporary and historical sitting side by side - within the wider field of experimental and improvised music, via stellar LPs by Cairo Free Jazz Ensemble, Jean-Yves Bosseur, James Rushford, Delivery Health, Henning Christiansen, Four Horsemen, Maria Monti, and whole lot more. With every subsequent release, Holidays has seemed to manage to up their game, and this is unquestionably the case with their latest, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form and arguably the label’s most ambitious endeavour to date. Issued as an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set, with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, in a very limited edition of 400 copies, it encounters Ra’s legendary band entering their fourth decade of activity (1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s) in a rollicking storm of spiritual jazz, free improvisation, heavy grooves, and their defining take on Afrofuturism. Simply put, it’s hard to think of a better live recording of the Arkestra than this.

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.

While Sun Ra and his Arkestra can best be located within the broader movements of avant-garde jazz of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s - particularly as innovators of free and spiritual jazz in their evolving forms - the composer was notoriously hard to pin down on creative terms. He was a visionary titan whose work traversed nearly half of the 20th Century, continuously pushing the idiom of jazz at every turn, ingesting and incorporating the entire history African American music - the blues, R&B, soul, gospel, ragtime, hot jazz, swing, bebop, free jazz, and fusion, etc. - into his work, without any division or hierarchy, producing roughly 100 full lengths bear his name, beginning with 1957’s “Jazz By Sun Ra Vol.1”, and stretching well beyond his death in 1993. Despite how much was captured and released, remarkably, rare and previously unheard recordings continue to emerge and amaze into the present day, notably Holidays’ latest, “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form at the dawn of a new decade.

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 the collections of 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 Django Reinhardt's "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.

Absolutely engrossing and creatively enthralling from the first sounding to the last, “Live in Rome 1980” is Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their absolute best, exiting one of their most productive and prolific decades - the 1970s - and entering the 80s like a well oiled machine. Holidays has done the world a great service with this incredible 3xLP box. Absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large. Truly amazing stuff!

Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980. Sun Ra: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals. Noel Scott: Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. Marshall Allen: Alto Saxophone, Flute, Oboe. Danny Ray Thompson: Baritone Saxophone, Flute. Chris Henderson, Eric “Samurai” Walker: Drums. Kenny Williams: Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. John Gilmore: Tenor Saxophone, Percussion. Michael Ray: Trumpet. June Tyson: Vocals. Mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio. Lacquer cut by Daniel Krieger at SST, Frankfurt am Main. All pictures by Paolo Ferraresi (Milano, Teatro Orfeo, March 26, 1980). All compositions by Sun Ra © Enterplanetary Koncepts (BMI) except where otherwise stated. Holidays Records 2023. Released under license from Sun Ra LLC.
Click to expand...

Missed any gold copies SoundOhm had, but I've had pretty shit luck with gold records anyway, so I'm not too upset about it. Looking very forward to this - Sun Ra in Italy seems to always be something extra special!
 
NoTrend said:
View attachment 190515
Euro: Sun Ra Live in Roma 1980 3xLP Box Set – Holidays Records

Sun Ra – Live in Roma 1980 (3LP Box + Book, golden vinyl) – Soundohm

US...I would assume Stranded soon?

Another instant buy...

* 100 copies on golden vinyl, deluxe edition 3LP Box, silver print on deluxe Fedrigoni Ultra Black paper, released with the full approval of the Sun Ra Estate * The venerable Holidays, having already had an incredible 2023, returns with their final offering of the year and what might just be their most ambitions release to date, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set that captures the Arkestra immersed in one of their greatest live gigs laid to tape. A perfect snapshot of why this band was so incredible, moving from furious free jazz fire into joyous June Tyson led / collectively chanted, off kilter big band swing, that includes the highly celebrated “Astro Black”, “Mr. Mystery”, “Romance of Two Planets”, “Space Is the Place”, “We Travel the Spaceways”, and “Calling Planet Earth”, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number “Big John’s Special”, Fletcher Henderson’s “Yeah Man!”, and Django Reinhardt's "Limehouse Blues”, it's a true mind melter, issued in a very limited edition of 400 copies on black vinyl and 100 copies on golden wax, both complete with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, that's absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large.


Since their founding during the early years of the new millennium, the Italian imprint, Holidays Records, has stood at the vanguard of forward thinking sound, building a carefully curated catalog of release that collectively build context and conversation across numerous avenues of exploration - contemporary and historical sitting side by side - within the wider field of experimental and improvised music, via stellar LPs by Cairo Free Jazz Ensemble, Jean-Yves Bosseur, James Rushford, Delivery Health, Henning Christiansen, Four Horsemen, Maria Monti, and whole lot more. With every subsequent release, Holidays has seemed to manage to up their game, and this is unquestionably the case with their latest, Sun Ra’s “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form and arguably the label’s most ambitious endeavour to date. Issued as an astounding 3xLP vinyl box set, with a 24-page booklet loaded with stunning photos, in a very limited edition of 400 copies, it encounters Ra’s legendary band entering their fourth decade of activity (1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s) in a rollicking storm of spiritual jazz, free improvisation, heavy grooves, and their defining take on Afrofuturism. Simply put, it’s hard to think of a better live recording of the Arkestra than this.

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.

While Sun Ra and his Arkestra can best be located within the broader movements of avant-garde jazz of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s - particularly as innovators of free and spiritual jazz in their evolving forms - the composer was notoriously hard to pin down on creative terms. He was a visionary titan whose work traversed nearly half of the 20th Century, continuously pushing the idiom of jazz at every turn, ingesting and incorporating the entire history African American music - the blues, R&B, soul, gospel, ragtime, hot jazz, swing, bebop, free jazz, and fusion, etc. - into his work, without any division or hierarchy, producing roughly 100 full lengths bear his name, beginning with 1957’s “Jazz By Sun Ra Vol.1”, and stretching well beyond his death in 1993. Despite how much was captured and released, remarkably, rare and previously unheard recordings continue to emerge and amaze into the present day, notably Holidays’ latest, “Live in Rome 1980”, capturing the Arkestra in incredible form at the dawn of a new decade.

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 the collections of 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 Django Reinhardt's "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.

Absolutely engrossing and creatively enthralling from the first sounding to the last, “Live in Rome 1980” is Sun Ra and his Arkestra at their absolute best, exiting one of their most productive and prolific decades - the 1970s - and entering the 80s like a well oiled machine. Holidays has done the world a great service with this incredible 3xLP box. Absolutely essential for any fan of Ra / the Arkestra, and free and spiritual jazz at large. Truly amazing stuff!

Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980. Sun Ra: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals. Noel Scott: Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. Marshall Allen: Alto Saxophone, Flute, Oboe. Danny Ray Thompson: Baritone Saxophone, Flute. Chris Henderson, Eric “Samurai” Walker: Drums. Kenny Williams: Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Percussion. John Gilmore: Tenor Saxophone, Percussion. Michael Ray: Trumpet. June Tyson: Vocals. Mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio. Lacquer cut by Daniel Krieger at SST, Frankfurt am Main. All pictures by Paolo Ferraresi (Milano, Teatro Orfeo, March 26, 1980). All compositions by Sun Ra © Enterplanetary Koncepts (BMI) except where otherwise stated. Holidays Records 2023. Released under license from Sun Ra LLC.
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For those one USA, stranded has copies: Sun Ra - Live in Roma 1980 3xLP Holidays - Stranded Records
 
I'd have to say it's been a damn fine year to be a Sun Ra fan!

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Sun Ra & His Arkestra – Prophet ...{*physical - digital release: Dec. 16th, 2022}
Sun Ra Arkestra – Schauburg, Bremen, Germany June 24, 1986 ...{unofficial release}
Sun Ra – Haverford College 1980 Solo Piano ...{*physical - digital release: Dec. 14, 2019}
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra – Space Is The Place: Music From The Original Soundtrack ...{box set}
Sun Ra & His Arkestra – Saturn XIII ...{10"}
Sun Ra & His Arkestra – Jazz In Silhouette (Expanded Edition)
Sun Ra – Nuclear War ...{unofficial release}
Sun Ra & The Intergalactic Infinity Orchestra – Space Is The Place ...{Verve By Request}
Sun Ra & His Arkestra – Live at Mohren 1984
Sun Ra – Interview with Charlie Morrow
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra – Paradiso Amsterdam 1970
Sun Ra – Space Is The Place ...{VMP Spiritual Jazz}
Sun Ra – Live In Roma 1980 ...{box set}
DJ Muggs – Notes & Tones
Angel Bat Dawid – Requiem For Jazz
Various – Red Hot & Ra: Nuclear War
Various – Red Hot & Ra: Nuclear War - The Remixes ...{*digital only, currently}
Knoel Scott featuring Marshall Allen – Celestial
Various – My Words Are Music: A Celebration of Sun Ra's Poetry ...{*digital - physical release due early 2024}
Various – Red Hot & Ra: SOLAR - Sun Ra In Brasil

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in the pipeline for 2024...
  • I know Strut has a new live box set in the works, but know no further details as yet.
  • I'd expect Modern Harmonic to have at least one or two new goodies for us, as per their usual tempo... Oblique Parallax; I, Pharaoh; Beyond the Purple Star Zone and Aurora Borealis would all be excellent candidates, as they're all of the era MH has been exploring with most of their recent releases.
  • I certainly hope Irwin Chusid has another Cosmic Myth reissue in the works because they've all been top-notch so far... Angels and Demons at Play; The Nubians of Plutonia and Somewhere Over the Rainbow would be my top picks for what I'd like to see next.
  • I hope we see some more stuff from the Marshall Allen Arkestra in celebration of his centennial year on Earth... something new from the studio and/or a live set would be cool. Also, a vinyl release of 1999's A Song For The Sun would be super sweet!
Either way, it ought to be an adventure.

See you in the Cosmos!
 
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