Originally released by Saturn in 1979, this is a studio recording by a large ensemble (including, unusually, electric guitar and bass). These are the first recordings of the titles included (though they were played live a few months earlier on German radio). Springtime Again is a floating, sonically open composition, with a distant sung ostinato, interestingly mixed. The door of the Cosmos, which features June Tyson, is a relaxed groove-driven piece in which electric piano, guitar and bass function as ground, over which events drift in and out, while Sleeping Beauty is a chaotic, swirly masterpiece with lots of effects added to the instruments, interestingly mixed. As an ex-LP, it's LP length.
1. The 20 minute Solo concert is introduced with a short interview (mostly spoken-over in Italian) and is intercut with footage of Ra in Venice. 2. 1976, at Montreux on a large stage with the full Arkestra, June Tyson and three dancers. Professional camera crew, colour video - grainy. Long extract starts with 'Enlightment' and goes through compositions by Ra, Henderson and a scary solo piano version of A-Train. There's also a classic Su Ra/Hendrix wild synthesiser solo. This is a very good representation of the band in this great period. 3. At Lugano 14 years later, in the open air with full Arkestra, one dancer and the incomparable June Tyson. Grainy professional video; Arkestra plays more standards than the earlier band. Some great playing from, Allen, Gilmore, Cummings and Thompson. A long Ra Evening by the Nile to close. Information consists of prose text by Ra101 Minutes.
From the unheard music series, this is a deeply strange CD consisting of standards, exotica, MOR and doo wop songs arranged by Ra for vocal ensembles in the early '50's, with Ra playing piano accompaniments. A lot of this is pure corn, but there are strange corners and some wild songs - 37 of them, in fact - by the Nu Sounds, the Lintels and The Cosmic Rays (one of these backed by the Arkestra - all home recordings and rehearsals made between 1950-60. For Ra fans and collectors of exotica.
Another much sought after and long unavailable title recorded in 1974 with a smallish ensemble consisting (probably) of stalwarts Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Danny David, James Jacson, Akh Tal Ebah, Clifford Jarvis, Artakatune, and new electric guitarist, Sly, that was released on Saturn in the same year. This sounds like a studio recording, carefully thought out - most of the compositions appear only on this record (apart from versions of Nature's God and Space is the Place), and include a chain of very interesting accompanied /interpolated) spoken texts: There is a Change in the Air, The Antique Blacks, The ridiculous "I" and the Cosmos "Me" - as well as a very long and scary coda to Space is the Place. Ra plays Rocksichord and Moog throughout (solo on track 7 and at the end of track 8). Theatrical and political; this is a fascinating release.
Transparency has acquired eleven reel-to-reel tapes that were completely unknown before. None of this material is on any tape trader list or in any discography. All are of pretty high quality. These two are from mid-1971: a concert at awarehouse in San Francisco, the centrepiece of whichis a very dramatic and intense 20-minute declamation with massed arkestra interruptions, urging the black race to rise up into freedom and identity; followed by a great version of 'The Satellites are spinning' and 'Enlightment'. CD 2 is a class given by Ra during his teaching residency at UC Berkeley and is mesmerising. Ra's thinking is not simple. A fascinating release, and like nothing else in the Ra canon. Indispensable.
Transparency has acquired eleven reel-to-reel tapes that were completely unknown before. None of this material is on any tape trader list or in any discography. All are of pretty high quality. These two are from mid-1971: a concert at awarehouse in San Francisco, the centrepiece of whichis a very dramatic and intense 20-minute declamation with massed arkestra interruptions, urging the black race to rise up into freedom and identity; followed by a great version of 'The Satellites are spinning' and 'Enlightment'. CD 2 is a class given by Ra during his teaching residency at UC Berkeley and is mesmerising. Ra's thinking is not simple. A fascinating release, and like nothing else in the Ra canon. Indispensable.
Transparency has acquired eleven reel-to-reel tapes that were completely unknown before. None of this material is on any tape trader list or in any discography. All are of pretty high quality. These two are from mid-1971: a concert at awarehouse in San Francisco, the centrepiece of whichis a very dramatic and intense 20-minute declamation with massed arkestra interruptions, urging the black race to rise up into freedom and identity; followed by a great version of 'The Satellites are spinning' and 'Enlightment'. CD 2 is a class given by Ra during his teaching residency at UC Berkeley and is mesmerising. Ra's thinking is not simple. A fascinating release, and like nothing else in the Ra canon. Indispensable.
This previously unknown recording, made at the Gibus, Paris, in 1973 by 'Bugs' Hunter, the Arkestra's drummer of the time, captures a good performance by one of the classic large line-up bands, presumably from the same concert (or series) as the great 'Live at the Gibus' LP. The programme here, however, is completely different and although the band sounds pretty good, the voices are blurry and distorted from too much reflection and bad amplification. The centrepiece is an extended (38 minute) Discipline 27, which includes a long, somewhat indistinct, 'cosmo-drama' between June Tyson and Sun Ra. Overall, this is for aficionados rather than beginners; part of the picture, not an introduction. Also featured: Astro Black, Prepare for the Journey to Other Worlds, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Why go to the Moon?
Early '70s concert that begins with June Tyson reciting The Shadows Took Shape, a Sun Ra poem unknown until now. A lot of Ra electronics and electric keyboard work follow with forests of light percussion, a classic Marshall Allen oboe solo, John Gilmour at full tilt, large symphonic ensembles and long floating grooves - with nice detailed instrument definition. There are also standards, Ra classics (Strange Worlds, Outer Spaceways Inc., Friendly Galaxy, Watusi, Shadow World, Enlightment) and wild howling chaos. Great show. Nice packaging. 85 minutes
49 collected singles, amazingly comprising in large part doo wop, barber shop, rock n roll and other single type stuff. And some of the Sun Ra Arkestra -as known - material. Informative book and careful, inclusive work. For Sun Ra fans, not the new listener. Remarkable and very surprising slice of history.
144 pp with 56 color plates. 17.5 cm x 24 Paperback.While in Chicago in the mid-1950s, Sun Ra preached on street corners and occasionally created scripts to accompany his lectures-intricate texts that invoke science fiction, Biblical prophecy, etymology, and black nationalism. Until now, the only broadsheet known to exist was one given to John Coltrane in 1956. Now John Corbett and Anthony Elms have assembled a substantial collection of these early writings. Reproduced in facsimile, with Ra's handwritten notes and afterthoughts - with parallel transcription in print. Corbett contextualises and outlines Ras ideas in his introduction. Invaluable and historic documents, not merely about Ra but about the cultural climate in the 'progressive' black community in Chicago in the 50's.
A recording of one-time grouping of Sun Ra, John Gilmore, Milford Graves, Andrew Cyrille and Don Moye in Brooklyn, 1985, plus two long rehearsal tapes made at the Arkestra's house in 1978. The second rehearsal tape is pretty wonderful, with Ra explaining and singing along while the band finds its way to the centre of the songs. Ra was something of a visionary and seems to have recorded at every opportunity. Sometimes it's discarded material, like this, which turns out to be really precious. An important addition to the already massive archive.
This is the classic 25 piece band from 1973, recorded in New York including a bravura 20 minute version of Astro Black seamlessly intertwined with variant takes on Enlightment, The Shadow World, Love in Outer Space, My Brother the Sun, Space is the Place, Discipline 27 as well as a thundering mass percussion version of Watusa, and two rarites: What Planet is this? and The Universe sent me to Converse with you. Two hours of great music, very nicely recorded, touching all the corners. If you like Sun Ra, this is a gem and if you don't know him, you could do worse than to start here. Visionary.
1973 recording of one of the master arkestras in its finest flower. Full range from the strangest of the strange ('Lights on a Satellite' eg, a spookily brilliant version) to the raucous ('King Porter Stomp') passing through Ra's Moog and electronics ('Salutations from the Universe', another great solo) and the indispensible arkestra chants. Showstopper track: 'Ombre Monde #2'. One of the greats. You won't be disappointed. Facsimile cardboard gatefold sleeve.
Extremes and minimalisms, not quite Berhard Gunther and far from the new Japanese style, rooted perhaps in maverick electroacoustics (Jocelyn Robert's seminal 'Folie: Culture' comes to mind); a dreamy swim of super low frequencies, edge of audibility, wildlife, insects..
Subtitled 'Compositions with Compositions', these are 4 longish pieces for tapework, live instruments and real-time processing, including some impressive coups de son, especially the luminous 'Zwischen Fruhlung und Herbst' for String orchestra, Organ and Tape which winds Vivaldi around itself and interpolates and extrapolates extra materials in a form that is never less than radical and gripping; a classic, textbook piece. The other pieces pursue similar musical interleaving of electronic, manipulated and baroque elements, 'critical reflections on the music of the past today', as Susse explains it. Useful and full notes included
50pp catalogue from the Paris exhibition Résonances: Akio Suzuki - Ossip Zadkine at Musée Zadkine in 2004. Texts in French and English. Includes CD with recordings of performances of Akio Suzuki and a sound walk recorded by Eric La Casa. Last copies.
Excellent collection of experimental compositions, using electronics and instruments. From disembodied to hacked up exotica, each with a proceedural and theoretical compositional idea explored. It works, and avoids the obvious. A pleasure to listen to imagination at work.
A single work, minimal but highly effective, with occasional sparse text (and piano part) taken from Wittgenstein's 'Tractatus' and 'Vermischte Bermerkungen'. Originally made for radio. Hypnotic but not sequenced, sampled or looped; realtime development which is always to the point.
3 CD's and a full book in a box of the long deleted LP set that accompanied Pierre Schaeffer's definitive book "Traite des objets musicaux" in 1967. A kind of lecture with a lot of sound examples - consists of speech (in French, short sentences mostly - all translated in the book into English and Spanish) and the sounds, raw and cooked.
8 very different, nicely formed, atmospheric and musically articulated (rhythm, harmony) pieces, for a wild array of instruments including double bass, brass snare, all manner of keyboards (clavinet, harpsichord, pipe organ &.) cello, industrial noise, radio, stones and some wind instruments. Careful and very nicely recorded. Very nice work. This is small, limited edition pressing expressly made for ReR.
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