*** SUN RA Corner***

[Mary6170]

The Youngquist book sounds interesting.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Mary6170

[Rooster_Ties]

This singular Sun Ra piano-trio(!) Saturn record seems to have reemerged on CD within the last couple weeks.  Here's an upload of the album to YouTube (don't know that it's from the same source as the CD - I'm guessing probably not).  VERY interesting.  I just missed out on getting this in an order from Dusty Groove last night (out of stock again, drat) -- but I'm sure I'll toss this on my next Amazon order.  TASTY!!!

Sun Ra - God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be (1979)

 

[sonnyhill]

20 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

This singular Sun Ra piano-trio(!) Saturn record seems to have reemerged on CD within the last couple weeks.  Here's an upload of the album to YouTube (don't know that it's from the same source as the CD - I'm guessing probably not).  VERY interesting.  I just missed out on getting this in an order from Dusty Groove last night (out of stock again, drat) -- but I'm sure I'll toss this on my next Amazon order.  TASTY!!!

Sun Ra - God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be (1979)

Try Bandcamp.

 

 

[mjzee]

21 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

This singular Sun Ra piano-trio(!) Saturn record seems to have reemerged on CD within the last couple weeks.  Here's an upload of the album to YouTube (don't know that it's from the same source as the CD - I'm guessing probably not).  VERY interesting.  I just missed out on getting this in an order from Dusty Groove last night (out of stock again, drat) -- but I'm sure I'll toss this on my next Amazon order.  TASTY!!!

Sun Ra - God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be (1979)

 

$6.99 for the download from eMusic: https://www.emusic.com/album/2391424/Sun-Ra--His-Arkestra/God-Is-More-Than-Love-Can-Ever-Be

[Late]

Discipline 99 was just reissued on April 2. Details here. 

[Teasing the Korean]

What became of Sun Ra's written scores? 

[Rooster_Ties]

I picked up the piano-trio record I linked to above (full YouTube upload of "God Is More Than Love Will Ever Be").

It's really nice, and I sure wish Ra had recorded in a trio format more often like this (inside and outside, about as much in/out as Andrew Hill).  Apparently it's the ONLY piano-bass-drums full-length session that Ra ever recorded, other than a few individual tracks here and there from other sessions.

Then again, "inside/outside" piano-trio dates is kind of an area I've tried to find as many good examples of as I can find (think Valdo Williams, or late 60's and 70's Mal Waldron).

[Late]

Carpe.

[kh1958]

Another fine recent release on Stut: Of Abstract Dreams, previously unreleased studio session from circa 1974-75, with a small group (seven piece band). Ra plays only acoustic piano, with some killer John Gilmore solos.

https://www.amazon.com/Abstract-Dreams-Sun-Ra/dp/B077Z81HQV/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1532314296&sr=1-1&keywords=Sun+ra+of+abstract+dreams&dpID=6120snalT0L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

[Teasing the Korean]

Watched Sun Ra:  A Joyful Noise for the first time last night.  Loved it.  I wish it had gone on for twice as long.

[Gheorghe]

14 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Watched Sun Ra:  A Joyful Noise for the first time last night.  Loved it.  I wish it had gone on for twice as long.

2 month ago I bought a DVD from one of the Arkestra Members, they sold them for the audience during intermission. Right now I have to fix my place and a lot of my stuff is sealed, and the DVD-player anyway has some defect, so I´ll have to buy a new one, but I hope that "Space Video" I bought will be the film "Joyful Noise". I don´t know, the written stuff on that tiny DVD explains something about "director´s cut", so it might be a longer version.....

[Teasing the Korean]

6 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

2 month ago I bought a DVD from one of the Arkestra Members, they sold them for the audience during intermission. Right now I have to fix my place and a lot of my stuff is sealed, and the DVD-player anyway has some defect, so I´ll have to buy a new one, but I hope that "Space Video" I bought will be the film "Joyful Noise". I don´t know, the written stuff on that tiny DVD explains something about "director´s cut", so it might be a longer version.....

Cool, let us know!

[Teasing the Korean]

I am working my way through approximately 60 of the recent-ish Sun Ra remasters, from the master tapes.

I am sorting them more or less chronologically - I already understand the inherent challenges with this - and have placed them into folders representing, so far, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

While the Chicago and New York folders contain a digestible number of albums, there are zillions of post-1968 Sun Ra albums in the Philly folder.

I am admittedly much more familiar and intimate with Sonny's Chicago and New York output.  What I would like to know is if there is any meaningful for helpful way to chronologically (or otherwise) sub-categorize the post-1968 albums.  

[kh1958]

1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I am working my way through approximately 60 of the recent-ish Sun Ra remasters, from the master tapes.

I am sorting them more or less chronologically - I already understand the inherent challenges with this - and have placed them into folders representing, so far, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

While the Chicago and New York folders contain a digestible number of albums, there are zillions of post-1968 Sun Ra albums in the Philly folder.

I am admittedly much more familiar and intimate with Sonny's Chicago and New York output.  What I would like to know is if there is any meaningful for helpful way to chronologically (or otherwise) sub-categorize the post-1968 albums.  

Do you have a copy off The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra (2nd ed.)? 

https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-Recordings-Sun-Ra-2nd/dp/1881993353

 

[Teasing the Korean]

4 hours ago, kh1958 said:

Do you have a copy off The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra (2nd ed.)? 

https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-Recordings-Sun-Ra-2nd/dp/1881993353

No, but thanks.  

Edited July 7, 2019 by Teasing the Korean

[Teasing the Korean]

17 hours ago, kh1958 said:

Do you have a copy off The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra (2nd ed.)? 

https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-Recordings-Sun-Ra-2nd/dp/1881993353

So do you subdivide the post-1968 material in any meaningful fashion? 

[kh1958]

19 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

So do you subdivide the post-1968 material in any meaningful fashion? 

That is daunting. In the annotated discography, the first 148 pages cover through 1968; the next 600 pages cover 1969 through his final performance at S.O.B.'s on October 21, 1992. Broadly, I think you would separate the 1970s from the 1980s. The 1970s seem more experimental; he was still performing new material; there was more use of electronic keyboards; more extended outside performances. In the 1980s, he settled into more of a standard repertoire; at some point he mostly stuck to acoustic piano (I read somewhere that his keyboards were stolen). That being said, in the course of the eight sets that I witnessed in 1987 and 1988, he played in virtually every style associated with him.

[Teasing the Korean]

40 minutes ago, kh1958 said:

That is daunting. In the annotated discography, the first 148 pages cover through 1968; the next 600 pages cover 1969 through his final performance at S.O.B.'s on October 21, 1992. Broadly, I think you would separate the 1970s from the 1980s. The 1970s seem more experimental; he was still performing new material; there was more use of electronic keyboards; more extended outside performances. In the 1980s, he settled into more of a standard repertoire; at some point he mostly stuck to acoustic piano (I read somewhere that his keyboards were stolen). That being said, in the course of the eight sets that I witnessed in 1987 and 1988, he played in virtually every style associated with him.

Thanks.  I saw him also in 1988 and the show similarly covered all sorts of styles. 

I should add that I have very little of his 80s music, at least until I got all of these remasters.  I'm still working my way through the New York period, much of which I already had on Evidence CDs.

Edited July 7, 2019 by Teasing the Korean

[imeanyou]

On 6 July 2019 at 4:32 AM, Teasing the Korean said:

I am working my way through approximately 60 of the recent-ish Sun Ra remasters, from the master tapes.

I am sorting them more or less chronologically - I already understand the inherent challenges with this - and have placed them into folders representing, so far, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia.

While the Chicago and New York folders contain a digestible number of albums, there are zillions of post-1968 Sun Ra albums in the Philly folder.

I am admittedly much more familiar and intimate with Sonny's Chicago and New York output.  What I would like to know is if there is any meaningful for helpful way to chronologically (or otherwise) sub-categorize the post-1968 albums.  

Very recently someone  on the r/jazz  subreddit made a lengthy post with a number of links addressing this very topic. Might be worth a look.

[Teasing the Korean]

5 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Thanks.  I saw him also in 1988 and the show similarly covered all sorts of styles. 

Thank you!

[ghost of miles]

The latest episode of Weird Studies, a fascinating podcast co-hosted by my friend Phil Ford, is a deep, deep dive into the esoterica of Ra and Space Is The Place:

Space Is The Place: On Sun Ra, Gnosticism, And The Tarot

[bertrand]

On 5/28/2018 at 1:27 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

What became of Sun Ra's written scores? 

There is a stash at the Library of Congress.

[kh1958]

Another Sun Ra reissue, on Modern Harmonic--Celestial Love, the final studio recording release on the Saturn label, from 1982. This is a very pleasing, balanced and cohesive album, featuring a twelve piece band, the usual amazing John Gilmore solos, five Sun Ra compositions, two of which are present in their only known recording, two Ellington compositions, and two standards.

[jazzbo]

I got and listened to my copy today. Quite nice, and very good sound as are all the recent reissues. A bit "loud" but good tonal balance and dynamic enough.

[kh1958]

Sun Ra, Haverford College 1980, Solo Piano. This is download only, but rather pleasing and perhaps unique, a solo concert by Sun Ra performed entirely on Fender Rhodes piano. A Walt Dickerson performance at the same concert rounds out the program.

https://sunramusic.bandcamp.com/album/haverford-college-1980-solo-piano

 

Edited August 12, 2020 by kh1958