Jazz By Sun Ra Vol 1 + 2 reissue by Sam Records (Transition / Delmark)

[jimmyjrg]

Available Feb 1, Sam Records is reissuing Sun Ra's first album on Transition, along with a matching volume 2 that was intended for Transition but eventually released by Delmark instead. It's limited to 500 copies, but I don't believe it contains anything that isn't already available elsewhere apart from the matching artwork.

There's some previews of how it looks on Instagram now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFA0eh9O7Ay/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5lEjMvaTw/

[mjazzg]

It's in their Artisan range (single LP at €100) so that's going to €150 at least I'd guess. I hope I'm wrong...

[clifford_thornton]

Very nice, though I already have the trusty Delmark issues of this material. 

El is a Sound of Joy indeed.

[JSngry]

Great records both. Essential.

But...

[clifford_thornton]

cool to see the silver print design for vol. 2, but now that I've seen it I don't need it

would be kinda neat if they reused the Sonet design (I do think that's a wonderfully appealing alternative), but... yeah, this stuff has been out so many times I don't see a reason to do it again. Maybe not private jet wasteful, but pretty wasteful.

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

cool to see the silver print design for vol. 2, but now that I've seen it I don't need it

Hello!

[mjazzg]

What's the best way to hear both sessions at the moment?

[colinmce]

3 hours ago, mjazzg said:

What's the best way to hear both sessions at the moment?

Sun Song and Sound of Joy on Delmark CD. both possibly out of print technically, but not hard to find, and not expensive. 

[clifford_thornton]

they're both listed as available on CD or LP via the Delmark website.

[mjazzg]

Thanks both. I suspected that the Delmarks were the best but it's good to get the confirmation as there's so many reissues about these days.

Now to fill the inexplicable gap on my shelves

Edited Tuesday at 08:05 AM by mjazzg

[romualdo]

pity they didn't add the Ra Transition acetate tracks covering alts/outtakes etc from the same sessions - they need a proper issue

https://musicpriceguide.com/12572/sun-ra-outtakes-1957-acetate-lp-unreleased-transition-unknown-recordings-hear/

[sidewinder]

I'll stick with my Delmark LPs !

[jimmyjrg]

4 hours ago, romualdo said:

pity they didn't add the Ra Transition acetate tracks covering alts/outtakes etc from the same sessions - they need a proper issue

https://musicpriceguide.com/12572/sun-ra-outtakes-1957-acetate-lp-unreleased-transition-unknown-recordings-hear/

I'd really like to hear the Dave Coleman track from that acetate more so than the Sun Ra tracks. Does anyone still have the sample from the auction?

Has a proper tracklisting of that acetate ever been released? I think some of it has seen release, possibly Eve from this compilation as it's from this era according to the description, but I'm not sure. Maybe some on the CD Transitions 1: Spaceship Bop (1955-57)?

I know there's mp3s of a Sun Ra Transition acetate, but the source isn't clear.

In Tom Lord's jazz book the session includes the following (bold indicates unreleased, though these ones are the mp3s floating around):

Quote

Brainville

Call for all demons (tk 2) (false start)

Call for all demons (tk 3)

Transition (tk 1)

Possession (tk 1) (incomplete) (1)

Possession (tk 2) (1)

Street named Hell (tk 1) (false start)

Street named Hell (tk 2)

Lullaby for Realville

Future (incomplete, tb solo only)

Future

Swing a little taste

New Horizons

fragement (p noodling only)

Fall off the Log

Sun song (2)

unidentified ballad *

Delight (tk 1)

Delight (tk 2)

unidentified hard bop

*later identified as Delilah / Majestic 1

Maybe there were some more?

Edited Tuesday at 03:30 PM by jimmyjrg
mentioned identified unknown track

[clifford_thornton]

would be interesting to hear the alternates, at least, but I do feel like we are swimming in Sun Ra at this point and there's material I'd rather see out there before Ra Transition-era false starts. Just my .02 of course.

[Pim]

On 1/20/2025 at 5:31 PM, mjazzg said:

It's in their Artisan range (single LP at €100) so that's going to €150 at least I'd guess. I hope I'm wrong...

I still wonder why those have to be that expensive. It also doesn’t really meet up with what I see as Sam’s buisness philosophy but maybe I am wrong.

[Daniel A]

On 1/21/2025 at 2:37 AM, clifford_thornton said:

they're both listed as available on CD or LP via the Delmark website.

Sun Song on vinyl has run out. But you can get in on quarter track reel-to-reel for $150. (Half track is $475)

Edited yesterday at 02:47 PM by Daniel A

[clifford_thornton]

Jeez. I stand corrected.

At least it seems easily findable on sites like Discogs, especially the later pressings.

[T.D.]

On 1/21/2025 at 3:19 PM, clifford_thornton said:

would be interesting to hear the alternates, at least, but I do feel like we are swimming in Sun Ra at this point and there's material I'd rather see out there before Ra Transition-era false starts. Just my .02 of course.

Very much agreed. Kudos to Sun Ra LLC and others for all the releases, but the flow has become extremely difficult/costly to keep up with. I can't afford to buy everything. Prefer a release of all unheard (by me) material to a reissue of something I already own with a couple of alternates/outtakes added.

Edited 23 hours ago by T.D.

[jazzbo]

I'm so happy for those cds that came out last decade and this decade from the LLC--I have rebought many because the sound is so improved, and I limit the "flow" (the spice must flow as my best friend tells me!) by just buying those releases up to the late 'seventies and disregarding the rest--the criteria I have developed as I find I am very very uninterested and connected to Ra material after that period.

[jimmyjrg]

On 1/21/2025 at 9:19 PM, clifford_thornton said:

would be interesting to hear the alternates, at least, but I do feel like we are swimming in Sun Ra at this point and there's material I'd rather see out there before Ra Transition-era false starts. Just my .02 of course.

That's fair. There's a lot of Sun Ra to wade through right now. But I'd still like to hear all of that Transition acetate @romualdo linked since it has some other Transition artists on it too. It seems unlikely it will ever get an official release for that reason though.

[clifford_thornton]

16 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I'm so happy for those cds that came out last decade and this decade from the LLC--I have rebought many because the sound is so improved, and I limit the "flow" (the spice must flow as my best friend tells me!) by just buying those releases up to the late 'seventies and disregarding the rest--the criteria I have developed as I find I am very very uninterested and connected to Ra material after that period.

I'm in a similar boat. The Ahmed Abdullah book -- one of my favorite jazz memoir-type things ever -- illuminated a lot of it for me, and I did feel more appreciation for later Ra as a result.

[T.D.]

I'm full up on "1980s live Arkestra set" recordings. Open-minded about other periods, but I can't afford* to buy all the flood of releases, so I selectively screen on Bandcamp. Oddly, I really enjoy the 1990 Mayan Temples, though.

 

*Plus, getting old and realize that I've accumulated an absurd # of CDs and objectively don't need any more. 🤪