getting started with sun ra

nomos

Administrator
i've been reading a lot about sun ra recently, watched space is the place and done some more listening.

i didn't get it before but now i'm totally enthralled. problem is he and the arkestra put out at least 200+ known recordings and they seem to run the gamut of styles and instrumentation.

sooo, sun ra fans, what are your thoughts on good starting points? and are there some particularly good concert recordings?



* apologies if we've had a thread like this already. the dissensus search won't do terms shorter than 4 characters.
 
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dubble-u-c

Dorkus Maximus
here are a few of my recent favorites.

Lanquidity
The Solar-Myth Approach Volume 1
John Cage Meets Sun Ra
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy-Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow
 

sing_minimal

Well-known member
montreux concert is what you want.

i've been listening to 'the creator of the universe vol.1', 'cosmic tones for mental therapy - art forms of dimensions tomorrow' and 'disco 3000' lately. it's all good!
 

zhao

there are no accidents
oh gosh. where to begin, where to begin... below are a few of my all time faves.

i really love the 1950s swinging big-band and the easy-going pop stuff, but they are already often full of strange goings-on...

singles collection (disc 2 is the bomb)
angles and demons at play (absolutely essential - fucking wicked record)
super sonic jazz (loungy nice chill groovy)
Jazz in Silhouette
Astro Black
Sound of Joy (some really rate this bigband recroding but I don't think it's essential)


the 60s get more psychedelic and tripped out:

Monorails and Satellites
Pictures of Infinity
Sleeping Beauty
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
The Futuristic SOunds of (nice and easy)
Fate in a Pleasant Mood

1970s go from gorgeous proto-trip-hop to full on skronk noise freak-outs (the latter i don't play often and won't include here):

Languidity (very accessible and great)
Bad and Beautiful (going back to the roots on this one)
Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt (very very nice for fans of mid east like me)
Heliocetric Worlds 2 volumes (freak-ish)
The Magic City

the solo piano records are not terribly exciting to me, but nice as well...

_____________________

not sure which aspect of his work is speaking to you right now but if you are anything like me, into the stretching of the boundaries of jazz, but not too chaotic/harsh; if you dig explorations into asian melodies, if you like the haunting, magical and psychedelic beauty of those alien jams, i would also recommend the 1960s recordings of Roland Kirk... "Prepare Thy Self to Deal with a Miracle" i just heard again the other day. speechless.
 

bruno

est malade
i didn't get him either until i was slipped a tape of concert for the comet kohoutek, there is a bit of damaged tinkering there that is unbelievable. and the backing chorus is terrific. the other sun ra that caught my attention was visions, a joint lp with (criminally neglected) walt dickerson, it's the opposite of kohoutek in that it is a pensative, understated sun ra in an intimate setting, very beautiful cosmic city music. a lot of people say the best place to sart with sun ra is space is the place but i would get these two (both are in print, i think).
 

noel emits

a wonderful wooden reason
Yeah, second Concert For The Comet Kohoutek. It's a noisy, spirited live set with some of good examples of Arkestra standards being twisted up and cranked out live.
Also the Space Is The Place album is very essential, as is the processional Discipline 27-11 which I think is from the same session.
Of the more obscure Saturn albums I rate Janus (aka The Invisible Shield) and I Pharoah.
Disco 3000 and Nuclear War are both musts as well, especially as you can actually get them now.
The version of Spontaneous Simplicity on the Shandar album Nuits De La Fondation Maeght Vol. 2 is one of my favourite Ra things of all, doubly nice with spring in the air. This is groovy and joyful.

There are lots of amazing concert recordings, I'll have to have a look through the Rarchives to see what's what.
There's one legendary New Years Eve in Chicago recording I think that gives a good idea of what a peak period Arkestra workout must have been like.

There's also a couple of huge box sets (28 CDs+) of unreleased live recordings doing the rounds at the moment or coming shortly.

Oh yes, I also really love the 'Out There a Minute' compilation on Blast First, there's something a bit different about the recordings on this, quite understated and wistful mostly but remarkable stuff.

Sometime I think it's not possible to have enough Ra. My mp3 player is full of it.
 
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zhao

there are no accidents
yeah Spaceways inc. and Space is the Place are typical of the noise freakout stuff i omitted from my lists... definitely powerful crazy stuff...
 

nomos

Administrator
^^ ;)

thanks for all the suggestions. and zhao for the breakdown. i guess the thing to do is plunge in and sample from the different eras. and i'm not usually one to gravitate toward concert recordings but in this case it seems to be an essential part of the equation.

i think i'll try to check out the documentary A Joyful Noise. i also enjoyed listening to his interview with Henry Dumas (especially the bit about ra bringing a few books to a reluctant malcolm x), with the Arkestra blurting and blaring in the background.

lots of reissue vinyl around right now i've noticed.
 
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PeteUM

It's all grist
My pal MFU has got a bit of a Sonny problem at the moment. If you check this thread about halfway down he does a bit of a basic rundown on what he considers the greatest as of right now. But there's tons of stuff being unearthed all the time. He just told me he got the 28 CD box set in the post today!

Oh yeah, click on "MFU" above to see thread.
 
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slim jenkins

El Hombre Invisible
The 50s stuff has to be a logical starting point, surely. Unless the beginner has a preference for Out There sounds. During all decades that followed Ra has delivered easy and 'uneasy' sounds so I'd advise looking up the most highly rated. Or is that too obvious? Personally, I think his output is a whole world worth exploring. Like the Art Ensemble, he encompasses all forms of great black music as well as creating some of his own.

I've just got the epic Detroit box set too...mindboggling in both size and content!:D
 

noel emits

a wonderful wooden reason
The 50s stuff has to be a logical starting point, surely. Unless the beginner has a preference for Out There sounds.
Well exactly, it's good, sometimes really good, but not that uniquely interesting for the most part.
During all decades that followed Ra has delivered easy and 'uneasy' sounds so I'd advise looking up the most highly rated.
Not so much any more but for ages loads of the best stuff (IMO) went unreissued. There's still a few revelatory Saturn recordings yet to get the treatment, although I have a hard time remembering what's on what disc.
 

nomos

Administrator
The 50s stuff has to be a logical starting point, surely.
yeah that's usually my approach to things - sorting out the history and context. and with ra that could be a years-long project.

angels and demons at play has been on rotation this week.
 

jonny mugwump

exotic pylon
Leo released a live set 2 years go called What Place is This? from 1973- beautifully recorded with more than a leaning towards the freak-out stuff but lots of nice vocals and just totally wonderful really.

I totally envy your discovery of them- its the greatest trip in the world. :D
 

slim jenkins

El Hombre Invisible
yeah that's usually my approach to things - sorting out the history and context. and with ra that could be a years-long project.

angels and demons at play has been on rotation this week.

I think the 50s stuff is great, although it doesn't seem to get mentioned that much since people prefer to refer to the 'far out' material and always associate him with that...pretty logical I suppose. The earlier recordings have a wonderfully warped big band quality, though.

Love the title track from Angels and Demons and 'A Call For All Demons'. Great place to start. ;) Is your disc twinned with The Nubians of Plutonia? Another great set from the same period.
 
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