Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (1961-62)

Recorded about a year after Sun Ra's arrival in New York City, the album Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (released in 1965) features the Arkestra leader stretching out in all directions. Whether he was influenced by the city's surrounding musical atmosphere (which was about to explode into the free jazz phenomena) or simply feeling comfortable enough amidst the urban sprawl to finally present long-gestating avant-garde ideas, either way sessions recorded at Choreographer's Workshop during this period demonstrate a bold break from the "space bop" developed during the preceding Chicago years (although Side A of Angels and Demons at Play had certainly already started pushing boundaries).

The first 5 tracks were probably recorded in 1962 at Choreographer's Workshop, NYC. Aside from a somber reading of "Ankh", these are made up of "performance artifacts"  showcasing Sun Ra's most experimental side so far, and seem to reflect contemporaneous "cinematic" trends in European classical music (Stockhausen, Kagel, Morricone) more than groove-oriented swing or bebop. The last 3 tunes (including the 2014 bonus track "Chicago, Southside") were recorded during the 1961 sessions which produced Bad and Beautiful and have more conventional structures and rhythms, but even these seem to be on the edge of veering off into new astro-acoustic arenas during their fade-outs.

Irwin Chusid writes (on the Sun Ra Bandcamp release page):

"Cluster of Galaxies" and "Solar Drums" are modernistic percussion soundscapes, bracketing "Ankh #1," a swaggering R&B rework of a late '50s tune from the artist's Chicago years. "The Outer Heavens," sans rhythm section, echoes Third Stream chamber jazz, while "Infinity of the Universe" offsets a percussion battalion with thunderous low-register piano. "Lights on a Satellite" and "Kosmos in Blue," both recorded at an earlier Choreographer's session, ground the set on terra firma with some stylish hard bop. "Lights" remained a staple in Sunny's concert repertoire for the rest of his life. 

Personnel:

Sun Ra: Piano, Sun Harp, Spiral Percussion Gong, Dragon Drum
John Gilmore: Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet, Percussion
Marshall Allen: Alto Sax, Bells, Percussion
Pat Patrick: Baritone Sax, Percussion, Clarinet, Thunder Drums
Ronnie Boykins: Bass

with
Ali Hassan: Trombone on "Ankh"
Manny Smith: Trumpet on "The Outer Heavens"
Clifford Thornton: Trumpet on "Infinity of the Universe"
John Ore: Second Bass on "Kosmos in Blue", "Lights On A Satellite" and "Chicago, Southside"
C. Scoby Stroman: Drums on "Ankh" and "Solar Drums"
Clifford Jarvis: Drums on "Infinity of the Universe"
Tommy Hunter: Drums, Percussion on "Cluster of Galaxies", "Lights on a Satellite" and "Kosmos in Blue", Reverb Effects

1. "Cluster of Galaxies"

This piece comes across like an aural journey through outer space, as the listener encounters various forms of stellar phenomena. It opens with Sun Ra on plucked Sun Harp and ringing Spiral Percussion Gong summoning a wordless "mating call" of some sort. This texture is then enriched by high-pitched echo-feedback, courtesy of recordist/percussionist Tommy Hunter. Low, metallic percussion then dominates the eerie proceedings, punctuated by mysterious "thumpings". After a pulsing gong interlude (evoking Buddhist monastery imagery), the Sun Harp returns with a few brief arpeggios to usher in a final, ringing flourish. Aside from Hunter, Pat Patrick also plays Thunder Drum on this track.

2. "Ankh (#1)"

This is a septet arrangement of "Ankh" (also recorded earlier in 1956 for Sound of Joy and 1961 for Bad and Beautiful), featuring Sun Ra (p), Ali Hassan (tb), Marshall Allen (as), John Gilmore (ts), Pat Patrick (bars), Ronnie Boykins (b) and C. Scoby Stroman (d). Like the version on Bad and Beautiful, it omits the 1956 introductory section and quickly goes to the swinging "jam" riff featuring swaying, low register brass. Ali Hassan soon offers up a somewhat disconsolate trombone solo, followed by Pat Patrick in a more boisterous baritone sax lead. Ronnie Boykins' elastic bass takes the final spotlight. The tune ends in a fade out as Sun Ra injects a few final "rolled" piano figures.

3. "Solar Drums"

This tune features waves of percussion textures (courtesy of Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, C. Scoby Stroman and Sun Ra) processed with reverb effects applied by Tommy Hunter. Sun Ra and Ronnie Boykins eventually add scintillating piano and murky bass shapes, but Hunter's lurching application of the reverb effect makes the aural image go in and out of view.

4. "The Outer Heavens" 

This drumless sextet (Sun Ra (p); Manny Smith (tp); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (clarinet!); Ronnie Boykins (b)) is structured around mischievous rising-falling figures from Boykins' bass and Sun Ra's piano, while the horns offer up free-spirited melodic lines over a nebulous harmony. At times the horns lock into sequences based on short repeated motifs, an idea which would be more fully explored many years later in Sun Ra's "Discipline" compositions. Solos from Marshall Allen and John Gilmore soon push the band into a free-jazz dynamic, after which Sun Ra's pounding piano is briefly spotlighted. The piece ends in a fade-out, possibly hinting at a much longer original performance.

5. "Infinity of the Universe"

This tune features a percussion ensemble made up of Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick and Clifford Jarvis (with Tommy Hunter providing subtle reverb effects). After an opening dominated by melodic percussion, menacing piano/bass riffs (Sun Ra and Ronnie Boykins) enter to evoke a more forbidding atmosphere. Sun Ra then begins hammering out dark, unrelenting piano accents, while members of the percussion ensemble approach and recede from the borders of the aural soundscape. A drum solo (Clifford Jarvis) is spotlighted in the middle section, after which a rhythmic "rave up" ensues, this time with the addition of Clifford Thornton's trumpet and a bit of John Gilmore's bass clarinet.

6. "Lights on a Satellite"
Sun Ra (p); John Gilmore (ts); Pat Patrick (bars); Ronnie Boykins (b); John Ore (b); Tommy Hunter (d)

This take of "Lights On A Satellite" (of which an earlier version can be heard on 1965's Fate In A Pleasant Mood) opens directly into the tart, somewhat "tipsy" main theme, here led by John Gilmore's smoky tenor sax. A secondary, more accented brass figure soon appears (the "middle eight"), before a restatement of the first theme. Sun Ra then offers up a bluesy pub-style piano solo followed by a soulful tenor lead from Gilmore. The song begins to fade out just as Sun Ra begins pushing the harmony towards more mysterious coordinates...

7. "Kosmos in Blue" 
Sun Ra (p); John Gilmore (ts); Ronnie Boykins (b); John Ore (b); Tommy Hunter (d) 

Monk-like piano figures from Sun Ra are soon joined by limber bass lines from Ronnie Boykins and second bassist John Ore, leading the groove towards a light swing rhythm (although Ra's unusual comping keeps things a bit "edgey"). Tommy Hunter (on drums) soon initiates a series of exchanges with Ra's piano and Boykins' bass. Eventually, John Gilmore enters with a dry tenor sax solo (somewhat recalling his angular playing from Futuristic Sounds' "Jet Flight"), followed by a return to lead exchanges between Ra, Hunter and John Ore (replacing Boykins in this round). In the final stretch, Gilmore returns one more time to lay out a more formal theme melody before a slightly-ragged ending cadence.

8. "Chicago, Southside"
Sun Ra (p); John Gilmore (ts); John Ore (b); Tommy Hunter (d)

This 2014 Bandcamp "bonus track" is also a bar-room blues number, but is markedly more frenetic than the previous tracks. Percussive piano accents from Sun Ra soon usher in another biting, hard-bop tenor lead from John Gilmore, this time backed by John Ore's tireless walking bass. Sun Ra soon offers up a syncopated "kosmo-blues" solo, after which Ore gets his own spotlight. Floating piano slams soon lead to a second solo from Sun Ra, still in "stellar" mode. The song fades out on a stuttering Gilmore tenor figure, offering a tantalizing hint of an original longer performance, cut off whilst in the midst of mutating into something again very different.

Links
2014 Bandcamp Release 
Apple Music  
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry

Bad and Beautiful (1961)

Shortly after relocating to New York City from Chicago, Sun Ra and the remaining Arkestra members (now a sextet) began informal sessions at a new rehearsal space, Choreographers’ Workshop on West 51st Street. There, Sun Ra's old friend Tommy Hunter used some relatively low-budget gear to record their informal performances, some of which eventually appeared in 1972 on the album Bad and Beautiful. Although a relatively conventional offering (especially compared to what the Arkestra were performing live at the time of its release), it features some great, lyrical playing from a returning Pat Patrick and the always reliable John Gilmore. From a compositional standpoint, the jagged riff driving "Exotic Two" may be the album's highlight, although Gilmore's tenor solo in "Searchlight Blues" is also fascinating for the way he manipulates time. The new, looser version of "Ankh" here (also on Sound of Joy) offers a hint of how Sun Ra would continue to create new arrangements of the older Chicago tunes for more modern times.

In his 1993 article "Sun Ra - Supersonic Sounds From Saturn", Robert L. Campbell writes:

Movie themes and show tunes like “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “And this is My Beloved” were presented in a gorgeous set of arrangements, without improvisation. Countering this refinement were earthier numbers like “On the Blue Side” and a remake of “Ankh,” both featuring Patrick’s gritty baritone sax. “Exotic Two” is a Latin piece with the dry, hard, percussive piano sound that Ra began to cultivate around this time. “Search Light Blues” belongs to Gilmore. His entry is gauzy, almost Getzian, his solo filled with yearning and mystery. Even through the sonic dinge, you can hear his upper register making the practice room ring.

Personnel:

Sun Ra: Piano
John Gilmore: Tenor Sax
Marshall Allen: Alto Sax, Flute
Pat Patrick: Baritone Sax, Percussion
Ronnie Boykins: Bass
Tommy Hunter: Drums

Recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop, New York in either November or December 1961. All compositions by Sun Ra except where noted.

1. "Bad and the Beautiful" (Previn, Raksin) 

In this lush reading of the theme from the film The Bad and the Beautiful, John Gilmore's tenor sax navigates through the main melody while Marshall Allen's flute adds counterpoint figures (although Allen's flute is featured alone in the bridge section). In the final stretch of the piece, Allen and Gilmore play through the theme together in a harmonized line.

2. "Ankh"

This is a new version of the song from Sound of Joy. In this faster, "jam" version, the opening sections are omitted, and instead the lurching bridge section is used as the song's main riff. Pat Patrick's bluesy baritone sax is featured first, followed by Sun Ra's lyrical piano and then Ronnie Boykins' rubbery bass. Some percussive piano accents eventually turn the song back towards the main theme section.

3. "Just in Time" (Styne, Comden, Green)

John Gilmore plays the main melody of this lively Broadway show tune on tenor sax with a warm, rounded tone, leading into a smokey solo. Sun Ra then enters with a soulful piano solo of his own, followed by a Gilmore taking the song out on a final, somewhat more pointed solo chorus.

4. "Search Light Blues"

This is a patient, "searching" blues, opening with a juddering piano trio. John Gilmore soon offers up a solo in which he plays around with the bar line, incorporating clever accents and silences into his figures. Sun Ra eventually enters with a piano solo which similarly plays with rhythm and but also pushes outwards against the blues harmony. Gilmore soon finishes off the tune with a final solo statement.

5. "Exotic Two"

A slippery, accented bass and piano figure opens this tune, driven by uptempo ride cymbal and percussion figures. Sun Ra's ensuing piano solo veers towards classical harmonic territory, after which a percussion interlude arrives. Sun Ra eventually leads this tantalizing piece to a close with jagged piano ornaments. Despite the "foreign" nature of its main riff, this song nonetheless comes off as being quite charming.

6. "On the Blue Side"

This lively swing-blues features a sharply-articulated baritone sax solo from Pat Patrick in the opening choruses, followed by an agile piano solo from Sun Ra (containing only a hint of chromaticism). Patrick then returns in a final outro solo.

7. "And This is My Beloved" (Borodin, Wright, Forrest)

This is a romantic Broadway show tune featuring a rich Sun Ra harmonization of the main theme using horns and flute. Mostly a restrained reading, it's nonetheless interesting to listen for the subtle variations the musicians bring to the material. 

"Street of Dreams" (Victor Young, Sam Lewis)

This "lost outtake" (included on the 2014 Bandcamp digital release) opens with Sun Ra extemporizing on piano, after which bass and drums summon up a slow ballad groove. After a few choruses continuing to feature Sun Ra in "romantic mode", Pat Patrick's crisp baritone sax enters with a heartfelt solo of his own.

Links
2014 Bandcamp Release 
Apple Music  
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry

The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (1961)

The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (1962, recorded 1961) represents a transitional period for Sun Ra and the Arkestra in more ways than one. Aside from their musical evolution towards more avant-garde forms of jazz, the band were also in the process of relocating to New York City (in this aspect more through necessity than by design). Although the Arkestra at this point lost a few members around this time, they also saw the return of a couple old friends (Pat Patrick, Tommy Hunter) and the arrival of some new players (at least for this session).

Shortly after their landing in NYC, Tom Wilson (responsible for Jazz By Sun Ra's financing) gave the band the opportunity to go into a Newark, N.J. studio and record a fresh album, eventually titled The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra. On this session, the Arkestra quintet was fortified with contributions from guest performers such as Detroit euphonium/trombone player Bernard McKinney, drummer Willie Jones and conga drummer Leah Ananda. Additionally, Marshall Allen began playing the "morrow", a homemade instrument which consists of a clarinet mouthpiece attached to a shakuhachi, allowing for a timbre in between both. With the entire Arkestra also contributing on percussion, these new timbres allowed for the band to reach out even farther towards a bop/exotica/avant-garde "spaceways" sound. "The Beginning", "New Day" and "Looking Outward" in particular lean towards some some avant-garde ("free") tendencies which would be even more fully embraced in just a couple years.

In his 1997 book Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra, John F. Szwed writes:

Sun Ra had the octet plus vocalist format he often used in Chicago, and they produced a record which could have easily represented their repertoire during an evening at a club there: included were some especially angular and contrapuntally played bebop tunes like “Jet Flight,” Latin vamps, ballads such as “China Gate” (sung by Ricky Murray in a Billy Eckstine baritone against bells and gongs), and modal pieces like “Where Is Tomorrow,” with two flutes and a bass clarinet improvising collectively over a lower-register single-chord figure on the piano against a tambourine back-beat. But there was also something new: in “The Beginning,” wood blocks, maracas, claves, and conga drum established a fast pulse over which a long, languorous exchange was set up between bass clarinet and trombone free of any harmonic structure or song form; and in “New Day,” the same open form allowed Gilmore’s bass clarinet and Marshall Allen’s homemade morrow (a Japanese shakuhachi with a Bb clarinet mouthpiece) to intertwine freely, yet play with a beat and atmospherics which could have come straight from Martin Denny’s exotic workshop in Hawaii, all of it buoyantly danceable.

In his 1993 article "Sun Ra - Supersonic Sounds From Saturn", Robert L. Campbell notes John Coltrane's interest in John Gilmore's playing at the time, as demonstrated in the track "Jet Flight". 

After a frenetic bop head, Gilmore launches into a punchy, fragmented solo, full of abrupt stops and starts. “Space Jazz Reverie” offers another sample. Pieces like “New Day” and “Looking Outward” on the Savoy album are jaunts through the bush, with sinuous winds gliding over congas, bongos, sticks, bells, and scrapers. Marshall Allen used his flute on these pieces; Gilmore used the bass clarinet he had picked up shortly before leaving Chicago. He had a genial, woody tone in his lower register, and a keening cry up top.

Personnel:

Sun Ra: Piano
Marshall Allen: Alto Sax, Flute, Morrow (shakuhachi with clarinet mouthpiece attached)
John Gilmore: Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet
Pat Patrick: Baritone Sax
Ronnie Boykins: Bass
Willie Jones: Drums
Bernard McKinney (Kiane Zawadi): Trombone, Euphonium
Leah Ananda: Conga
Ricky Murray: Vocals (on "China Gate").
Additional percussion by the members of the Arkestra.

The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (rel. 1962)

All tracks recorded at Medallion Studio, Newark, NJ, October 10th. 1961 and written by Sun Ra (except for "China Gate", Harold Adamson, Victor Young). 

1. "Bassism"

This loping mid-tempo piece opens on a jovial bass riff with lurching piano ornaments on top, but soon features rounded horns in an AABA main theme section. Bassist Ronnie Boykins then introduces two solos, a swirling flute lead featuring Marshall Allen, followed by a bluesier spotlight from Bernard McKinney (trombone, with brass and cowbell adding accent figures). After a brief bowed bass transition, McKinney continues to solo over the main theme's final chorus.

2. "Of Sounds And Something Else"

A modulating piano trio leads into a mid-tempo swing tune featuring solos from McKinney (trombone), John Gilmore (tenor sax), and Sun Ra (piano) over a fairly straightforward harmony. McKinney's muted euphonium is featured over a restatement of the theme at the end.

3. "What's That?"

This is a churning up-tempo swing tune with a thorny, accented head melody. McKinney takes a solo on trombone, followed by a collective lead section featuring intertwining horn lines from Pat Patrick, Marshall Allen and John Gilmore. Afterwards, Sun Ra offers a witty lead on his own, followed by a return of the main theme.  

4. "Where Is Tomorrow?"

This relaxed, swaying swing tune has some interesting syncopated figures in its main theme. This is followed by a mischievous modal vamp featuring a duet between Marshall Allen's flute and John Gilmore's bass clarinet. Sun Ra is then featured in a solo where he plays around with some low-register figures, after which the main theme returns.  

5. "The Beginning"

Threads of exotic percussion sounds open this piece, but soon coalesce into a tapestry over which Gilmore (bass clarinet) and McKinnon (muted euphonium) present "primeval" figures drifting on a river of free harmony. Sun Ra and Marshall Allen (briefly on flute) eventually join in as well, with Ra's piano steering the piece towards a somewhat more centralized modality. The piece eventually returns to the forest of percussion, punctuated with Boykins' bass pulses.

6. "China Gate" (Harold Adamson, Victor Young)

This arrangement features Ricky Murray's plaintive vocals and a plethora of bells over an eastern-sounding processional groove. Sun Ra eventually takes a brief piano solo (featuring an "ethnic" flavor), after which a final vocal chorus leads the song to a "ringing" end.

7. "New Day"

An accented bass figure and exotic percussion textures introduce a mid-tempo groove, allowing for the entrance of Marshall Allen playing a shakuhachi fitted with a clarinet mouthpiece (a "morrow"). The groove eventually becomes a bit more elaborate, over which Allen continues his solo on shakuhachi but with the clarinet attachment discarded. A bass vamp brings on a brief duet between Allen on morrow and Gilmore on bass clarinet, before a percussion spotlight finishes off the piece.

8. "Tapestry From An Asteroid" 

A nuanced piano trio opens this lushly-orchestrated ballad. After the theme statement (led by McKinnon's euphonium), the brass ensemble usher in an inviting bridge section before the main theme returns. This relatively simple tune would be further developed over the years in many live arrangements. An earlier version of this tune would later surface on the album We Travel the Spaceways (1967).

9. "Jet Flight"

This uptempo swing tune has a limber bebop head featuring tricky accents and understated counterpoint lines. John Gilmore then presents a bracing solo filled with jagged rhythmic figures (one can imagine this particular lead influencing John Coltrane's solo flight in "Chasin' the Trane", recorded at the Village Vanguard that same year). McKinney follows with a solo on trombone, while Sun Ra adds a final solo rife with clever syncopation. A final restatement of the theme closes out this "hot-rodded" swing-bop number. 

10. "Looking Outward"

A tight snare beat rhythm introduces an eerie harmony on winds (Marshall Allen on flute and Gilmore on bass clarinet). Allen and Gilmore's parts soon bifurcate into separate threads, expanding the florid atmosphere into multiple layers of harmony. Finally, a conga solo by guest percussionist Leah Ananda finishes off this moody piece.

11. "Space Jazz Reverie"

This bouncy mid-tempo swing-bop tune has a nebulous opening theme featuring piano and trombone which is soon joined by slightly less-forbidding accents from the rest of the horn section. This is followed by a spotlight section in which Sun Ra injects nimble piano leads in between solos from McKinnon (trombone), Gilmore (bass clarinet and then tenor sax), and Marshall Allen (alto sax), before a final restatement of the theme.

Links
Wiki Entry 

AllMusic
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry

We Travel the Spaceways (1956-61)/Music From Tomorrow's World (1960)

Although not released until 1967, We Travel the Spaceways is comprised of much earlier Arkestra recordings from Sun Ra's Chicago period. These tracks range from one recorded from even before the 1956 Jazz By Sun Ra sessions ("New Horizons") and lead up to a couple from one of the Arkestra's last Chicago sessions in 1961 ("Eve" and "Space Loneliness"). Although a fairly short album (only 24 minutes), the songs are all Sun Ra "classics", and rearranged versions of these tunes would see live performances for decades to come.

We Travel the Spaceways (rel. 1967)
Recording dates and musician credits below are from "From Sonny Blount to Sun Ra: The Chicago Years" © Robert L. Campbell, Christopher Trent, and Robert Pruter.

1. "Interplanetary Music" (recorded Chicago, 1960)
Sun Ra (cosmic tone org); Phil Cohran (violin-uke, voc); John Gilmore (cosmic bells, voc); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); prob. William Cochran (d); prob. Marshall Allen (perc).

This good-natured "cha-cha" has no brass in it, but rather features percussion (William Cochran), bowed bass and ukelin (Ronnie Boykins, Phil Cohran), "cosmic tone organ" (Sun Ra) and an amiable vocal chant ("Interplanetary... Interplanetary... Interplanetary music...). The first section presents a playful vibe, but the tempo switches into a more determined uptempo riff in the "middle eight" (Interplanetary melodies... Interplanetary harmonies..."). Boykins' bowed bass is then featured in a creaking "fiddle" duet with Phil Cohran's ukelin, followed by a return of the vocal chant. A final ukelin strum ends this unique piece which, even today, defies categorization. A more sedate version of "Interplanetary Music" (recorded in Milwaukee of the same year) can be found on the album Interstellar Low Ways.

2. "Eve" (recorded Pershing Lounge, Chicago, July 13, 1961)
Sun Ra (p); Walter Strickland (tp); prob. Dick Griffin (tb); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Ronnie Boykins (b); Billy Mitchell (d).

A brief, harmonically-nebulous piano and bass duet lead to a swaying brass theme over syncopated bass pulses, followed by a section featuring tense horn figures. A sudden trumpet-led uptempo groove then appears, which soon coalesces into an understated brass theme. A third texture arrives in the form of a loping mid-tempo groove driven by an accented bass and piano figure. It's interesting to compare this more focused version of "Eve" with the one recorded 5 years earlier (which can be heard on Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth).

3. "We Travel the Spaceways" (recorded prob. Wonder Inn, Chicago, around October 1960)
Sun Ra (p); George Hudson (tp); Marshall Allen (as, bells, flying saucer, voc); John Gilmore (ts, perc, voc); Ronnie Boykins (b, perc, voc); Jon Hardy (d).

A piano/drums-driven "travelling song" vamp ushers in the earliest recorded version of an Arkestra "space chant": "We travel the spaceways... from planet to planet..." The three horns soon echo the theme, after which the band then swerves into a noirish B section. Vocals eventually return (in the form of humming), after which the "space vehicle" reaches its destination and comes to a halt. In his 1997 book Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra, John F. Szwed writes: 

...the step-wise descending melody (of the space chant) is oddly affecting, especially since it is accompanied near the end by toy robot noises. The stress in the rhythm (as in “Space Loneliness”) is on the fourth beat of the bar, a practice then popular with groups like Miles Davis'; but when the Arkestra used it to accompany their marches through the audience, it marked the place for a “bunny-hop” step.

4. "Tapestry from an Asteroid" (recorded Chicago, 1960)
Sun Ra (p); Phil Cohran (tp); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Ronald Wilson (baritone sax); Ronnie Boykins (b); Jon Hardy (d). 

This is a fairly lush piano-driven ballad with a trumpet-led theme. The brass ensemble then enter with a softly-accented bridge section before the trumpet theme returns. This relatively simple tune would be further developed over the years in many live arrangements (for example, see below).

5. "Space Loneliness" (recorded Pershing Lounge, Chicago, July 13, 1961)
Sun Ra (p); Walter Strickland (tp); prob. Dick Griffin (tb); Marshall Allen (as); John Gilmore (ts); Ronnie Boykins (b); Billy Mitchell (d).

A thorny piano trio intro soon leads to a world-weary brass-driven blues. A slightly brighter groove then appears, allowing trumpet player Walter Strickland to take a solo (over stuttering horn accents). Sun Ra then takes his own wide-ranging piano solo, followed by a sprightly alto sax lead from Marshall Allen. Sun Ra then returns for a second solo chorus, before the forlorn opening theme returns to finish out the piece. An even "heavier" version of this tune appears on Interstellar Low Ways. 

6. "New Horizons" (Balkan Studio, Chicago, April 13, 1956)
Sun Ra (p, Wurlitzer ep); Art Hoyle (tp); Julian Priester (tb); James Scales (as); Pat Patrick (bar s); Wilburn Green (el. bs); Robert Barry (d) (with John Gilmore on space bells, perc).

A luxuriating piano intro leads to a romantic ballad featuring Art Hoyle's trumpet. After this spotlight section winds down, the bass and drums (toms) begin to percolate, bringing the song's energy to a higher level for the remainder of the piece. This tune was originally composed in the early 1950s during some of Sun Ra's initial Chicago years. Another version of this song (recorded a few months later) appears on the 1957 album Jazz By Sun Ra.

7. "Velvet" (recorded Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960)
Sun Ra (bells, perc, p); Phil Cohran (cnt); Nate Pryor (tb); John Gilmore (ts); Marshall Allen (as); Ronnie Boykins (b, voc); John L. Hardy (d, perc, gong).

Sun Ra's piano opens this light-hearted, uptempo swing theme led by brass. Phil Cohran then delivers an ebullient cornet solo (over some roiling brass accompaniment in some choruses), followed by leads from John Gilmore on tenor sax, Sun Ra on piano and then a return to the main theme (with more lead breaks interspersed over and in between theme statements). This song was also recorded the previous year for Jazz In Silhouette and appears in many live sets (see below).

Links
2014 Bandcamp Release 
Apple Music  
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry

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Music From Tomorrow's World (released 1960)

This album, released in 2002 by Atavistic, contains excerpts from two concerts/sessions from 1960 performed by an octet version of the Arkestra. Although the "bootleg" recording quality is far from optimal (there's practically a running commentary from one enthusiastic audience member), these recordings are valuable for giving a good glimpse of the Arkestra's live sound at the end of the Chicago era.

Live at the Wonder Inn:

Sun Ra - Piano, Electric Piano, Percussion
John Gilmore - Tenor Saxophone
Marshall Allen - Alto Saxophone, Flute
George Hudson - Trumpet
Ronnie Boykins - Bass
John L. Hardy - Drums
Ricky Murray - Lead Vocals on "'S Wonderful", "China Gate"

1. "Angels & Demons At Play": This tune in 5/4 features a playful Marshall Allen flute solo, after which bassist Ronnie Boykins begins shifting around the beat.
2. "Spontaneous Simplicity": Although only Allen is credited on flute, this version of the song actually features two flutes navigating the cheerful melody.
3. "Space Aura": John Gilmore reaches escape velocity on this fast swing tune (from Interstellar Low-Ways), while George Hudson takes it the rest of the way to Saturn.
4. "'S Wonderful" (George & Ira Gershwin): This Gershwin cover features Ricky Murray's lead vocal with the Arkestra on backup. John Gilmore and Sun Ra provide some relatively innocuous solos.
5. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George & Ira Gershwin): After solos from George Hudson, Sun Ra and John Gilmore (with some nice staccato phrasing), the Arkestra sing a single ending chorus.
6. "How High The Moon" (Morgan Lewis): This features a barely-audible Sun Ra "call and response declamation" in the beginning ("If we are here/Why can't we be there?"), after which the band take off on a fiery reading of this standard. Gilmore, Hudson, Boykins, Hardy, Ra (on electric piano) are featured soloists, with Gilmore again standing out.
7. "China Gate" (Harold Adamson, Victor Young): Although a standard, the arrangement of this tune seems to be carried over from that of Ra's own "India" from Super-Sonic Jazz. Ricky Murray and the Arkestra provide atmospheric vocals for this bit of exotica. Marshall Allen is featured on flute for this piece.

The Majestic Hall Session (studio rehearsal?):

Sun Ra - Piano
John Gilmore - Tenor Saxophone
Marshall Allen - Alto Saxophone, Flute
Gene Easton - Alto Saxophone
Ronald Wilson - Baritone Saxophone
Phil Cohran - Cornet
Ronnie Boykins - Bass
Robert Barry - Drums

8. Unknown (Hobart Dotson): This ballad (dubbed "Majestic 1" on the CD) features Ronald Wilson's languorous baritone sax over thickly-orchestrated brass. 
9. "Ankhnaton": This track is more of a percussion showcase punctuated with some unruly piano trio sequences. The actual song only makes its appearance in the explosive final minute. Other, more "formal" versions of "Ankhnaton" can be found on The Nubians of Plutonia and Fate In A Pleasant Mood.
10. "Possession" (Harry Revel): A 1956 studio version of this Les Baxter cover (featuring John Gilmore's ballad skills) can be found on Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1. Unlike the earlier version, this reading has a more uptempo section for part of the tenor solo. Gilmore here also gets an extended outro solo amidst brass fanfares.
11. "Tapestry From An Asteroid": Unlike the studio version from We Travel the Spaceways (with George Hudson on trumpet), this song extract (which starts in midst of the tenor solo) features John Gilmore's tenor sax and Phil Cohran's cornet.
12. Unknown: This unidentified song (dubbed "Majestic 2" on the CD) is a boisterous swing number with an opening vibe similar to that from "Medicine For A Nightmare" (Super-Sonic Jazz). After a nicely-articulated rhythmic theme, Phil Cohran, John Gilmore, and Ronald Wilson (baritone sax) provide rollicking solos over a fairly straight-forward harmony.
13. Unknown: Another unidentified tune, the head features some unusually-harmonized "fanfare" chords. Phil Cohran is the primary soloist, although Marshall Allen gets a brief flute spotlight near the end. 
14. Unknown: This unidentified "scenic" tune starts out with a piano intro and an atmospheric exotica groove, but soon launches into a big brassy theme with thundering drums. Stuttering brass accents underline solos from Phil Cohran, John Gilmore, Ronald Wilson, Ronnie Boykins (on bowed bass) and Robert Barry, after which a rising bridge takes the song to a final theme blowout.
15. "Velvet": Sun Ra's solo piano intro is a bit more extended here than usual. Wilson, Sun Ra, Cohran and Gilmore deliver as usual in the solo sections while Barry's drums propel one of the most forceful readings of this Arkestra classic (also on Jazz In Silhouette and We Travel the Spaceways).
16. "A Call For All Demons": This short reading of the 1956 tune from Angels And Demons At Play and Jazz By Sun Ra starts out brashly but soon becomes more subdued at around the halfway point.
17. "Interstellar Low-Ways" (Introduction): This is just a brief vamp excerpt and fades out quickly.

Allmusic Entry

Fate In A Pleasant Mood/Holiday For Soul Dance (1960)

Released in 1965, the album Fate In A Pleasant Mood was recorded during a marathon session in Milwaukee on June 14, 1960, the same session which produced tracks for Interstellar Low Ways, Holiday For Soul Dance (see below), Angels and Demons at Play and We Travel The Space Ways. Like those albums, it shows Sun Ra and his Arkestra consolidating the progress made in the preceding Chicago years and sees them continue to stretch the boundaries of harmony in a swing context (in other words, Sun Ra's themes here are as dry and witty as ever). Featuring one of the smaller Arkestra line-ups in this era (a seven-piece), the album also has Marshall Allen and John Gilmore demonstrate their flute and clarinet skills as a back up wind section (for example on "Lights On A Satellite").

In his 1993 article "Sun Ra - Supersonic Sounds From Saturn", Robert L. Campbell writes that the album...

"...emphasizes intimate Ra scores; the joyful, vaguely Caribbean “Fate in a Pleasant Mood” makes its debut, along with the mysteries of “The Others in their World,” the lush ballad “Lights of a Satellite,” the tangy blues “Ankhnaton,” and the middle-Eastern mambo “Kingdom of Thunder.” A suite called “Space Mates” offers star turns by Hardy with mallets and Allen on flute." 

In his 1997 book Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra, John F. Szwed notes that:

This would be the last record of Sun Ra’s band from Chicago, and it includes “Space Mates”, a ballad for flute, piano, and drums which moves from free tempo to a slow ballad tempo and then back to free time; “Lights of a Satellite” with its Ellingtonish voicings; and “Distant Stars,” bebop with a startling harmonic configuration.

Personnel:

There's some confusion about the personnel on this session, but for the most part the names below are taken from "From Sonny Blount to Sun Ra: The Chicago Years" © Robert L. Campbell, Christopher Trent, and Robert Pruter.

Sun Ra: piano
John Gilmore: tenor sax, clarinet, percussion
Marshall Allen: alto sax, flute, bells
Phil Cohran: trumpet, cornet 
Nate Pryor: trombone, bells
Ronnie Boykins: bass
John L. Hardy: drums

(Some sources credit Lucious Randolph on trumpet instead of Phil Cohran.)

Fate In A Pleasant Mood (released 1965) 

Recorded at Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960.

1. "The Others in Their World"

In this brief film-noirish piece, an understated opening leads to a warm, relaxed swing groove. Phil Cohran soon launches into a wide-open trumpet solo over a stomp groove, followed by a concise, undulating piano solo from Sun Ra. The shadowy opening sequence returns one more time to finish the piece.

2. "Space Mates"

The first part of this suite-like number features Sun Ra's piano and John Hardy's drums charting out a drifting "space waltz", punctuated by accents, rolls and sudden moments of silence. A second section in straight time (but still in a floating, ruminative mode) features a flute theme played by Marshall Allen, under which Sun Ra continues to slip in some "solar" keyboard harmonies. Hardy is then featured in a percussion program which shows off his skills with light and shade (and is eventually joined by intermittent, pulsing bass accents from Ronnie Boykins). This mood is then briefly transformed into a kind of extraterrestrial "hoe-down" before it settles back down into a closing piano cadenza in which Sun Ra revisits the earlier proceedings.

3. "Lights on a Satellite" 

This solo-less tune is notable for its tart top line and the imaginative way in which Sun Ra's orchestration mixes brass and wind textures (Marshall Allen and John Gilmore start out on saxophones but midway through the tune switch to flute and clarinet). 

After Ronnie Boykins' concise bass introduction, a tart, somewhat "tipsy" theme appears, led by Cohran's trumpet. A secondary, more accented brass figure soon appears, before a restatement of the first theme. Boykins's bowed bass is then featured, followed by a winds vamp based on the bass figure from the first theme (played by Marshall Allen and John Gilmore, now on flute and clarinet), leading back to Cohran's trumpet restatement of the main theme and a reprise of the accented figure, this time highlighted by the winds.  

4. "Distant Stars" (Ra-Boykins) 

This uptempo piece features a wry, drily-harmonized brass theme which incorporates some interesting contrapuntal lines. Phil Cohran then takes a boppish trumpet solo, followed by Gilmore on tenor sax. An accented wind figure then ushers in Sun Ra, whose piano solo modulates somewhere between swing and space-bop. A restatement of the theme finishes off this tightly-arranged composition.

5. "Kingdom of Thunder" (Ra-Allen) 

This amiable percussion-exotica showcase (highlighting John Hardy) features a main theme on flute and clarinet (Marshall Allen, John Gilmore). Phil Cohran (or Lucious Randolph?) soon enters with a bouncy trumpet solo over an exotic modal groove, followed by a flute solo (Allen again, here exploring some interesting variations of the secondary theme). After a short drum break the main theme returns, followed by a coda featuring an even more congenial variation of the main theme.

6. "Fate in a Pleasant Mood" 

This gently-swaying tune has a bright "scenic" flavor similar to that found in other Ra tone-portraits like "Planet Earth" and "Paradise". Although Sun Ra does allow himself a brief piano lead in the middle stretch, the song's main charm is the way in which Ra manages to re-orchestrate the modulating main theme in different variations throughout the piece. The B section of the theme also has some nice angularity to it.

7. "Ankhnaton"

An infectious loping piano figure introduces a lurching brass theme (including a zig-zagging secondary figure), after which a trumpet solo (Cohran) appears, followed by an alto sax solo (Allen). Restatements of the theme soon return (with brass accent and percussion variations), and a final brass fanfare ends the piece. Another version of this song (with two baritone saxes) also appears on Lady With the Golden Stockings/The Nubians of Plutonia.

---

The same Milwaukee session also produced tracks for the 1970 album Holiday For Soul Dance (although "Early Autumn" reportedly comes from a session at Wonder Inn, Chicago, around October 1960). In contrast to Interstellar Low Ways and Fate In A Pleasant Mood (comprised of Sun Ra originals), these tracks are all Sun Ra arrangements of popular songs and standards (as well as one new piece by Phil Cohran). It features the same personnel as above but with Ricky Murray added on vocal for "Early Autumn". 

These readings are mostly pretty "inside" except for a pretty intricate intro for "Day By Day" and some impromptu-sounding Sun Ra piano intros and outros. Some of the smaller line-ups here (including two quartets and a quintet) also allow for the many facets of John Gilmore's tenor sax to be highlighted.

Holiday For Soul Dance (released 1970)

1. "But Not for Me" (George & Ira Gershwin) 

This bop-flavored arrangement (for a song originally appearing in Gershwin's 1930 musical Girl Crazy) features a crisp piano trio opening featuring Sun Ra, followed by the theme section and a deftly-played solo from John Gilmore on tenor. At the end, Gilmore returns with a tenor end tag which goes from sticky to soulful in just a few measures.

2. "Day by Day" (Cahn-Stordahl-Weston) 

This arrangement features some interesting layered rhythms and syncopated accents in an original opening section before the song "proper" arrives. The scope of Sun Ra's bold contribution to this piece can be heard when putting this side by side with Frank Sinatra's 1945 performance (not to mention Doris Day's). Solos: Allen: alto sax, Cohran: cornet.

3. "Holiday for Strings" (Rose-Gallo) 

In this intimate quartet reading, a cascading Sun Ra piano intro leads to a gentle swing arrangement of this tune (once known primarily as the theme for The Red Skelton Show). After a brief Ronnie Boykins bass spotlight, John Gilmore and Sun Ra exchange soulful solo statements.

4. "Dorothy's Dance" (Cohran) 

This is a cheerful swing tune written by Phil Cohran and driven by his bright cornet sound. The playing here is competent, but otherwise not particularly striking. Solos: Cohran: cornet, Allen: flute, Sun Ra: piano, Boykins: bass.

5. "Early Autumn" (Herman-Mercer-Burns) 

Featuring Ricky Murray on vocals, this is a fairly straight ballad (originally recorded by Woody Herman's band) with less obvious traces of Sun Ra's unique style of orchestration audible (although a few wry brass figures do manage to defiantly stand out). John Gilmore is featured in a tenor sax solo.

6. "(I Loves You) Porgy" (George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin-Heyward DuBose) 

A brief piano and flute duo (Ra and Allen) opens this reading of the 1935 Gershwin standard from Porgy and Bess. In this spare quintet arrangement, Gilmore gets to show off a more intimate side of his tenor in his featured solo spot.

7. "Body and Soul" (Green-Heyman-Sour-Eyton) 

In this standard from 1930 (famously recorded by Coleman Hawkins in 1939), Ra plays around with the harmony a bit in an opening piano trio before Gilmore comes in with a more straightforward reading of the theme on tenor sax (before he launches into his own solo space). This quartet arrangement eventually explores some interesting modulations in its solo choruses before a final Gilmore fanfare.

8. "(Keep Your) Sunny Side Up" (DeSylva-Brown) 

This uptempo swing-bop arrangement (of a song featured in the 1929 film Sunny Side Up) has some nice, wiry brass ensemble playing and features another smoking Gilmore tenor solo.

Links
Fate In A Pleasant Mood

2014 Bandcamp Release
Apple Music
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry  

Holiday For Soul Dance

2014 Bandcamp Release
Apple Music
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry 

Interstellar Low Ways (Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus) (1959-60)

Initially appearing in 1966 as Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus, this album was later renamed Interstellar Low Ways and reissued on or before 1969. Despite the late 1960s release date, tracks on this short album actually came from 1959 and 1960 Chicago/Milwaukee sessions, and thus have a closer developmental relationship to 1959's Jazz In Silhouette rather than the later New York albums. 

Conceptually, Interstellar Low Ways features Sun Ra reaching out into the solar system (having already thoroughly scouted out the Earth plane in songs like "India", "Ancient Aiethopia", "Nubia", "Overtones of China" and of course, "Planet Earth"). Musically, Sun Ra continues his exploration of unusually-orchestrated processional anthems/dirges, although for some reason he refrains from indulging in electric piano or organ. However, the last track, "Rocket Number 9 (Second Stop Is Jupiter)", has Ra directly pointing towards the music of the future with unexpected rhythmic breaks, exuberant vocal exhortations and head-spinning structural changes. This modern-sounding number from 1959 also features John Gilmore's tenor sax reaching for some fiercer, much grittier textures than ever heard before from any saxophonists of that era. This period also sees Marshall Allen getting in some alto sax solos ("Interstellar Low Ways", "The Blue Set", "Big City Blues") in addition to his role as a flutist.

In his 1993 article "Sun Ra - Supersonic Sounds From Saturn", Robert L. Campbell describes the album as below: 

Though sometimes chamberlike in its sonorities, the 1960 Arkestra was tight... Interstellar Low Ways features flutes and piano over Latin percussion on its wistful title piece. Gilmore, now on his way to becoming the dominant soloist in the band, plays boppishly on “Onward,” passionately on the Spanish-tinged “Somewhere in Space.” Marshall Allen is positively disconsolate on a world-weary “Space Loneliness” (a number that turns into strip-joint material when played at a brighter tempo). Phil Cohran is warm and precise; the young and relatively inexperienced trumpeter George Hudson lends a crude excitement to “Space Aura.” On the fiery “Rocket Number Nine” the Arkestra launches a jagged, uptempo space chant (“Zoom! Zoom! Up! Up! Up in the air!’’), the ensemble and the piano solo are ruptured by unexpected rests, then Gilmore careers across the bar lines like John Coltrane in 1962 - except that this was happening a couple of years earlier.

John F. Szwed also writes in his 1997 book Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra: 

Rocket Number Nine Take off for the Planet Venus, not released until around 1966, contains “Somewhere in Space,” a piece which harmonically rocks back and forth between two chords, suggesting “Flamenco Sketches” from Kind of Blue which Miles Davis also recorded in 1959. The melody of “Interstellar Low Ways” is stated by two flutes and tenor saxophones, and is followed by Marshall Allen’s solo flute, and piano and bowed bass against a bolero beat, with several stretches empty except for minimal percussion. “Rocket Number Nine” begins in a fast tempo with the band chanting the title, and superficially recalls Dizzy Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts.” But none of this prepares the listener for what was to come next: the start-and-stop passages and three exceptional solos: John Gilmore’s tenor, Boykins’s unaccompanied bowed bass, and Sonny’s pedal-down blur of notes, ending with the band’s repeated chant, “Second stop is Jupiter,” and their final announcement, “All out for Jupiter.”

Personnel:

Sun Ra: piano, chimes, gong
John Gilmore: tenor sax
Marshall Allen: alto sax, flute
Nate Pryor: trombone 
Ronnie Boykins: bass
John L. Hardy (credited to Edward Skinner/Luqman Ali): drums

George Hudson: trumpet on "Onward", "Space Aura" 
Phil Cohran: trumpet on "Space Loneliness", "Rocket Number 9 (Second Stop Is Jupiter)"
James Spaulding: flute on "Interstellar Low Ways" 
William Cochran: drums on "Interstellar Low Ways"  

Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus (1966)/Interstellar Low Ways (~1969)

1. "Onward" (recorded prob. Wonder Inn, Chicago, around October 1960)

This tune gives the Arkestra an opportunity to show off their bebop skills. A slightly off-kilter (syncopated) piano vamp leads to a spry theme invigorated by sharp brass accents and swells. Eventually, George Hudson takes a trumpet solo, followed by John Gilmore on tenor sax, and finally Sun Ra on piano.

2. "Somewhere in Space" (recorded Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960)

This ambling "tic-tock" piece is more of an interlude than a platform for blazing solo trips. A relaxed two-chord vamp driven by piano and brass accents is underlined by a counter-motif in Gilmore's tenor sax, which eventually develops into a brief, but soulful solo. As Ronnie Boykins begins shifting around the beat in the bass, Marshall Allen comes in and finishes off the tune with a flute serenade based on the earlier counter-melody. 

3. "Interplanetary Music No. 1" (recorded Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960)

This good-natured "cha-cha" has no brass in it, but rather features percussion (John L. Hardy), bowed bass (Ronnie Boykins), piano (Sun Ra) and an amiable vocal chant ("Interplanetary... Interplanetary... Interplanetary music...). The first section is fairly laid-back, but the tempo briefly switches into an uptempo riff in the back half (Interplanetary melodies... Interplanetary harmonies..."). Boykins' bowed bass is then featured in a creaking "fiddle" solo, followed by a return of the vocal chant. Even today, this odd number is almost uncategorizeable. Another version of "Interplanetary Music" can be found on the album We Travel the Spaceways.

4. "Interstellar Low Ways" (recorded Chicago, March 6, 1959)

This song begins as a tone poem featuring a chamber-music-like main theme on piano and intertwining flutes reinforced by understated tenor sax. James Spaulding soon takes a flute solo (the album actually credits Marshall Allen but I lean towards Campbell's guess) over a vamp carried by percussion, gong strikes and intermittent, sometimes angular piano comping from Sun Ra. Ra eventually drops out completely to allow Spaulding to go into "full flight", but then forcefully returns with his own "interstellar journey" (replete with some exotic "space harmonies"). The next part of the piece becomes a bit more episodic as William Cochran lays down a brief percussion lead, but then quickly steps aside to make room for a groaning bowed bass solo from Boykins. Sun Ra eventually interjects a "counter-argument", which in turn heralds in some metallic percussion textures. Piano and percussion eventually lead the band back to the main theme.

5. "Space Loneliness" (recorded Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960)

Here, Sun Ra's angular piano introduces (and then adds commentary over) a "dirge-blues" overlaid with some isolated woodblock accents. Lurching brass accents then drive the piece towards a slightly brighter groove, allowing trumpet player Phil Cohran to take a solo. Sun Ra then takes his own wide-ranging piano solo, followed by a soaring alto sax lead from Marshall Allen. The dirge theme soon returns to finish out the piece. A slightly more upbeat version of this tune appears on We Travel the Spaceways.

6. "Space Aura" (recorded prob. Wonder Inn, Chicago, around October 1960)

This is fast swing tune driven by Boykins' propulsive bass and John Hardy's sprightly drums. An accented brass theme (pierced briefly by jack-hammer trumpet outbursts from George Hudson) soon gives way to a nimble solo from John Gilmore on tenor sax. Hudson and the band soon return for an extended second round of duels to finish out this roiling number.

7. "Rocket Number 9 (Second Stop Is Jupiter)" (recorded Elks Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 14, 1960)

A tumbling opening motif on piano and bass kicks off a fast vocal swing sequence featuring shouted exhortations to "Zoom, zoom, zoom, up in the air!" A drum break soon interrupts this "launch sequence", but the groove then resumes with a Sun Ra piano break followed by a stutering brass sequence topped with spiraling trumpet figures from Phil Cohran. After another pause bracketed by piano ornaments, Gilmore takes off in a bebop-informed solo which eventually even reaches the lower strata of the free-skronk stratosphere. Cymbal strikes then signal a striking unaccompanied bass solo in which Boykins lays down counterpoint lines in separate pitch registers. The ending sequence features an explosive Sun Ra piano cadenza which ushers in another vocal chant ("Second stop is Jupiter!") and a final brass cadence.

---

A few singles from the same sessions were also released during this era (and can be found on the Singles compilation):

"State Street" 

The opening vamp of this light-hearted groove (highlighted by Phil Cohran's tight trumpet accents) is countered with winding brass sub-themes. Cohran eventually breaks out into a full trumpet solo, followed by bluesy solos from Sun Ra on piano and John Gilmore on tenor sax. This track was released as a single with "Space Loneliness".

"The Blue Set"   

This is a bump and grind blues number in a relaxed tempo. After an opening theme section featuring opening statements from Phil Cohran on trumpet, Marshall Allen enters with an edgy alto solo, followed by an affable Sun Ra piano solo and then a thumping Boykins bass solo. This track was released as a single with "Big City Blues" (below).

"Big City Blues"

After a crime-jazz opening fanfare the Arkestra settles into a mid-tempo swing blues. A Sun Ra piano lead introduces brief but boisterous solos from Marshall Allen on alto sax, Phil Cohran on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor sax, and finally a second Sun Ra piano lead, before the arrival of a closing theme statement featuring Cohran's trumpet.

Links
2014 Bandcamp Release
Singles on Bandcamp
Apple Music
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry

Jazz In Silhouette/Sound Sun Pleasure!! (1959)

From Saturn LP Back: "In tomorrow's world, men will not need artificial instruments such as jets and spaceships.
In the world of tomorrow, the new man will “think" the place he wants to go, then his mind will take him there.
(This cover is a view of one of the moons of SATURN, taken about 300 space miles up.)"

Jazz In Silhouette is frequently cited as one of the key records from Sun Ra's early career. As his third record release (preceded only by Jazz By Sun Ra, Vol. 1 (Transition) and Super-Sonic Jazz (Saturn), it contains superb performances of approachable tunes, recorded with relatively high production values. Many of the songs went on to become concert staples throughout the decades to come (and in many different arrangements). Aside from superb playing from the soloists, two compositions feature some fascinating tempo structures and mood changes ("Enlightenment", "Ancient Aeithopia"), while others simply contain very memorable tunes ("Velvet", "Images", "Horoscope"). At the same time, the album also features "Saturn", a piece with a rigorously-complex theme melody whose harmonic complexity rewards the listener on repeated visits. Although future Sun Ra records would contain revived "archival" sessions from this area, Jazz In Silhouette is probably still the best single album most representative of Sun Ra's Chicago era.

Personnel:

Sun Ra: Piano, Celeste
Hobart Dotson: Trumpet
Bo Bailey: Trombone
James Spaulding: Alto Sax, Flute
Marshall Allen: Alto Sax, Flute
Pat Patrick: Baritone Sax, Flute
John Gilmore: Tenor Sax
Charles Davis: Baritone Sax
Ronnie Boykins: Bass
William Cochran: Drums

Jazz In Silhouette (released in 1959)

Recorded on one March 6, 1959 session in Chicago, this session introduces Hobart Dotson as the Arkestra's newest trumpet player, while the trombone chair is taken by Bo Bailey and the drums by William Cochran (replacing Nate Pryor and Robert Barry from other sessions of the same year). Sun Ra leaves his electric keyboards at home for this date, but instead contributes a rare celeste solo in "Blues At Midnight". All tracks composed by Sun Ra except as noted.

1. "Enlightenment" (Hobart Dotson, Ra) 

A gong strike ushers in a slow New Orleans-style march (led by baritone sax and piano, soon joined by alto sax), after which a swing theme eventually surfaces, featuring a lead line and solos from Hobart Dotson on trumpet. After an extended development of the theme (still led by trumpet), Sun Ra's piano is featured in a brief, sparkling solo section. This is followed by the sudden appearance of a Latin mambo groove featuring wide-open brass fanfares. The tempo then abruptly slows down again in a return to the swing groove (again featuring Dotson's trumpet), before ending in a final fanfare. This tune would see many different live incarnations over the years, most notably as a vocal/march piece.

2. "Saturn"

This is a 3rd version of the song "Saturn", with the earlier versions eventually appearing on Sound of Joy (1968) and on a rare single. After a rhythmic opening figure driven by left-hand piano riffs, saxophones enter with an complex, syncopated (and multi-part) theme over an uptempo groove. John Gilmore eventually offers up an agile tenor sax solo which is followed a baritone sax solo from Pat Patrick. After a restatement of the secondary part of the theme, a coda (based on the opening theme section) finishes things off.

3. "Velvet"

A piano intro leads to an light-hearted, uptempo swing theme led by brass. Pat Patrick then takes a baritone sax solo, followed by Hobart Dotson on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor sax, another baritone solo (Charles Davis) and then a return to the main theme. This tune would be performed many times in future concerts.

4. "Ancient Aiethopia"

This is a new version of "Aiethopia", a song later released on The Nubians of Plutonia (1966). Opening with cymbals/gong and exotic piano figures, this is a musical portrait similar to those heard in earlier "ethnic tone poems" like "India", "Tiny Pyramids", "Planet Earth" and "Overtones of China". Mysterious brass "chords of doom" march over processional drums, leading to a vamp featuring two flutes (Marshall Allen and James Spaulding?) dueling over a simmering tribal groove. This is followed by additional modal sections featuring solos from the drums (William Cochran), trumpet (a mournful Hobart Dotson), and piano (a more raucous Sun Ra), finishing off with a section featuring a few members performing on small percussion instruments and wind mouthpieces. Chants then appear in a somewhat "Plutonian" sequence, after which a more invigorated reading of the opening brass section closes out the composition.

John F. Szwed opines about the piece in more poetic terms below:

“Ancient Aiethopia” calls up the spirit of Ellington’s programmatic statements on Africa like “Pyramid” or “Menelik.” But what Sonny achieved with this piece was unprecedented in jazz (though Ravel’s “Bolero” might be claimed as a distant relative): by means of the simplest of structures (a single chord and a crisp but subtly shifting “Latin tinge” rhythm of bass, tom-toms, and timpani) the Arkestra is set free from the conventions of the pop song and its grip on the swing era, but also free from the harmonic residue of the same songs left from the beboppers... Though there had been efforts at opening up jazz before, setting it free of its conventional and recurring structures, what made this composition so startling is the ease and assuredness with which it was achieved. As improvised and open as it is, there is an inexorable sense of direction, a destiny about the piece. (Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra, Szwed 1997)

5. "Hours After" (Ra, Everett Turner)

A version of this slinky swing number (written by trombonist E.J. Turner) tune was released as a single in 1958 (backed by "Great Balls of Fire"). It's boisterous theme may be inspired from the many years during which Sun Ra's bands performed mainly in Chicago strip joints. In any case, after a swaggering trombone solo from Bo Bailey, a brassy bridge section occurs, followed by solos from Hobart Dotson on trumpet, John Gilmore on tenor sax, Charles Davis (or Pat Patrick?) on baritone sax, and finally a return to the main theme.

6. "Horoscope"

Low piano accents introduce an Ellingtonian big band swing theme. Various lead statements from baritone sax, trumpet and trombone then weave their way through a series of accented brass formations. Gilmore's tenor sax is eventually featured in a more formal solo section, after which the drums get a brief cadenza during the coda.

7. "Images" 

Relaxed piano ornaments introduce a descending theme which is eventually picked up by the band in a cheerful swing groove and further developed with accented brass figures. Gilmore eventually takes a tenor solo, followed by Allen (or Spaulding?) on flute, Patrick (or Davis?) on baritone sax, leading to a brassy unison bridge section and a final coda cadence. Arrangements of this song too, would be included in many live set lists.

8. "Blues at Midnight"

This is a new, much longer version of a lively swing blues number featured once before on Super-Sonic Jazz. It opens with a brief lead from Ra on piano followed by a smoking solo from Gilmore on tenor (with his initial choruses backed only by bass and drums). A baritone solo eventually arrives (Patrick?), followed by solos from trombone (Bailey), alto (Marshall Allen), a second baritone sax (Davis?), flute (Spaulding), trumpet (Dotson), celeste (a scintillating Sun Ra) and finally drums (Cochran). A winding final theme section closes out the tune and the album.

---

Sound Sun Pleasure!! (released in 1965)

The mini-album Sound Sun Pleasure!! is made up of tracks recorded at the same Chicago session which produced Jazz In Silhouette, but released 6 years later. From a session point of view, both records chronologically follow Lady With the Golden Stockings (The Nubians of Plutonia). Vocalist Hattie Randolph (sister to trumpet player Lucious Randolph) is featured on the songs "'Round Midnight" and "You Never Told Me That You Cared". The most progressive tune here is probably "I Could Have Danced All Night", which adroitly navigates through several tempo and mood changes.

1. "'Round Midnight" (Monk-Hanighen) 

Hattie Randolph sings on this arrangement of the Monk standard. Opening with a strong trumpet line, Ra soon comps on piano underneath Randolph's velvety vocals while the brass instruments interject swells and accents. Eventually a brief piano solo arrives, preceding a return to the verse section. Bailey's trombone leads the band into a final coda section.

2. "You Never Told Me That You Cared" (Sun Ra, Hobart Dotson) 

Bright brass figures and dramatic drum rolls open this modulating ballad, leading to a languid verse section led by tenor sax (Gilmore), after which trumpet (Dotson), baritone and alto sax are featured in a secondary theme. A modulating cadence leads to a more uptempo swing groove featuring trumpet. The trumpet solo section finishes after a nice accented interlude figure, followed by a tenor sax solo (Gilmore). After an accented ending section Dotson leads the brass section through another variation of the theme before bringing the tune to a final cadence. 

3. "Hour of Parting" (Michael Spoliansky, Gus Kahn)

A "candlelight" piano intro leads to an elegantly-orchestrated ballad featuring Dotson's trumpet in dialogue with thick chords from the rest of the brass ensemble. A bridge section features some more "polite" piano ornamentation from Sun Ra, before another orchestrated theme section arrives, followed by a solo section featuring Dotson's trumpet again .   

4. "Back in Your Own Backyard" (Jolson-Rose-Dreyer)

Hattie Randolph appears a second time here on this gentle swing number (which also features some nice celeste textures from Sun Ra during some parts of the verses). A muted trumpet line introduces a second and final verse.

5. "Enlightenment" (Sun Ra, Hobart Dotson) 

This is the same track as on Jazz In Silhouette (see above) but in some editions is mastered with wider stereo.

6. "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Lerner-Loewe)

Dotson's wide open trumpet leads the band into an opening mid-tempo groove while William Cochran lays down some Latin-tinged drum beats. The following B section is outlined by alto saxophone in the top line, after which flute is also featured. The melody then suddenly descends into a series of intertwining brass and wind lines over a cha-cha groove. Ra's piano and spiraling flutes dominate the next sequence, before the tune abruptly switches yet again into a fast swing led by alto sax. Dotson eventually returns to the top line in a final descending fanfare/coda.

Links
Jazz In Silhouette

2014 Bandcamp Release
Apple Music
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry  

Sound Sun Pleasure!!

2014 Bandcamp Release
Apple Music
Wiki Entry 
Temple.net Entry
United Mutations Entry