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