Leo Records joins the celebration of Herman Blount, aka Sun Ra's, 100th birthday with this double CD, 100 minutes in 17 compositions of an 11-piece Arkestra performing live in Ulm, Germany in 1992, a great mix of classic Sun Ra pieces in a nearly continuous set.
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Sample The Album:
Sun Ra-piano, keyboard
Marshall Allen-alto sax, flute
James Jacson-reeds, flute, percussioni
Michael Ray, Ahmed Abdullah-trombone, voice
Tyrone Hill-trombone
Bruce Edwards-electric guitarbr>
Jothan Callins-bass
Buster Smith-drums
Elson Nascimento Dos Santos, Atakatune-percussion
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UPC: 5024792310029
Label: Leo Records
Catalog ID: LEOR3031.2
Squidco Product Code: 19613
Format: 2 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2014
Country: UK
Packaging: Jewel Tray 2-CD case with swinging tray.
Recorded live in Ulm, Germany in 1992 by Stan Wijnans.
"The music world is marking a 100th anniversary of Sun Ra's birthday. We are happy to join the celebration by releasing the performance of the Sun Ra Arkestra in Ulm, Germany, in 1992. This double CD documents the entire concert as it happened - 100 minutes of relentless drive, 17 compositions, most of them Sun Ra's, with hardly any poses between the pieces."-Leo
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Sun Ra "Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, legal name Le Sony'r Ra; May 22, 1914 - May 30, 1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his experimental music, "cosmic philosophy", prolific output, and theatrical performances. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979. For much of his career, Ra led "The Arkestra", an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up. Born and raised in Alabama, Blount would eventually become involved in the 1940s Chicago jazz scene. He soon abandoned his birth name, taking the name Sun Ra (after Ra, the Egyptian God of the Sun) and developing a complex persona and mythology that would make him a pioneer of Afrofuturism: he claimed he was an alien from Saturn on a mission to preach peace, and throughout his life he consistently denied any ties to his prior identity. His widely eclectic and exploratory music would eventually touch on virtually the entire history of jazz, ranging from swing music and bebop to free jazz and fusion, and his compositions ranged from keyboard solos to big bands of over 30 musicians. From the mid-1950s until his death, Ra led the musical collective The Arkestra (which featured artists such as Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, June Tyson throughout its various iterations). Its performances often included dancers and musicians dressed in elaborate, futuristic costumes inspired by ancient Egyptian attire and the space age. Though his mainstream success was limited, Sun Ra was a prolific recording artist and frequent live performer, and remained both influential and controversial throughout his life for his music and persona. He is now widely considered an innovator; among his distinctions are his pioneering work in free improvisation and modal jazz and his early use of electronic keyboards. Over the course of his career, he recorded dozens of singles and over one hundred full-length albums, comprising well over 1000 songs, and making him one of the most prolific recording artists of the 20th century. Following Sun Ra's death in 1993, the Arkestra continues to perform." ^ Hide Bio for Sun Ra • Show Bio for Marshall Allen "Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EVI (an electronic valve instrument made by Steiner, Crumar company). Allen is best known for his work with eccentric keyboardist/bandleader Sun Ra, having recorded and performed mostly in this context since the late 1950s, and having led Sun Ra's Arkestra since 1993. Critic Jason Ankeny describes Marshall as "one of the most distinctive and original saxophonists of the postwar era." Marshall Allen was born in Louisville, Kentucky. During the Second World War he enlisted in the 92nd Infantry Division and was stationed in France. Allen studied alto saxophone in Paris and played in Europe with Art Simmons and James Moody. He is best known for his mastery of pyrotechnic effects on the alto - he has said that he "wanted to play on a broader sound basis rather than on chords" (1971 interview with Tam Fiofori cited in). The opportunity came through his long association with Sun Ra, with whom he performed almost exclusively from 1958 to Ra's death in 1993, although he did record outside the Arkestra, notably with Paul Bley's group in 1964 and with Olatunji's group during the mid-1960s. Critic Scott Yanow has described Allen's playing as "Johnny Hodges from another dimension". Since the departure of Sun Ra and John Gilmore, Allen has led the Arkestra, and has recorded two albums as their bandleader. In May 2004, Allen celebrated his 80th birthday on stage with the Arkestra, as part of their performance at the Ninth Vision Festival in New York City. Allen gave another performance on his birthday in 2008 at Sullivan Hall in New York City. Allen often appears in NYC-area collaborations with bassist Henry Grimes and has also participated in the "Outerzone Orchestra" together with Francisco Mora Catlett, Carl Craig and others in an appreciation of Sun Ra's music." ^ Hide Bio for Marshall Allen • Show Bio for Tyrone Hill "Trombonist Tyrone Hill remains best remembered for a three-decade stint as a member of cosmic jazz pioneer Sun Ra's Arkestra. Born in north Philadelphia in 1949, Hill first played the trombone in his middle school band. A neighbor of fledgling jazz greats including John Coltrane, Odean Pope, and Middie Middleton, he also harmonized in a local doo wop group. After four years studying trombone at the Combs School of Music, Hill tenured with the Uptown Theatre Orchestra, supporting headliners ranging from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles to James Brown. In 1969, he auditioned for Sun Ra but played only a handful of dates with the Arkestra before joining Philly soul hitmaker Billy Paul in 1971. Hill spent eight years touring and recording as Paul's musical director before returning to Philadelphia to rejoin the Arkestra on a permanent basis. In the years to follow, he played on more than three dozen Sun Ra LPs, and continued with the group following its founder's 1993 final departure from the terrestrial plane. In 1997 Hill recorded his first solo date, Out of the Box, for the Creative Improvised Music Projects label; a sequel, Soul-Etude, followed two years later. Hill left the planet on March 11, 2007, at the age of 58."-Jason Ankeny, All Music ^ Hide Bio for Tyrone Hill
4/22/2024
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4/22/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
4/22/2024
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Track Listing:
CD1
1. Ankhnaton 7:15
2. The Mayan Temples 10:12
3. El Is A Sound Of Joy 11:20
4. Fate In A Pleasant Mood 6:02
5. Hocus Pocus 3:01
6. Love In Outer Space 7:48
7. Nameless One No. 2 7:58
8. Prelude To A Kiss 6:04
9. Theme Of The Stargazers 7:22
CD2
1. Unidentified 4:50
2. Lights On A Satellite 4:46
3. The Shadow World 6:55
4. Space Is The Place / We Travel The Spaceways / Out Spaceways Incorporated 10:23
5. They'll Come Back 3:55
6. Destination Unknown 3:14
7.Calling Planet Earth 1:12
8. The Forest Of No Return (Bruns, Leven) 1:14
Improvised Music
Jazz
Leo Records
Sun Ra
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