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SUN RA & HIS INTERGALACTIC ARKESTRA
Life Is Splendid (Total Energy)
Outer Space Employment Agency (Total Energy)
It Is Forbidden (Total Energy)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
Somewhere along the line, pianist/composer Herman Blount began taking his cues from Saturn instead of Duke Ellington, revealed himself as Sun Ra and charged to the front of the jazz avant garde. His legendary performances, with exotically costumed musicians trooping through the audience chanting his odes to outer space, and large ensembles including musicians, vocalists and sundry dramatists, were spectacles that sometimes overshadowed the music itself, which was innovative on several levels.
Sun Ra's musical innovations weren't lost on everyone, though. Among his most fervent admirers were John Sinclair and his compatriots in the MC5. As a result, when Sinclair started promoting the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festivals of the early 70s, Sun Ra and his ensemble were natural additions to the bills. These discs capture the 1972, 73 and 74 performances.
Unfortunately, sundry snafus have put the best recordings of the performances beyond reach, but Sinclair has carefully preserved what was available. Frankly, the results will disappoint all but the hardcore Sun Ra fan. These are not the albums you'd want as an introduction to his music. If there's an exception, it would be the 1974 set, titled It Is Forbidden, which is reproduced from a soundboard cassette, offers the best mix and fidelity of the three and features a "best of" tracklist. The other two are primarily of interest to Sun Ra scholars and collectors, and for them, these are essential. The value of each CD is enhanced by Sinclair's notes, which capture the history of the Festival and the spirit of a time with behind the scenes tales of not only the performers, but the business and politics of independent festival production.
Track Lists:
Life Is Splendid (1972): Enlightenment * Love In Outer Space * Space Is The Place * Discipline 27-11/What Planet Is This?/Life Is Splendid/Immeasurable * Watusi * Outer Spaceways Incorporated
Outer Space Employment Agency (1973): Discipline * Love In Outer Space * Watusa/Discipline * At First There Was Nothing/The Universe Has More To Offer You/Wake Up Angels * Outer Space Employment Agency
It Is Forbidden (1974): Introductory Music * Discipline 27 * Love In Outer Space * The Shadow World * Space Is The Place * Second Stop Jupiter * Discipline 27-11/What Planet Is This * Images * It Is Forbidden * Watusi * Sun Ra And His Band From Outer Space
© 2001 - Shaun Dale