Sun Ra: Lights On A Satellite (1978 AND 2024!)

  When it comes to the universe of Sun Ra, there are no such things as coincidences. So it makes perfect sense that two albums of the Arkestra’s music, each titled Lights On A Satellite and recorded many decades apart, should be issued in the same month. In 1978, the Arkestra appeared at the hippest spot in Baltimore, Maryland: the Left Bank Jazz Society’s presentations at the Famous Ballroom. Lights On A Satellite: Live At The Left Bank captures the Arkestra in performance. I had the immense pleasure of seeing the Arkestra several times in the late Seventies, and they never failed to give a spectacular show, complete with fabulous home-made costumes, space chants, dancers, Sun Ra’s insanely wonderful synthesizer forays, and the great sax section with John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Davis and Marshall Allen on altos, and Danny Ray Thompson on baritone. The set list for this blistering performance includes such goodies as the title track, Fletcher Henderson’s Yeah Man (1933), Horace Henderson’s Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, We Travel the Spaceways and what might be my favorite Sun Ra composition, the infectious Watusi. The band is in great form, and Ra himself plays with his usual wit and great spirit, especially on the three consecutive piano features, beginning with his excursion Over the Rainbow. The packed booklet features photos, including some from the show, notes by J.D. Considine who was at this performance, and a reminiscence by filmmaker Robert Mugge, whose film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise was shot at this Baltimore appearance. (Mugge also contributed a couple of pieces to this release as bonus tracks, the swinging piano improvisation called Left Bank Blues and an Arkestral look at ‘Round Midnight, with Ra at the organ.) The booklet also includes snippets of interviews with the late Dan Morgenstern, Marshall Allen, saxophonist Gary Bartz, pianist Craig Taborn, and the unique perspective of Michael D. Anderson, who was one of the drummers at the Famous Ballroom. Anderson later became the archivist for the Arkestra, and he co-produced this release with Zev Feldman. This Lights On A Satellite is a total delight, with Sun Ra’s music given the impeccable treatment that it deserves.

Resonance HCD-2074 (2 CDs or 3 Lps): Walter Miller (tpt) Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Craig Harris (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, fl, picc) Danny Davis (as, fl) Eloe Omoe (as, bcl) John Gilmore (ts, cl) Danny Ray Thompson (bari s, fl) Sun Ra (kybds) Damon Choice (vib) Dale Williams (g) Richard Williams (Radu) (ac & el b) Michael D. Anderson, Eddie Thomas (d) Atakatune (cga) James Jacson (ancient infinity drum, bassoon) The Jingle Brothers (bells, perc) June Tyson (vcl); Baltimore, MD, July 23, 1978; Disc 1 (47:03): Band Intro; Thunder of Drums/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Somewhere Over the Rainbow/ A Pleasant Place in Space/ Space Travelin’ Blues/ Yeah Man/ Big John’s Special/ Lights on a Satellite/ Lady Bird; Half Nelson. Disc 2 (48:36): Cocktails for Two/ Watusi/ They Plan to Leave/ Images in a Mirror/ We Travel the Spaceways/ Left Bank Blues*/ ‘Round Midnight*. *Bonus tracks from Robert Mugge’s film, Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise. resonancerecords.org 

     Marshall Allen, who celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2024, has been leading the band since Ra departed this earthly plane in 1993, and by now, he’s been in the Arkestra longer than Sun Ra! To celebrate this milestone, Frank Kleinschmidt of IN+OUT Records brought the Arkestra into a New York studio to record Lights On A Satellite, with ten tunes representative of the current version of the ensemble. The set list, in addition to favorites like the title track, Friendly Galaxy and Tapestry From an Asteroid, includes a previously unheard Sun Ra composition, the uncharacteristic love song Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine, one-time Arkestra member Phil Cohran’s Dorothy’s Dance, Big John’s Special, an Arkestra favorite first recorded in 1934, and, of all things, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, a Turner Layton composition that made its debut on record by the Dixie Daisies in 1922. The Art Ensemble of Chicago’s famous motto, Ancient To The Future, finds one of its deepest manifestations in the Sun Ra Arkestra’s immense repertoire. With the presence of some long-time Arkestra musicians, including trumpeter Michael Ray, saxophonist Knoel Scott, French hornist Vincent Chancey, guitarist Carl LeBlanc, and percussionist Elson Nascimento, there’s plenty of institutional memory and experience for Marshall Allen to draw upon for support in this ongoing project. Allen solos with his distinctive alto saxophone sound at various points throughout a generous program of nearly 80 minutes, and to these ears, his interjections provide the most exciting moments of the whole album. The sprawling and bracingly wild Reflects Motion is probably my favorite track here, evoking, as it does, more of the uncompromised sound of the Sun Ra Arkestra in its prime. All in all, a beautiful present to the great Marshall Allen on his century on the planet. Recommended.

IN+ OUT IOR 77158 (CD or 2 Lps); Michael Ray (tpt, vcl) Cecil Brooks (tpt) Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) Brent White (tbn, b tbn) Dave Davis, Robert Stringer (tbn) Marshall Allen (as, EVI, gong, vcl) Knoel Scott (as, bari s, cga, vcl) Chris Hemingway (as) Anthony Nelson (cl, bari s) Nasir Dickerson (ts) James Stewart (fl, ts) Tara Middleton (vcl, vln) Owen Brown, Jr., Gwen Laster (vln) Melanie Dyer (vla) Nina Bogomas (harp) Farid Barron (p, kybds, Moog theremin) Carl LeBlanc (gtr, vcl) Dave Hotep (g) Tyler Mitchell (b) George Gray (d) Elson Nascimento (surdo, perc) Jose Jorge Da Silva (perc); NYC, June 16, 2024; Lights on a Satellite/ Dorothy’s Dance/ Big John’s Special/ Images/ Friendly Galaxy/ Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine/ Holiday for Strings/ Tapestry From an Asteroid/ Reflects Motion/ Way Down Yonder in New Orleans; 80:17. inandout-records.com

Sun Ra: At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977

  With so much music available by Sun Ra and his Arkestra, you might not think there was room for more. But At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977 is special, with excerpts from two performances at Chicago’s premier jazz spot. The Arkestra on these occasions was one of the man from Saturn’s finest assemblies of musicians, with the all-time great reed section of Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, John Gilmore, Eloe Omoe, and Danny Thompson, a trumpet section that included Ahmed Abdullah and Michael Ray, and the mighty percussion team of Luqman Ali, Eddie Thomas, James Jacson, and Atakatune. I had the pleasure of seeing the Arkestra a number of times during the Seventies and Eighties, and I can truly say that there is nothing like a Sun Ra concert. There was always a galaxy of sound, including Sun Ra’s amazing electronic keyboard solos, plus Afrofuturist spectacle, space chants, wild costumes, and more. Let’s just say it was always a trip into the unexpected and his music thrilled audiences like nothing else could. At The Showcase was judiciously assembled by Michael D. Anderson, who was appointed by Sun Ra as the band’s archivist in the late Seventies. It’s been issued with the full cooperation of impresario Joe Segal’s estate and the Sun Ra estate. These sections of two sets, separated by nearly two years, provide a taste of what could be happening on stage (and sometimes in the aisles!). Both sets are in excellent sound, likely with a feed directly from the club’s mixing console. The 1977 performance feature the Arkestra in peak musical form. Starting out with New Beginning, an exotic flute and percussion piece, the band moves into View From Another Dimension, a riot of electronic keyboard, blaring trumpet, and percussion madness, before moving on to Ra perennials like Ankhnaton and Velvet, plus the swing-era tune Rose Room. The 1976 set on disc 2 is pretty wild, heavy on the chants and Ra’s other-worldly keyboards. It also features one of the most insane things I’ve ever heard, Ebah Speaks in Cosmic Tongue. A 36-page booklet features Hal Rammel’s photos from the Chicago shows; he also contributes his recollections of being on the scene. There are more photos from an October 1980 show in San Francisco, taken by Tom Copi. The main liner notes are by the multi-talented John Corbett. He begins his piece by writing “Sun Ra had a storied history with Chicago,” and goes on to discuss the evolution of the Arkestra’s involvement in the city as well as these particular shows. Anderson also writes about his life with Sun Ra and his close collaboration with Corbett. Between the two of them, they “have everything Sun Ra did.” Given the Arkestra’s peripatetic wanderings, it comes as no surprise that the tapes are “a puzzle,” often with little or no written information as to dates, venues, and songs. It’s taken heroic efforts by Corbett, Anderson, and Irwin Chusid of the Sun Ra estate to bring this high-profile project to fruition. We also get to read reflections on Sun Ra’s music by the great Marshall Allen, nearly 100 years old and still leading the Arkestra. Finally, there are comments by a broad array of musicians: Michael Weiss, Dave Burrell, David Murray, Jack DeJohnette, Matthew Shipp, Amina Claudine Myers, Reggie Workman, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. I think I’ll leave the last word to Mr. Shipp: Sun Ra “occupies his own position in the jazz firmament.” 

At The Showcase: Live In Chicago, 1976-1977; Michael Ray, Ahmed Abdullah, Emmett McDonald (tpt) Vincent Chancey (Fr hn) Marshall Allen (as, fl, kora) Danny Davis (as, fl) Eloe Omoe (as, bcl) John Gilmore (ts) Danny Thompson (bari s, fl) Dale Williams (g) Sun Ra (p, electronic kybds) Richard Williams (b) Luqman Ali (d) Eddie Thomas (perc) Atakatune (cga) James Jacson (ancient Ihnfinity d, oboe) June Tyson, Cheryl Banks-Smith, Wisteria (Judith Holton) (vcl); Chicago, IL, November 4 & 10, 1977 (disc 1) and February 21, 1976 (disc 2); Disc 1 (52:14): New Beginnings/ View From Another Dimension/ Synthesis Approach/ Ankhnaton/ Rose Room/ Moonship Journey/ Velvet. Disc 2 (36:46): Calling Planet Earth & The Shadow World/ Theme of the Stargazers/ Space is the Place/ Applause/ Ebah Speaks in Cosmic Tongue/ Greetings From the 21st Century. deepdigsmusic.com