| One of the best
non-Saturn Sun Ra albums of the 60s -- material recorded live on a tour of New
York colleges in 1966, and very much in a spirit that captures the Arkestra at
their best! Longer tracks are juxtaposed nicely with shorter ones -- in a way
that has the group running very outside one minute, yet stepping soulfully back
to the center the next -- never schizophrenicly, but in a mode that really
displays the full range of energy pulsing in the group. Interesting
instrumentation on the set includes Ra on clavoline, plus Carl Nimrod on the
beautiful-sounding "sun horn" -- and other players include Marshall Allen on
alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone, and James Jacson on log
drum and flute. Titles include "Dancing Shadows", "Next Stop Mars",
"Outerspaceways", "Shadow World", and "Sun Ra and His Band From Outer
Space".
Personnel
Sun Ra: piano
John Gilmore: tenor sax
Marshall
Allen: alto sax
Pat Patrick: baritone sax
Robert Cummings: baritone
clarinet
Teddy Nance: trombone
Ali Hassan: trombone
Clifford Jarvis:
drums
Ronnie Boykins: bass and tuba
James Jackson: log drum and
flute
Carl Nimrod: sun horn and gong.
Track
Listing
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Press
Quotes
The band is in prime form. Sun Ra waves the flag with
thunderous chords, a short statement of what is in store. The indefatigable
Gilmore turns in trenchant twists and turns on the tenor, his playing tight,
gnarled and pithy. As he soars and turns on the wings of his fancy, Clifford
Jarvis urges and pushes on the drums before he lets the sax man hold centre
stage and have his own divine, which he does with a torrent of ideas. But the
clime is free and the band joins in, a raucous soar before space is given its
due, the horizon widens and calm descends through the arco of Ronnie Boykins.
These are moments to cherish: the music has ridden a roller coaster and then
immersed in placid, translucent waters, only to be invigorated again into a
collage of red hot colours. - Jerry
D'Souza
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