The Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago on September 25, 1978 - Volume 2 from the Waitawhile Sun Ra Archive. 18 compositions mixing untitled improvisations with Sun Ra's pieces and jazz standards.
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Danny Davis / alto saxophone, flute
Marshall Allen / alto saxophone, piccolo flute
Danny Ray Thompson / baritone saxophone, flute
Eloe Omoe / bass clarinet, flute
James Jacson / bassoon, flute, percussion
Atakatune / congas
Luqman Ali / drums
Dale Williams / electric guitar
Sun Ra / organ, synth, beam
John Gilmore / sax, clarinet, vocals
Damon Choice / vibraphone
June Tyson / vocals
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Recorded live in Chicago on September 25, 1978 - engineer unknown.
Available as 320k MP3 or 16bit FLAC
Tracklisting:
1. Untitled Improvisation - 6:09
2. Springtime In Chicago - 7:20
3. Astro Black 2:41
4. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise - 1:01
5. Discipline 27 3:25
6. The Shadow World 17:19
7. Yeah Man! - 3:09
8. Queer Notions - 3:26
9. Big John's Special - 3:25
10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow - 7:35
11. Lights On A Satellite 6:38
12. Body And Soul - 10:01
13. King Porter Stomp - 3:59
14. Second Stop Is Jupiter - 6:37
15. Space Is The Place - 5:00
16. Enlightenment - 2:24
17. Next Stop Mars - 0:57
18. Calling Planet Earth - 7:25
Sun Ra was one of the greatest and least known jazz artists of the last four decades, whose influence on diverse musicians is little known to the general public. A pianist and band leader, his style ranged from retro swing to avant free, and often in the same piece. His band could play a swinging Gershwin tune and almost imperceptibly soar into their free cosmic equational tones as if they possessed a single mind.
Ra was a keyboard improviser of great originality, but his foremost talent was for inspiring and teaching creative musicians to improvise freely but together. This tension between freedom and coherence was something he explored with abundant energy and skill.
Sun Ra died in 1993. The Arkestra performs today, under the direction of alto saxophonist Marshall Allen.
