Search - Sun Ra :: Jazz in Silhouette

A Must

Tamar Herzberg | 05/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a Sun Ra rookie. I heard of him, but never heard him. So, unlike other reviewers here, this is my first Sun Ra album. And I love it. More precisely, I think that its a masterpiece. One of those albums you here and just know you discovered a wide new world. Music will never sound the same again! (*written while hearing this album again, and dicovering how great it is)."

A truly classic recording!

08/07/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, I'll admit it. I haven't listened to the Evidence package of this recording. But it's exactly the same music that was originally released on Sun Ra's Saturn label in the early 60's, then re-released in the 70's on ABC/Impulse during the time that Sun Ra recorded for the label. The album was only available through Impulse in limited release, and was very difficult to find. Interestingly, it's long been considered to be quite possibly the finest example of the early Sun Ra Arkestra.Sun Ra was a iconoclast who seamlessly combined music of the early Swing era with more adventurous free-form approaches; his sound was as unique as his legendary personality. As a young musician growing up in the late 20's and early 30's, he was strongly influenced by the arranging styles of Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman. Throughout the 40's and early 50's, Sun Ra began to experiment with sound sources in the context of the traditional large jazz orchestra. By the late 50's, he ha! d drawn a number of devoted musicians together to form the nucleus of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Some of these musicians, such as saxophonists Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and Pat Patrick, remained with Ra for over 30 years until his death in 1993 at the age of 80.The recording shows the more traditional early swing band influences of the Sun Ra Arkestra as much as any recording dating from this time. The work of tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick is outstanding, particularly on the luxuriant Enlightenment and Blues at Midnight. However, music such as Ancient Aiethiopia illustrates that the Arkestra was not only a superior large jazz ensemble, but a unit which was pushing the very cutting edge of jazz.Whether you're a serious collector, historian, or just someone who wants to hear this unique voice in jazz at his best, this Sun Ra recording should be an essential part of your collection."

Pretty Good Session

Scott McFarland | Manassas, VA United States | 10/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was released on Ra's Saturn label in 1957. It's not quite as startling, colorful, or brilliant as "SuperSonic Jazz", which he released in 1956; the edges seem to have been filed down a bit on the music. But it's good stuff, listenable jazz with an exotic edge.The one amazing track here is "Ancient Aethiopia" - it fuses eastern & western motifs together and sounds well ahead of its time."