Sun Ra’s 100th Birthday Celebrated With New Compilation

Had Sun Ra not long since been reclaimed by the distant stars of his birth, he would have spent 100 years on Earth on 22nd September. To celebrate the anniversary of one of the finest jazz musicians the planet has seen, Strut have teamed up with Marshall Allen, longest serving member of The Sun Ra Arkestra to produce a compilation spanning 25 years worth of classic Sun Ra material, all remastered from original master tapes.

For this exclusive new collection, Strut join forces with Artyard to gain access to the inner sanctum of the Arkestra. In addition to the track selection, the release features recollections and contributions from some of the core Arkestra line-up including Marshall Allen, Michael Ray, Knoel Scott and Danny Ray Thompson. For the music, Allen’s selection takes us through the huge variety and intricacy of the Arkestra’s work covering the '60s to early '80s, from the celestial blues of ‘Spontaneous Simplicity’ and ‘Plutonian Nights’ to the urgent jazz of ‘Rocket Number Nine Take Off For Planet Venus’ and ‘Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens’.

The album also features a previously unreleased Sun Ra track from the Art Yard archives, the acoustic ‘Trying To Put The Blame On Me’ recorded live in Rome in 1977, along with a previously unreleased Part 1 of ‘Reflects Motion’ from 1962, and an unheard extended version of ‘Island In The Sun’ from the late ‘60s.

The album is coming out on 2xCD, 2xLP and digital formats. CD and LP tracklistings run as follows:

CD

CD 1

 
1. SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA – SOMEWHERE IN SPACE 3.01
2. SUN RA & HIS SOLAR-MYTH ARKESTRA – THE LADY WITH THE GOLDEN STOCKINGS 7.43
3. SUN RA AND HIS AFRO INFINITY ARKESTRA – SOMEBODY ELSE’S WORLD 3.59
4. SUN RA – SPONTANEOUS SIMPLICITY 7.54
5. SUN RA & HIS SOLAR-MYTH ARKESTRA – PLUTONIAN NIGHTS 4.20
6. THE SUN RA ARKESTRA – ANGELS AND DEMONS AT PLAY 2.51
7. SUN RA – ISLAND IN THE SUN (Extended version) 10.20
8. SUN RA – ROCKET NUMBER NINE TAKE OFF FOR PLANET VENUS 6.18
9. SUN RA – SOLAR DIFFERENTIALS 6.20

 
CD 2

 
1. SUN RA AND HIS ARKESTRA – ASTRO BLACK 10.51
2. SUN RA AND HIS INTERGALACTIC INFINITY ARKESTRA – HAVE YOU HEARD THE LATEST NEWS FROM NEPTUNE 5.51
3. SUN RA – DANCE OF THE COSMO ALIENS (Live In Milan, 1978) 11.00
4. SUN RA – TRYING TO PUT THE BLAME ON ME (Live In Rome, 1977 – previously unreleased) 3.37
5. SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA – PLANET EARTH 4.55
6. SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA – THE NILE 4.55
7. SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA – REFLECTS MOTION (Part 1 – previously unreleased) 3.21
8. SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA – REFLECTS MOTION (Part 2) 8.09
9. SUN RA – ANCIENT AIETHIOPIA 9.15
10. SUN RA AND HIS ARKESTRA – INTERPLANETARY MUSIC 2.40
11. SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA – WE TRAVEL THE SPACEWAYS 3.21

 
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LP

 
A1. SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA – SOMEWHERE IN SPACE 3.01
A2. SUN RA & HIS SOLAR-MYTH ARKESTRA – THE LADY WITH THE GOLDEN STOCKINGS 7.43
A3. SUN RA AND HIS AFRO INFINITY ARKESTRA – SOMEBODY ELSE’S WORLD 3.59
A4. SUN RA & HIS SOLAR-MYTH ARKESTRA – PLUTONIAN NIGHTS 4.20

B1. THE SUN RA ARKESTRA – ANGELS AND DEMONS AT PLAY 2.51
B2. SUN RA – ISLAND IN THE SUN (Extended version) 10.20
B3. SUN RA – ROCKET NUMBER NINE TAKE OFF FOR PLANET VENUS 6.18

C1. SUN RA AND HIS ARKESTRA – ASTRO BLACK 10.51
C2. SUN RA AND HIS INTERGALACTIC INFINITY ARKESTRA – HAVE YOU HEARD THE LATEST NEWS FROM NEPTUNE 5.51
C3. SUN RA AND HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA – WE TRAVEL THE SPACEWAYS 3.21

D1. SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA – REFLECTS MOTION (Part 1 – previously unreleased) 3.21
D2. SUN RA AND HIS SOLAR ARKESTRA – REFLECTS MOTION (Part 2) 8.09
D3. SUN RA – ANCIENT AIETHIOPIA 9.15

More info is available from Strut Records.