"Why you should buy this album: 1.It sounds like a transmission from the hippest radio station in outer space. 2.It contains fully successful examples of futurist and minimalist compositions, written by a man who most likely had never before encountered either term. 3.It will make you more intelligent and hip. 4.It makes the psychedelic music of the hippie era sound tame. It was also recorded four years before the first acid test. 5.It's damned funky. Find out what you're missing."
Beyond Definition
nadav haber | jerusalem Israel | 11/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sun Ra was in tune with cosmic energies, and was influenced by heliocentric sound waves.
Whether or not this is taken literally, I have no doubt, after listening to this cd, that Sun Ra heard things his own way, and succeeded in transmitting what he heard to his Arkestra.
The music here is simultaneously primitive and ultra modern. John gilmore's solo on the third track, for example, reminds alot of Ethiopian music and even Sudanese music. The liner notes say it is the call of a Muezin. The rhythms move from sounding African to sounding solar, with surprising fluency. Some of the interplay between the horns, on a few tracks, are so creative and effective, that their effect on me is hard to describe.
I see the influence of Ra's music on so many things, such as energy music, the AACM (the way he uses space and silence), and on other styles, outside of jazz. All this while defying commercialism, staying true to his artistic vision, and maintaining wonderful orchestra's for so many years.
It is a rare priviledge for us mere mortals to listen to the music of Sun Ra, enjoy it and even write about it."
Welcome to Space
Dennis M. Clark | Oakland, CA United States | 06/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been making my way through the various CD reissues of Sun Ra recordings over the last 2 years, always with respect, and usually with genuine enjoyment, but this one has rocketed to the top of the list. Everything I read about Sun Ra in John F. Szwed's wonderful "Space is the Place" biography is finally revealed in this tremendously inspired recording. There is a joyfulness about the improvisation in these performances that is totally seductive, and the musical textures are wonderfully balanced and uncluttered. None of the musicians get in each other's way, and the music is never mushy and confused. The group really does sound like it is exploring the unknown together and wants to take the listener along. Although you can hear influences of all sorts of music (swing, "classical" avant-garde, bop, etc.), it defies categorization. A totally uplifting musical experience."
Don't start here to get acquainted with Sun Ra
TimothyFarrell22 | Massachusetts | 08/12/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is great Sun Ra, but by all means don't start here. Its crazy, surreal, and inaccesible, more so than "Space Is the Place" or "Easy Listening for Intergalatic Travel". However, if you are familiar with Sun Ra, but considor yourself a casual fan than this is an album to buy. It will help you delve into the world of the greatest Jazz artist who ever lived. Back in 8th grade I took a general music class, which was all about learning the history of jazz to attempt to make all the kid's taste in music better (it, for the most part, alienated them ever further). One of the albums our teacher played was this one, and the reaction of the class was pretty much the same. "Is this music?" As my tastes have matured, I grew to appreciate avant-garde music, the deconstruction and often times lack of a central rhythm. The music here isn't catchy, and it may appear to many as unlistenable. However, if you have a taste for weird and unusual music, you will fall in love with this album. This is more for fans of The Shaggs and Captain Beefheart than it is for fans of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Don't get the impression that Sun Ra and his band is merely jamming here however - its all part of a great artistic vision."