Search - Sun Ra :: Heliocentric Worlds 3

Arkeology

Heavy Theta | Lorton, Va United States | 08/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"During the time when Sun Ra was recording his most creative music, only three disks were being distributed, and you were pretty lucky to find any of them at even the most exotic record shop. The label was ESP, which distributed his two Heliocentric Worlds sessions (along with the live Nothing Is). Considering how much his reputation rode on these titles, it is more than fortunate how well they represented the mystery and adventure of the mid-60's arkestra. Even as many dozens of other recordings eventually found their way onto CD's, Heliocentric Worlds remains part of his core catalogue.



Now ESP has released some extra material from the second Heliocentric session, nearly four decades after the fact. Scraps that were pruned from stronger material? There are a couple of short link tracks where this seems the case, but much of this recently excavated stuff is arguably on par with the original, only more energetic with stronger ensemble interaction. That's certainly true of the seventeen minutes of intercosmosis, that sounds much more like Magic City than the dreamy Heliocentric II. Ra sticks to piano here and fights it out with Gilmore, Patrick, Allen and Boykins, all of whom are on top of their game. world worlds sounds very much like the kind of red meat power charting that Ra would occaissionally toss into his live shows as a change of pace. interplanetary travelers is a wonderful music box of a piece that weaves both dreamy and energetic into a quick rondo.



hard to really put this stuff into perspective after one spin. i think the long piece may be great. certainly any '65 Ra deserves careful study. felicitations to the Good Doctor."