Sun Ra And His Arkestra - In the Orbit of Ra

  by Lisa Torem

published: 16 / 9 / 2014

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Review

Sun Ra is a band, which you’ll no doubt have strong feelings about but they have always managed to come up with something memorable. This two-disc compilation, ‘In the Orbit of Ra’, provides perfect evidence of this. CD1 ‘Somewhere in Space’ has a clownish, lumbering gait, which makes the horns sound even more eloquent. It’s like trudging through mud with sneakers on. ‘The Lady with the Golden Stockings’ has a curious zigzag melody. It’s is a slow burn. The soprano sax bebops like there’s no tomorrow against the thick jungle beats. The flirty flute and sombre trombone definitely hold our attention and when the bass comes along and then everyone joins in it’s cooler than Italian ice. ‘Somebody Else’s World’ is a marked contrast - eyboard driven and enhanced by a chorus and persuasive vocals. ‘Plutonian Nights’ is heavy on the low tones. It’s an infectious fugue with two delightful stories to tell, sweetened with a smack of piano. The sax is forceful and bursting with energy.# ‘Angels and Demons at Play’ is otherworldly and bold. That flute has never sounded sweeter and all the more so as it carries its own weight over a rising background of fusion. ‘Island in the Sun’ is also riddled with vitality. The tandem flute is tremendous as is the trading off of flute and piano. ‘Rocket Number Nine Takes Off For Planet Venus’ is packed with vocal madness and virtuosic drumming. The piano is adventurous and simply to die for. The last track on this first disc, ‘Solar Differentials’ sets the imagination barometer on high. Eerie vocals and choppy piano give it its style. It’s a great conversation piece as it is as disturbing as it is alluring. CD2 ‘Astro Black’ is a tad self-indulgent at almost 11 minutes but the ambient sounds are mind-bending. ‘Have You Heard The Latest News From Neptune’ provides us with a clever yet bewildering interplay between the vocalizations and instruments. ‘Dance of the Cosmo Aliens’ does away with real time but the melody fights its way through and comes out victoriously. ‘Trying to Put The Blame on Me’ features a forceful message vocally, which makes it a bonafide ballad upon which the piano shines. ‘Planet Earth’ explodes with percussion. Like the longest river in the world, ‘The Nile’ is a one-off and needs no explanation. That said, it’s a force of nature. The first ‘Reflect Motion’ is set against a bucket of drums. As the title suggests, there are buckets and buckets of motion here. The second with the same title features piano. ‘Ancient Aiethiopia’ is another rich and textured piece. ‘Interplanetary Music’ swings in all possible ways with great strength from the singers. ‘We Travel the Spaceways’ is a short but perfect closer. It includes a cosmic message and recalls the odd bits that snake through the entire album but it conveys a laid-back vibe. The album is greatest when it builds slowly as in ‘Spontaneous Simplicity’ with mournful passages, sporadic percussion and tinkling keys, and a few of the longer numbers suffer from over-indulgence but it’s a great collection for people who enjoy wild, inventive orchestrations.

Track Listing:-

1 Somewhere In Space
2 The Lady With the Golden St
3 Somebody Else's World
4 Spontaneous Simplicity
5 Plutonian Nights
6 Angels and Demons At Play
7 Island In the Sun (Extended
8 Rocket Number Nine Take O
9 Solar Differentials
10 Astro Black
11 Have You Heard the Latest N
12 Dance of the Cosmo-Aliens
13 Trying To Put the Blame On
14 Planet Earth
15 The Nile
16 Reflects Motion, Pt. One
17 Reflects Motion, Pt. Two
18 Ancient Aiethiopia
19 Interplanetary Music
20 We Travel the Spaceways

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/SunRaMusic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra
http://www.sunraarkestra.com/

Label Links:-

https://instagram.com/strutrecords/
https://twitter.com/strutrecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/strutreco
https://www.facebook.com/StrutRecords
http://www.strut-records.com/