Space Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra

 

Sun Ra, a.k.a. Herman Poole "Sonny" Blount (1914–1993), has been hailed as "one of the great big-band leaders, pianists, and surrealists of jazz" (New York Times) and as "the missing link between Duke Ellington and Public Enemy" (Rolling Stone). Composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn, Sun Ra led his "Intergalactic Arkestra" of thirty-plus musicians in a career that ranged from boogie-woogie and swing to be-bop, free jazz, fusion, and New Age music. This definitive biography reveals the life, philosophy, and musical growth of one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde musicians.

 

 

Walt Dickerson • Impressions Of A Patch Of Blue

 

Review
by Steve Huey  
Impressions of a Patch of Blue was the second time Walt Dickerson recorded an album of rearranged movie soundtrack pieces, following his interpretations of material from Lawrence of Arabia. Starring Sidney Poitier, A Patch of Blue was about a star-crossed pair of interracial lovers, with the twist that Elizabeth Hartman's character also happened to be blind. More important to jazz fans, though, is that the album marked one of Sun Ra's extremely rare appearances as a sideman, playing both piano and harpsichord. And he turns in a masterful supporting performance behind Dickerson, putting his own indelible stamp on the proceedings without ever overwhelming them. Witness "Bacon and Eggs," where Dickerson repeats a melodic theme for most of the piece while Ra's unorthodox reharmonizations dance about in the background. Ra's harpsichord also provides some otherworldly cascades that seem to spark Dickerson's sense of freedom, particularly on part two of "A Patch of Blue" and "High Hopes." Dickerson's own playing is most evocative on the two parts of "Alone in the Dark"; during the first, he plays frantic, jittery phrases that mimic the speech patterns of panic, and in the second he favors quick, repetitive figures that fade away like echoes or unanswered calls for help. All of that is indicative of the level of imagination with which the project is carried out, which makes it a shame that Dickerson retired from performing for a full decade following its release, leaving Bobby Hutcherson to become the most important modernist vibes player of the latter half of the '60s. Verve's 1999 CD reissue of Impressions of a Patch of Blue was a very limited edition, so don't dawdle in picking this one up.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/impressions-of-a-patch-of-blue-mw0000247890

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Reseña
por Steve Huey  
Impressions of a Patch of Blue fue la segunda vez que Walt Dickerson grabó un álbum de piezas remezcladas de bandas sonoras de películas, tras sus interpretaciones del material de Lawrence de Arabia. Protagonizada por Sidney Poitier, A Patch of Blue trataba de una pareja de amantes interraciales, con la particularidad de que el personaje de Elizabeth Hartman también era ciego. Pero lo más importante para los aficionados al jazz es que el álbum marcó una de las escasísimas apariciones de Sun Ra como músico de acompañamiento, tocando tanto el piano como el clavicordio. Y lo hace de forma magistral, apoyando a Dickerson, imprimiendo su sello indeleble a la música sin abrumarla en ningún momento. Como en "Bacon and Eggs", donde Dickerson repite un tema melódico durante la mayor parte de la pieza mientras las rearmonizaciones poco ortodoxas de Ra bailan en el fondo. El clavicordio de Ra también proporciona algunas cascadas de otro mundo que parecen encender la sensación de libertad de Dickerson, particularmente en la segunda parte de "A Patch of Blue" y "High Hopes". La interpretación de Dickerson es más evocadora en las dos partes de "Alone in the Dark"; durante la primera, toca frases frenéticas y nerviosas que imitan los patrones de habla del pánico, y en la segunda favorece figuras rápidas y repetitivas que se desvanecen como ecos o llamadas de auxilio sin respuesta. Todo ello es indicativo del nivel de imaginación con el que se lleva a cabo el proyecto, lo que hace que sea una pena que Dickerson se retirara de la actuación durante toda una década tras su publicación, dejando que Bobby Hutcherson se convirtiera en el intérprete de vibráfono modernista más importante de la segunda mitad de los años 60. La reedición en CD de Impressions of a Patch of Blue realizada por Verve en 1999 fue una edición muy limitada, así que no se demore en adquirirla.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/impressions-of-a-patch-of-blue-mw0000247890

The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale • Batman And Robin

Source: Fuente: http://savagesaints.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-sensational-guitars-of-dan-and-dale.html

You aren’t going to believe this one. In 1966 kids were going wild over ABC’s “Batman” television show. A New Jersey toy company wanted to cash in on the craze and rip off kids by releasing an album called “Batman and Robin.” This slab of vinyl had nothing to do with the t.v. show even though it was chock full of tunes like “The Penguin Chase,” “Robin’s Theme,” “Batmobile Wheels,” “Flight of the Batman” and “The Bat Cave.”

Here is the unbelievable part: Producer Tom Wilson hired Sun Ra and several members of his immortal Arkestra (including supposedly John Gilmore, Marshall Allen and Pat Patrick) to collaborate with members of the New York-based rock and blues band, The Blues Project (best known as Al Kooper’s band even though he wasn’t an original member) and record the sides as The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale. Why is this unbelievable? Because Sun Ra,  the otherworldly jazz composer, band leader and musician, was better known for bringing Outer Space and big band-tinged compositions into the experimental frenzy and fun of free jazz.

The album features twelve songs – ten instrumentals and two songs with vocals. It’s obvious that this was a quickie – something they churned out in a day or two. The rfiffs are simple and repetitive and many of the tunes consist of the Arkestra horns turning out recycled classical melodies (like Tchaikovsky’s “Fifth Symphony,” Prokofiev and Chopin) so they wouldn’t have to pay licensing fees.

“Batman and Robin” features pretty traditional instrumentation, especially for a Sun Ra session, of organ, guitar, bass, drums and horns. The album is pretty dang groovy actually. Because it is a record for kids, you won’t find any atonal experiments or any of Sun Ra’s infamous counter melodies layered over big band-like melodies here. It actually sounds like a Southern R&B instrumental combo in the vein as Booker T. & the MGs. Even though the riffs are simple, there is a surprisingly joyful aspect to the playing. It’s obvious they had fun at the sessions. It is also obvious that Sun Ra did in fact play on part of the album as you can tell by the organ blast at the beginning of the album’s first song, “Batman Theme.”

The real star of the record is the uncredited guitar player – it could be The Blues Project’s Danny Kalb or it might not be him. The “Sensational Guitars” is actually it pretty apt title because I imagine the album sounds like what would happen if Steve Cropper was given free reign to rip fractured, Yardbirds-like solos over every one of Booker T.’s song.

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Traducción Automática:

Fuente: http://savagesaints.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-sensational-guitars-of-dan-and-dale.html 

No vas a creer esto. En 1966, los niños se volvían locos por el programa de televisión "Batman" de ABC. Una compañía de juguetes de Nueva Jersey quería sacar provecho de la locura y robar a los niños lanzando un álbum llamado "Batman and Robin". Esta placa de vinilo no tenía nada que ver con la televisión. mostrar a pesar de que estaba lleno de canciones como "The Penguin Chase", "Robin's Theme", "Batmobile Wheels", "Flight of the Batman" y "The Bat Cave".

Aquí está la parte increíble: el productor Tom Wilson contrató a Sun Ra y varios miembros de su inmortal Arkestra (incluidos supuestamente John Gilmore, Marshall Allen y Pat Patrick) para colaborar con miembros de la banda de rock y blues de Nueva York, The Blues Project ( mejor conocido como la banda de Al Kooper, aunque no era un miembro original) y graba los lados como The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale. ¿Por qué es esto increíble? Porque Sun Ra, el compositor de jazz de otro mundo, líder de la banda y músico, fue más conocido por incorporar Outer Space y composiciones de grandes bandas en el frenesí experimental y la diversión del jazz libre.

El álbum presenta doce canciones, diez instrumentales y dos canciones con voz. Es obvio que esto fue rápido, algo que produjeron en uno o dos días. Los rfiffs son simples y repetitivos, y muchas de las melodías consisten en los cuernos de Arkestra que producen melodías clásicas recicladas (como "Fifth Symphony" de Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev y Chopin), por lo que no tendrían que pagar tarifas de licencia.

"Batman and Robin" presenta una instrumentación bastante tradicional, especialmente para una sesión de Sun Ra, de órgano, guitarra, bajo, batería y bocinas. El álbum es bastante bueno en realidad. Debido a que es un disco para niños, no encontrarás experimentos atonales ni ninguna de las famosas melodías de Sun Ra en capas sobre grandes melodías similares a bandas aquí. En realidad, suena como un combo instrumental de R&B del sur en la vena como Booker T. & the MGs. A pesar de que los riffs son simples, hay un aspecto sorprendentemente alegre en el juego. Es obvio que se divirtieron en las sesiones. También es obvio que, de hecho, Sun Ra tocó en parte del álbum, como se puede ver en la explosión del órgano al principio de la primera canción del álbum, "Batman Theme".

La verdadera estrella del disco es el guitarrista sin acreditar, podría ser Danny Kalb de The Blues Project o no ser él. Las "guitarras sensacionales" en realidad son un título bastante apropiado porque imagino que el álbum suena como lo que sucedería si a Steve Cropper le dieran rienda suelta para romper los solos de Yarbirds, fracturados, sobre cada una de las canciones de Booker T.

A Pure Solar World Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism

 

Sun Ra said he came from Saturn. Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered free-form improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the “Arkestra.” Sun Ra took jazz from the inner city to outer space, infusing traditional swing with far-out harmonies, rhythms, and sounds. Described as the father of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra created “space music” as a means of building a better future for American blacks here on earth.

A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary but underappreciated musician, composer, and poet. Paul Youngquist explores and assesses Sun Ra’s wide-ranging creative output—music, public preaching, graphic design, film and stage performance, and poetry—and connects his diverse undertakings to the culture and politics of his times, including the space race, the rise of technocracy, the civil rights movement, and even space-age bachelor-pad music. By thoroughly examining the astro-black mythology that Sun Ra espoused, Youngquist masterfully demonstrates that he offered both a holistic response to a planet desperately in need of new visions and vibrations and a new kind of political activism that used popular culture to advance social change. In a nation obsessed with space and confused about race, Sun Ra aimed not just at assimilation for the socially disfranchised but even more at a wholesale transformation of American society and a more creative, egalitarian world.

 

  Paul Youngquist (Author)