February 1 street date. Repress, originally released in 2000. Surprise reissue of the most infamous and difficult to procure Sun Ra artifact; originally issued on Amiri Baraka (then LeRoi Jones)'s Jihad label (home of the original Sunny's Time Now by Sunny Murray as well). This is the first release on the DC-based Sonboy label officially sanctioned by Baraka (and mastered from the original tapes that have been sitting in his basement all along). Other unreleased sessions from the Jihad library of tapes are still rumored to follow this release. Originally issued in 1968, "A Black Mass" was personally distributed by Baraka via a network of radical Black literature bookstores and was not commonly found in the channels that records of the time moved in. As a result, it has enjoyed a mystical status for the better part of its 30+ year existence, and many hard-core Ra completists have never seen a copy.
January 13 street date. Fredfades & Sun Raw are keeping alive the gritty, analogue sound with 12-bit drums and loops but with their own unique style. Fred has been working with KingUnderground for the last 3 years and has a flock of releases. Sun Raw from Stockholm, Sweden is new to the crew but about to drop his debut “Beat Weeks”. The duo are both part of Mutual Intentions crew and find inspiration from old music, from Jazz, funk, soul, rock and anything they find in the crates.
August 4 stree date. For this definitive edition, historical and technical liner notes are provided by noted jazz historian Ben Young, who restored and remastered the album with his Triple Point Records partner Joe Lizzi. Both men have been recognized for their extensive work on the Grammy Nominated Albert Ayler boxset, released on John Fahey’s Revenant records in 2005. First-generation Saturn pressings of The Magic City were monophonic. A full stereo version had been issued on Sun Ra's Thoth subsidiary label sometime after 1969; however, it suffered from a technical flaw that prevented many copies of the LP from tracking cleanly through the first cut on side B. A 1973 gatefold LP reissue on Impulse featured reprocessed stereo. For this definitive reissue, Cosmic Myth Records used stereo sources which are superior to the Thoth pressing. Cosmic Myth Records issues recordings under license from Sun Ra LLC, comprised of the heirs and rightsholders of Sun Ra's music. The series is being co-produced and supervised by Irwin Chusid (Raymond Scott, Esquivel, Langley School Music Project) and Michael D. Anderson, who maintains the Sun Ra Music Archive, the world's foremost collection of original Ra session masters. 2017 Remastered / Legitimate Reissue / Vinyl pressed at RTI/ Tip-on jackets / Liner notes by Christopher Trent / Stereo edition / Bonus tracks
August 4 stree date. For this definitive edition, historical and technical liner notes are provided by noted jazz historian Ben Young, who restored and remastered the album with his Triple Point Records partner Joe Lizzi. Both men have been recognized for their extensive work on the Grammy Nominated Albert Ayler boxset, released on John Fahey’s Revenant records in 2005. First-generation Saturn pressings of The Magic City were monophonic. A full stereo version had been issued on Sun Ra's Thoth subsidiary label sometime after 1969; however, it suffered from a technical flaw that prevented many copies of the LP from tracking cleanly through the first cut on side B. A 1973 gatefold LP reissue on Impulse featured reprocessed stereo. For this definitive reissue, Cosmic Myth Records used stereo sources which are superior to the Thoth pressing. Cosmic Myth Records issues recordings under license from Sun Ra LLC, comprised of the heirs and rightsholders of Sun Ra's music. The series is being co-produced and supervised by Irwin Chusid (Raymond Scott, Esquivel, Langley School Music Project) and Michael D. Anderson, who maintains the Sun Ra Music Archive, the world's foremost collection of original Ra session masters. 2017 Remastered / Legitimate Reissue / Vinyl pressed at RTI/ Tip-on jackets / Liner notes by Christopher Trent / Stereo edition / Bonus tracks
September 1 street date. In classic Sun Ra fashion Angels And Demons At Play collects recordings made 4 years apart (1956 and 1960) but still sounds like a perfect, cohesive album. That's the beauty of the Arkestra, though it lasted decades and featured dozens of different musicians, Sun Ra's unique vision maintained a free-form order that unified all the various incarnations and countless recordings into a whole. Featuring Arkestra mainstays like Pat Patrick, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, and John Gilmore, Angels And Demons At Play features mostly shorter tracks, in a swinging and dark mood that exemplified Ra's late 50s work. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card.
September 1 street date. Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1 is one of the earliest and finest release from Birmingham by way of Saturn pianist, bandleader, and composer, Sun Ra. Featuring many of the usual suspects including Priester, Gilmore, and Patrick, the album, originally released in 1957, features some of Ra's finest compositions. From swinging to subdued, Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1 is a unique pieces of mid-50s like only Ra could do it. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card.
September 1 street date. Recorded in 1961 at the Choreographers' Workshop, New York, Bad And Beautiful features outstanding performances from Arkestra veterans John Gilmore and Pat Patrick. Though Sun Ra is clearly the leader and founder of the Arkestra, it's records like this one that show the truly collaborative and communal nature of the group. Gilmore and Patrick's performances result in beautiful, flowing pieces that perfectly complement the playing of Ra and the group, showing us that there never has and never will be another jazz group quite like the Sun Ra Arkestra. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download card.
September 15 street date. Non-returnable CD. The music on this album was recorded in a marathon session of between 30-40 songs either at the RCA Studios or possibly at Hall Recording Company (both in Chicago), around 17 June 1960. Other albums to include tracks from the session include Interstellar Low Ways, Holiday for Soul Dance, Angels and Demons at Play and We Travel The Space Ways. The problem with trying to catalogue the output of many artists from this period is that, back then, jazz and other popular musics were not seen as being of any lasting importance. So recording details, and lists of who played what, when and where – although things which we take for granted today – are often missing, and one has to piece together the facts from a myriad of different sources. When you add to this the fact that Sun Ra was notorious for his eccentricities (some have even described him as being barking mad), and attempting to come up with any truly cogent narrative is monumentally difficult. This music is actually from the more conventional end of Sun Ra’s output and sounds like a trippier version of what Miles Davis and John Coltrane were doing at a time. Very groovy stuff.
October 20 street date. Corbett Vs. Dempsey present a reissue of Sun Ra Discipline 27-II, originally released in 1973. Recorded during the same sessions in 1972 at Chicago's Streeterville Studios that produced Ra's most popular and best-known record, Space Is The Place (1973). Sporting a percussion-rich 18-piece Arkestra, the music can be thick, voluble, and dense or it can winnow down to a small group. This marks the first time Discipline 27-II has been reissued on CD. Includes an explosive bonus track from the same session.
June 30 street date. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. Ra started his own label, El Saturn (or Saturn), to release his own recordings as well as those featuring the Arkestra backing local R&B and doo-wop groups. Ra also worked with other local labels, playing on and producing singles throughout the Chicago area. Though the genres showcased here are more pop than the world has come to expect from Sun Ra, the vibe and feel is purely cosmic, producing some of the wildest, strangest R&B ever created on this side of the sun. This collection compile singles of rare hard to find early Sun Ra productions and performances from Juanita Rogers, Yochanan, Little Mack, and Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra, from 1955-1961. A must have for all true Sun Ra collectors, this is an impressive retrospective on the early days of this legendary music guru.
NOVEMBER 6th RELEASE DATE (2-LP set) Available on color vinyl for the first time is the soundtrack to the legendary Sun Ra film, Space Is The Place. Featuring some of Sun Ra's most adventurous and uncompromising compositions ever, the soundtrack incorporates vocal chants, harsh synthesizer and organ blasts along with film dialogue, heavy percussion and just all around weirdness. Featuring cover art by members of the legendary Ant Farm art collective. An amazing, and important piece from the extensive Sun Ra catalog and a must have for Sun Ra and avant-garde cinema collectors alike. Limited edition of 500 on clear vinyl.
February 26 street date Recorded in 1959, Jazz In Silhouette is considered by many to be one of interplanetary traveler and jazz legend Sun Ra's best records from his Chicago period. Featuring long-time collaborators Marshall Allen, James Spaulding, and John Gilmore, Jazz In Silhouette has an exotic, soundtrack-y vibe, it's dark, smokey, and absolutely stunning. An essential piece of American jazz history from one of the most unique artists of the 20th Century.
April 1 street date. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. Ra started his own label, El Saturn (or Saturn), to release his own recordings as well as those featuring the Arkestra backing local R&B and doo-wop groups. Though the genres showcased here are more pop than the world has come to expect from Sun Ra, the vibe and feel is purely cosmic, producing some of the wildest, strangest R&B ever created on this side of the sun. Essential early Sun Ra performances and productions.
May 13 street date. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. Ra started his own label, El Saturn (or Saturn), to release his own recordings as well as those featuring the Arkestra backing local R&B and doo-wop groups. Volume 2 of the Sun Ra singles focuses on Yochanan (aka The Space Age Vocalist) - a wild and wildly original street performer from Chicago that Sun Ra befriended - along with some other amazing Sun Ra sides.
July 15 street date. Herman Poole Blount, better known to the world as Sun Ra, lived more musical lives in his 79 years on this planet (and others) than seems possible. In the 30s he was the most rigorous bandleader in Birmingham, heading the Sonny Blount Orchestra and filling every waking moment with music or philosophical discussions, by the 40s he had moved to Chicago and performed with luminaries such as Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson, and Coleman Hawkins. By the 50s he had changed his name to Sun Ra and began performing with longtime Arkestra bandmates John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. By the 1960s, Sun Ra's vision of spiritual free jazz was fully formed. This collection features unreleased tracks from Sun Ra's Arkestra from 1963, focuses heavily on the masterful tenor saxophone of John Gilmore.
August 28 street date. Deluxe Special Edition 125page Hardcover Book+DVD+CD!! Harte Recordings is proud to announce the release of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of SUN RA's Space Is The Place. This limited edition release will include a 125-page hardcover book, a DVD of the film with new producer commentary, and a CD of the soundtrack. It was forty years ago when Sun Ra's galactic-sploitation epic Space Is The Place was released to theaters around the USA. For the first time, Earthlings were able to look into the reality of Sun Ra; jazzman, alien, legend…spaceman. Space Is The Place is a movie beyond explanation, and yet it still remains one of the craziest, psychedelic, music-powered head-twisting fest ever to hit the theaters. NTSC all region, 153 minutes.
October 27 street date. Limited Transparent Blue Colored Vinyl * Tip-on Gatefold Jacket * Original Artwork. In the endless ocean of Sun Ra recordings, Space Is The Place ranks among the very best but more importantly stands as the most immediately understandable of his records. This masterpiece touches ?awlessly on elements of many of Ra's multiple phases and provides both a mission statement for and a gateway to his immaculate body of work.
April 21 street date. RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE. Unearthed Sun Ra Double Live lp from Portland, OR (10/28/88) with concert poster. Never before released concert sourced from the original master tapes of the audiophile recording engineer. Approved and sanctioned by Sun Ra Estate. Mixed by Drew Canulette (Nirvana, Neil Young). Pressed at RTI - Audiophile pressing.
April 21 street date. Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an "acquired taste?, with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra?s grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like "Time After Time," "Easy to Love," and "But Not for Me?. Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; "Can This Be Love?" was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra's longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963. The album is finally receiving its first ever vinyl release with a psychedelic swirl color pressing, exclusively for Record Store Day 2018.
Available now. Originally released in 1979. A mixture of live recording and studio post-production, On Jupiter sounds unique to any other album Sun Ra made. The Arkestra reflects a disco pulse right back on itself and delivers one of the most cohesive albums of their career. The title track is a masterpiece of gentle atonal harmony, while "UFO" pushes along at a cracking disco-like pace with fierce brass and spacey dub effects. This is a timeless Ra classic.
May 18 street date. God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be is something of a rarity in the Sun Ra catalog—a cohesive album with none of the stylistic eclecticism and musical chair shifting many of the artist’s self-released LPs were known for. Recorded at Variety Studios one day in 1979, the album’s five tracks comprise a solid jazz trio set. God is More Than Love … is the only complete piano-bass- drums studio session in the massive Sun Ra catalog. The album offers an intense set of cosmic vagabond moods, reflecting the telepathy that is the essence of small combo jazz. Other than an overdubbed second piano on Days of Happiness the five works were spontaneously generated and forever fixed: none of the titles recur in the encyclopedic Ra discography. Originally released on Saturn in several small press runs under the alternate title “Days of Happiness” between 1979 and 1981, fully realized artwork was never established and the album never got much circulation, thus it has remained a largely overlooked session in the Ra omniverse. Nearly 40 years later, the record is long overdue for acclaim on it’s second time around. Newly remastered edition on CD and LP (with tip-on style jackets/ RTI vinyl)
May 18 street date. God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be is something of a rarity in the Sun Ra catalog—a cohesive album with none of the stylistic eclecticism and musical chair shifting many of the artist’s self-released LPs were known for. Recorded at Variety Studios one day in 1979, the album’s five tracks comprise a solid jazz trio set. God is More Than Love … is the only complete piano-bass- drums studio session in the massive Sun Ra catalog. The album offers an intense set of cosmic vagabond moods, reflecting the telepathy that is the essence of small combo jazz. Other than an overdubbed second piano on Days of Happiness the five works were spontaneously generated and forever fixed: none of the titles recur in the encyclopedic Ra discography. Originally released on Saturn in several small press runs under the alternate title “Days of Happiness” between 1979 and 1981, fully realized artwork was never established and the album never got much circulation, thus it has remained a largely overlooked session in the Ra omniverse. Nearly 40 years later, the record is long overdue for acclaim on it’s second time around. Newly remastered edition on CD and LP (with tip-on style jackets/ RTI vinyl)
Available now. (new black vinyl version, previously released on colour vinyl for 2017RSD) Janus is a compilation of rare material from the Sun Ra Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. Remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl.
September 7 street date. 2018 repress. Originally released in 1978 on El Saturn Records. Disco 3000 is one of Sun Ra's greatest from the '70s. Recorded in Italy in 1978, it features some incredibly otherworldly keyboards that are some of his most enigmatic on record. Original tracks from the album include "Disco 3000", an incredible workout on synthesizer, with a tiny bit of drum machine, a little "Space Is The Place" breakdown, and all of the wild sound you'd expect from a Sun Ra album -- plus more long tracks -- the sweetly soulful "Friendly Galaxy", a great soul jazz number, and "Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens", which has spooky organ, frenetic bass, and somber percussion.
November 23 street date. Intended for release in 1975 by ABC/Impulse!, Crystal Spears was ultimately rejected by the label, perhaps the new group of execs just didnt hear what was going on on these recordings. Certainly for the uninitiated, this is not jazz as they know it but unbridled cacophony...or is it? Modern Harmonic presents the first legitimate LP release of Crystal Spears, pressed on colored vinyl and with liner notes by Ra-ficionado Brother Cleve!
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