In The Orbit of Ra ［2LP+2CD］

土星生まれの太陽神、サン・ラーの生誕100周年を記念した、サン・ラ・アーケストラの現バンド・リーダー、マーシャル・アレン監修の2枚組コンピレーション!マイルスやコルトレーンのように崇められ、マッドリブやラスG、セオ・パリッシュまで虜にして止まない孤高のジャズ演奏家にして、土星生まれの太陽神ことサン・ラー。その生誕100周年となる2014年、故サン・ラ音源の復刻に情熱を捧げるUKのレーベル〈ART YARD〉と〈STRUT〉がタッグを組んで、サン・ラによって設立されたサン・ラ・アーケストラを率い続けるバンド・リーダー、マーシャル・アレンの全面協力/監修のもと、未発表曲も含めた2 枚組コンピレーションを発表。大気圏を越え土星まで届く怒涛のエネルギーを放つスピリチュアル・ジャズが満載の、ジャズ・ファンからヒップホップ・リスナーまで必聴の大推薦のコンピレーション。全曲、オリジナル・マスター・テープからのマスタリング。

As the longest-tenured member of the Arkestra (55-plus years and counting as of 2014), there is no one with a deeper understanding of the music of Sun Ra than Marshall Allen, and that's part of what makes In the Orbit of Ra such a special collection. The Arkestra's long history is often divided into musical/geographic periods or spoken of as a progression from inside to outside playing. This set spans from the late '50s to the late '70s but the non-chronological sequencing shows how artificial those stylistic boundaries are. The tracks chosen show how many of the elements of their more outside material were present even back in the late '50s and there was quite clearly a strong, coherent musical vision in place from the beginning (but most audiences probably weren't ready for it yet). There are a few signature tunes here, but this isn't really a greatest-hits collection. Instead, it's a guided tour from Marshall Allen deep into Sun Ra's music. Each track leads the listener a bit further so by the time Art Jenkins' space voice enters at the end of disc one, it makes perfect sense instead of just being "weird" in a different context. "Solar Differentials" is the perfect setup for the second disc (starting with the hypnotic "Astro Black," replete with industrial drill sounds), which continues the journey with more of a focus on vocal pieces over the years, ultimately leading us back full circle to the beginning in Chicago. In addition to the unreleased tracks "Reflects Motion, Pt. 1" and "Trying to Put the Blame on Me" (a wonderful solo piano piece), there's an unedited "Islands in the Sun" and a bunch of great photos by Val Wilmer. Then there's the remastering: this is easily the best sound most of these tracks have ever had before, on CD or LP. There are any number of great performances here, but Ronnie Boykins' work on bass really stands out with the new remastering. Despite the fact that most of this material was already available, In the Orbit of Ra is close to essential for fans and a pretty good place to start for the curious Sun Ra novice. He really was writing music for the 21st century. ~ Sean Westergaard