Nuits de La Fondation Maeght

1970年8月、サン・ラーにとって北米以外では初のコンサートとなる記念すべき公演。絶頂期のジョン・ギルモア、マーシャル・アレン、パット・パトリック、ダニー・デイヴィス、ダニー・レイ・トンプソンが出演し、演奏するアーケストラの背景にNYやシカゴの景色、ロケット、エジプトの神々、羽飾りを付けたアフリカの戦士達の映像が流れ、想像をはるかに上回るパフォーマンスに観客が唖然としていたという衝撃のパフォーマンス。
1971年《SHANDAR》に2作に分けてリリースされていた人気ライヴ盤が、6枚組LPボックスセットにフェスティバルのプログラム、ライナーノーツや写真を掲載した12ページのブックレットなどを同梱した豪華仕様で再発。RSD2025でアナログ盤が即完売でしたので、CDという形でも大変嬉しい再発となります。

Sun Ra and his Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra performed their first concerts outside North America in 1970, as part of a festival held at the Fondation Maeght gallery in St. Paul-de-Vence, France. Other performers included Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, LaMonte Young, and Marian Zazeela. Two albums taken from the Arkestras concerts were soon released, but the full recordings of both sets werent issued until 2025, when Strut presented a lavish six-LP box set for Record Store Day, followed by a four-CD edition. Totaling more than four hours of music, the entire set is phenomenal, showcasing the full artistic range of the Arkestra at that point in time. The set list includes numerous staples of the Arkestras repertoire, including several songs that would become immortalized in the film Space Is the Place. Theres also an abundance of moments where Ra, with or without the Arkestra, ventures far off into uncharted territory. "Cosmic Explorer," near the beginning of the first set, is a mostly unaccompanied Moog showcase that sounds like a spaceship taking off, and later on, the full-band "Blackmyth" is an aggressive, chaotic synth meltdown. "Tone Science" appears first as a fractured synth interlude, then as an ecstatic caterwaul from the Arkestra, later reprised as another interlude. Other tracks are spirited and joyous, from the uncontained glee of "Spontaneous Simplicity" to the overdriven swing of "Somewhere Else." Some of the longer pieces switch directions and freak out fairly quickly, like "Shadow World," while "Pleasant Twilight" has a more consistent rhythm, simmering over until it hits a series of erratic horn solos. Only a few moments of the entire set feel restrained, like "Space Ballad (Untitled)" and a rendition of "Days of Wine and Roses" near the end. Overall, the release presents the Arkestra in all its unshackled, interstellar glory. Much like the work John Coltrane was creating near the end of his life, Sun Ras music has healing powers even at its most abrasive and abstract. For those prepared to answer the call of tomorrow, Nuits de la Fondation Maeght is essential listening. ~ Paul Simpson