Sun Ra: Chicago Sets from 1976 and 1977

Sun Ra on the cover of the album being discussed

In reviewing my archives, I discovered that, on several occasions, I would conjecture the influence of Sun Ra on a particular jazz artist that was the subject of my article. Sadly, it seems that I have not yet written anything about Ra himself. Fortunately, he was one of the artists to benefit from the plethora of new albums released in celebration of Record Store Day last month. The full title of the album that can introduce listeners to Ra’s unique approach to performance is Sun Ra at the Showcase: Live in Chicago. The Amazon.com Web page in that preceding hyperlink provides options for both MP3 and a two-CD set.

All of the selections on the second CD were recorded on February 21, 1976. This includes the longest of the tracks, “The Shadow World,” clocking in short of eighteen minutes in duration. The tracks on the first CD were recorded at two different performances on November 4 and 10, 1977. The ensemble for all of these performances was a large one, and all of the reed players alternate among different instruments. That includes oboist James Jackson, whose other instrument is the Ancient Ihnfinity Drum. The brass section is limited to three trumpeters (Ahmed Abdullah, Emmett McDonald, and Vincent Chancey), joined by Richard Williams on French horn. There are also three vocalists: June Tyson, Cheryl Banks-Smith, and Wisteria (Judith Holton).

I had the good fortune to see Ra at least once in performance during the time when my wife and I were living in Los Angeles. It was clear that the visual experience was as important as the musical one, particularly to the extent that performances took place in a broader context of ritual. Nevertheless, the music was still jazz, even if the improvisations were wilder than anything one might encounter from any other ensemble.

Now, of course, those improvisations can be experienced only through recordings. Nevertheless, there are some advantages to that limitation, particularly for those listening with gear that includes access to time codes. It would not be out of the question to “parse” any given track for the sake of homing focus in on an extended solo or trying to tease out just how many instruments are doing how many different things during an ensemble episode. (Also, it may take several listenings to figure out some of the words being sung!)

I realize that some of these observations may be contrary to Ra’s own inclinations. Extended improvisations tend to develop around relatively simple building blocks, suggesting that the attentive listener should simply take things as they come to pass. While I had no trouble grooving on such spontaneity when in the presence of Ra and his ensemble, at the present “historical distance,” I am more inclined to take “deeper dives,” not necessarily for the entire album but at least for specific episodes that I feel deserve more attention.

Nevertheless, those without background experiences may have some trouble deciding whether this is noise masquerading as music or music masquerading as noise. My guess is that, if anyone would have put that choice to Ra himself, his answer would have been “Both and neither!” I suppose the appropriate metaphor is that Ra rolls the dice, and it is up to the listener to play it as it lays.