Search - Sun Ra :: Disco 3000: Complete Milan Concert 1978

Disco 3000: Complete Milan Concert 1978
Sun Ra
Disco 3000: Complete Milan Concert 1978
Genre: Jazz
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #2

In the winter of 1977-8, philosopher, pianist and bandleader Sun Ra was in Italy. The Italian tour resulted in releases on Sun Ra's own Saturn label, all of which have long been out of print and all but impossible to find....  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Sun Ra
Title: Disco 3000: Complete Milan Concert 1978
Members Wishing: 5
Total Copies: 0
Label: Art Yard
Release Date: 2/8/2008
Genre: Jazz
Style: Avant Garde & Free Jazz
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 5050693178222

Synopsis

Product Description
In the winter of 1977-8, philosopher, pianist and bandleader Sun Ra was in Italy. The Italian tour resulted in releases on Sun Ra's own Saturn label, all of which have long been out of print and all but impossible to find. With the re-release of DISCO 3000 one of the most celebrated of these elusive Saturn gems is once more available. This release, and it's companion MEDIA DREAMS, capture a side of Sun Ra's work - small ensemble, close form, original composition, rather minimal - that is otherwise under-represented. Depending heavily on Ra's electric and electronic keyboards (including the mysterious Crumar Mainman - of which even the company has no record) and, more unusually, on his intelligent use of sequencers and rhythm machines, this is an important window on the evolution of Ra's musical thinking, rendered even more transparent by the economy of its means; a quartet comprising only saxophonist John Gilmore, trumpeter Michael Ray and drummer Luqman Ali.
 

CD Reviews

Rare Sun Ra in Small Band Format
gidouille | 04/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the Saturn vinyl release of this back in the day, then I met an avid Sun Ra fan with a whole crate of his records, but not this one. I liked it a great deal, but it obviously meant more to him so I traded it for Guigou Chenevier's Arthur et les Robots, also quite rare at the time. Of course Arthur was reissued not long afterward, whereas it took more than a decade for this one to reappear.



It's been worth the wait though, as this presents Sun Ra in unique form with the tenor sax and drumming of longtime cohort John Gilmore, Luqman Ali on drums, Michael Ray trumpet and on one track, June Tyson's vocals. Sun Ra appears on various keyboards including the Crumar Mainman, which enabled him to add rhythm box beats and bass lines in real time. Disco 3000 on record was four pieces if I recall correctly. This release places those pieces in the context of eight others recorded at the same concert in Milan January '78, from which they were originally excised.



I first saw the Sun Ra Arkestra not too long after this and the concerts were always magical, but this one is really something special. Two hours plus of prime Sun Ra, 24 bit re-mastered from the original tapes, with just about the best sonics of all the Sun Ra recordings I've heard. Allegedly, this issue, which appeared only last year, is already out of print. The same UK label, Art Yard, has just re-issued another rare one entitled Media Dreams, recorded in Italy around the same time. If you're any kind of fan, especially of his more radical bent, don't miss Disco 3000.









"
The Gold Standard in a Remarkable Career
Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 08/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a remarkable recording career, this 2-CD reissue of the complete concert from Milan, Italy, on January, 23, 1978, is simply the gold standard.



The original album included three tracks, which is bolstered by nine additional numbers from the performance. And while the small ensemble - John Gilmore (tenor sax), Luqman Ali (drums), Michael Ray (trumpet) and June Tyson (vocals) - deliver an oftentimes subtle brilliance, it is the experimental genius of Sun Ra that makes this a soundscape classic.



Utilizing a Crumar Mainman synthesizer - the first keyboard to use pre-programmed beats - Sun Ra paints a breathtaking picture on the title track. Dance of the Cosmo Aliens and The Third Planet/Friendly Galaxy are sweeping in expression, with Sun of the Cosmos finding Sun Ra and Ali engaged in intriguing interplay.



This is an absolute must for a fan of Sun Ra or free jazz/avant-garde music and a fabulous place to start for someone seeking an excellent release to begin the trek down the cutting-edge trail paved by a true genius.



"