Awesome 1984 Arkestra Show
svf | 02/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 2CD set documents an amazing Sun Ra Arkestra performance in all their mid-80s splendor. The sound quality is a bit dodgy in places but overall is quite good (espeically compared to most other live Sun Ra albums.) At this point in his long, varied, and mysterious career, Sunny was presenting epic-length concerts melding all his influences into one big beautiful musical happening. There are the classic "space jazz" free-form jams with high-register reed pyrotechnics and synthesizer explorations. There are the inevitable hypnotic (and danceable!) "Space Chants". The loose blues jams. Even a gorgeous and tender (yet edgy?) Sun Ra piano solo of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." You'll be movin' your feet to the romping, tribal "Nuclear War". There's more: a lightning speed jam on "Big John's Special"...Respectful interpretations of "Satin Doll" and "Days of Wine and Roses"...Fun and games with "Mack the Knife"...a lovely "untitled improvisation"... folks, if it's Sun Ra it's here at its best. While no Sun Ra album has ever compared to the experience I had seeing him live in 1986, this is as close as it gets. Buy it!"
All The World's A Stage
Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 09/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Initially released as a 3-album set, the performance was recorded on February 27, 1984, at the Orpheus Theatre, in Athens, Greece.
There is only one brass player - Ronnie Brown (trumpet) - with the saxophones of Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and Danny Ray Thompson being prominently featured in the free jazz, funk and swing.
A healthy dose of standards - Mack the Knife, Over the Rainbow, Satin Doll, Day of Wine and Roses - keeps the focus on Sun Ra's vision of the continuum of music. This is an outstanding 2-CD set to delve into the mid-1980s version of the Arkestra and the incredible journey they delivered to the audience on the world stage."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1