Sun Ra and His Solar-Myth Arkestra - The Solar-Myth Approach Vol. 1 LP

Label: Charly/BYG

Occupying a unique place in the history of black music, Sun Ra took the big band aesthetic of his role model Duke Ellington into thrilling new territory. Backed by the Arekstra he reflected his profound interest in a wide range of non-western cultures as well as the scope of electronics and homemade instruments. A pianist and keyboard player with an ear for uncommon timbres, Ra led an orchestra that had fine players such as saxophonists John Gilmore, Danny Davis and Marshall Allen, as well as the charismatic singer June Tyson. Together they created a timeless body of work.

The first of two sessions recorded in New York at the dawn of the 70s, The Solar Myth Approach Vol.1 puts a typically subversive slant on composition and arrangement in which texture and atmosphere, often conjuring up ancient ceremony and ritual, are as important as any model of theme and improvisation. Ra's use of a moog synthesizer just made his palette all the more enticingly polychromatic.

This re-mastered version of the album provides an opportunity to enjoy the finer points of music that reveals more layers with every listen. More than half a century after its creation, The Solar Myth Approach Vol.1 has become a never-ending story.