Sun Ra and the Blues

 

I like what Jason Weiss had to say about Sun Ra and Blue Delight: "What emerges time and again is 1001 ways of reading the blues" ("Sun Ra: The Living Future," Village Voice, 1989-07-04): a trait Ra shares with Duke Ellington.

Playlist, Week of 2026-01-04

The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 is one of my favorite Sun Ra records, not least because it's almost impenetrable... it really eludes full understanding, but not in a negative way... I keep coming back to it... as Rodger Coleman says in Sun Ra Sundays, "As many times as I've listened to this record, it always sounds fresh, revealing deeper insights with each listen" (p. 64)... maybe it's the bass marimba... Anyway, happy new year to everyone, whoever you are! Here's to another year hopefully filled with wonderful listening and reading... This year I am continuing my dives into "Dark Star," Duke Ellington, and Sun Ra, and I've got my eye (ear?) on more Charles Mingus and Anthony Braxton as well... 

Playlist 2026-01-05:

*George Adams: Sound Suggestions (side 1)
*[Ahmed]: Sama'a [Audition]
*B-52s: Bouncing off the Satellites
*B-52s: Cosmic Thing
*Anthony Braxton Trio: 1974-12-08 Toronto (CDR) (disc 2) track 2
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (discs 1, 2)
*Clash: London Calling (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Patsy Cline: Imagine That: The Lost Recordings 1954-1963 (disc 1)
*Rodger Coleman: Journey to Brno (cassette) (sides A, B)
*Deerhoof: Miracle-Level (side 1)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E50 "Spring Cleaning Pt. 2"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 12 (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 5)
*Grateful Dead: Sunshine Daydream (Veneta, Oregon 8/27/72) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-09-10 Hollywood (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-09-16 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Guided By Voices: Universe Room
*Guided By Voices: Thick Rich and Delicious
*Tim Harding/OJ Hunter/Fred McGann/Sam Byrd: 2025-11-14 RVA (CDR)
*François Houle/Kate Gentile/Alexander Hawkins: Fatrasies
*Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
*Clifford Jordan/John Gilmore: Blowing in from Chicago
*Mastodon: The Hunter
*Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups: Mingus Dynasty (side 1)
*Ozric Tentacles: Strangeitude (disc 1)
*Sparks: Angst in My Pants (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Supersonic Jazz (21st Century Expanded Ed.) (side 2)
*Sun Ra: The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
*Sun Ra: Space Is the Place (Blue Thumb) (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Disco 3000 (Complete Milan Concert 1978) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra: Haverford College 1980 Solo Piano (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Hidden Fire (sides 3, 4)
*UYA: 1994-05-22/06-05 Right with Right (wav)
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (disc 1)

Reading List, Week of 2026-01-04

Vineland: best the third time around...

Reading List 2026-01-05:

*Erikson, Steven. No Life Forsaken (started)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Sure as Moons Is Cheeses: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 6: 1921 (started)
*Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew (Arden 2nd series, ed. Brian Morris) (reread/started)
*Erikson, Steven. The God Is Not Willing (reread/started/finished)
*Beats and Threads: Drumming Legend and Fashion Icon, Ringo Starr (ed. Gary Astridge) (finished)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Pilgrims on the Road to Nowhere: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 5: 1920 (finished)
*Pynchon, Thomas. Vineland (reread/finished)
*Bernard, Bruce. Century (in progress)

Allen Lowe on Sun Ra as a Pianist

 Allen Lowe on Sun Ra:

...as a pianist, Sun Ra is one of my absolute favorites. I own all of his solo piano records; he has that same thing that I love in Jaki Byard, a brilliant way of abstracting theme and harmony, of redistributing them as perceived in fragments, in such a way that he seems to be putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Clearly this was a great musical mind at work, and his piano playing is the epitome of the kind of jazz I prefer: built on harmonic exploration and somewhat vague thematic disbursement, but tied together by a deep, really old-time sensibility that looks very perceptively at the jazz/American song confluence. (Allen Lowe, quoted in "Allen Lowe: No Holds Barred," by Troy Collins, Point of Departure, issue 84, Sept. 2023)

Playlist, Week of 2025-12-28

Lotta rocking out for the season... here's hoping you've had a nice holiday, if that applies... Breakup Song is still my favorite Deerhoof record... Rodger Coleman's new cassette release Journey to Brno is wonderful... more on that in the future... 

Playlist 2025-12-29:

*Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
*Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare
*B-52s: Wild Planet
*Beach Boys: The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
*Beatles: 1962-1966 (2023 Edition) (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 402)
*Rodger Coleman: Journey to Brno
*Deerhoof: Breakup Song
*Deerhoof: Love-Lore "Love-Lore 4"
*Deerhoof: Future Teenage Cave Artists
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Deerhoof: Devil Kids
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Midnight in Paris
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1) "A Tone Parallel to Harlem"
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 48 (1971-11-20 UCLA) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-07-18 Jersey City, NJ (CDR) (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-08-24 Berkeley CA (CDR) (disc 2) "Dark Star > Morning Dew"
*Grant Green: Grant's First Stand
*Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas
*Guided By Voices: Strut of Kings
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced (selections)
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold as Love
*Jimi Hendrix: Pandora's Box (disc 3)
*François Houle/Kate Gentile/Alexander Hawkins: Fatrasies
*Lee Morgan: The Gigolo
*Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the Mind
*Tony Oxley/Derek Bailey Quartet: 1993-09 Crawley, England (CDR)
*Andy Partridge: My Failed Christmas Career, Vol. 1
*Tom Rainey Trio: 2016-07-01 NYC (CDR) (disc 1) track 3
*Sparks: Kimono My House (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Haverford College 1980 Solo Piano (side 1)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Live in Nickelsdorf 1984 (disc 1)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Reflections in Blue
*Sun Ra: Hidden Fire (sides 1, 2)
*Various artists: Beg Scream & Shout! The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul (discs 2, 3)
*XTC: Drums and Wires

Reading List, Week of 2025-12-28

Reading List 2025-12-29:

*Beats and Threads: Drumming Legend and Fashion Icon, Ringo Starr (ed. Gary Astridge) (started)
*Ram V., Evan Cagle, et al. The New Gods: The Falling Sky (started/finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus (Arden 2nd series, ed. J.C. Maxwell) (reread/finished)
*Bernard, Bruce. Century (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Pilgrims on the Road to Nowhere: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 5: 1920 (in progress)
*Pynchon, Thomas. Vineland (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-12-21

 

I think I mentioned this before, but I love the way Duke Ellington's 20-minute "The Mexican Suite" is a condensed dry run for the album-length Latin American Suite... beautiful, compelling melodies and great Paul Gonsalves solos... that's all for now, from an Ellington-heavy week of heavenly listening...

Playlist 2025-12-22:

*B-52s: The B-52s
*Beethoven: The Early String Quartets (Juilliard String Quartet) (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Music Orchestra "Comp. 25" (selections)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 7)
*Patricia Brennan: 2025-08-22 Saalfelden (CDR)
*Peter Brötzmann Octet: The Complete Machine Gun Sessions "Machine Gun"
*Rodger Coleman: Journey to Brno (cassette) (sides A, B)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Such Sweet Thunder
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites
*Duke Ellington: Live in Mexico "The Mexican Suite"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Latin American Suite
*Duke Ellington: The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
*Duke Ellington: Togo Brava Suite (Blue Note) "Togo Brava Suite"
*Esquivel: Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad
*Marcus Gilmore: Journey to the New
*Grateful Dead: Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26 Frankfurt) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-08-21 Berkeley CA (CDR) (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Joe Henderson with the Wynton Kelly Trio: Four!
*Jimi Hendrix: Pandora's Box (disc 2)
*Mars Volta: Frances the Mute
*Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the Mind
*Ozric Tentacles: Strangeitude (disc 1)
*Pink Floyd: A Saucerful of Secrets
*Royal Blood: Royal Blood
*Sun Ra: The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
*Sun Ra: The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 2
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Atlantis
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: My Brother the Wind, Vol. 2
*Henry Threadgill: Listen Ship
*UYA: 1994-05-22 Huge Debt Monkey (wav)
*Brian Wilson: At My Piano
*John Zorn/The Dreamers: A Dreamer's Christmas