The Sun Ra Music Archive has just announced the release of 21 new reiussues of the legendary Sun Ra’s tracks.
In honor of the centennial of music legend Sun Ra yesterday, May 20th, the Sun Ra Music Archive has embarked on an extensive Mastered for iTunes reissue program. The albums were released yesterday on Enterplanetery Koncepts, ensuring that the format exceeds stanbdard 16 bit sound quality of CDs, starting with 24-bit transfers from the analog master tapes. The Sun Ra Mastered for iTunes releases includes material from session and rehearsal tapes, and production and album masters. Even more excitingly, the set will include previously unreleased material, some stereo mixes of tracks previously available only in mono, and complete versions of tracks which had been edited for the original LPs. Many of these tapes, and the records that were made from them, are high-quality lo-fi, having been recorded in studios, nightclubs, and ad hoc rehearsal spaces (full Sun Ra catalog available here).
Though he passed away eleven years ago, Sun Ra’s influence has continued to sustain musicians. It was eons ahead of it’s time; though he was filed under jazz, Sun Ra’s music surpasses genres. He explored electronica, funk, avant-garde soundscapes, musique concrète, and songcraft, while his styles spanned hard bop, exotica, R&B, piano improv, cosmic soul, swing, doo-wop, balladry, and invented forms. He ran a self-own label, El Saturn, which he released hundreds of albums, limited pressings, and other collectibles on during his lifetime. His repertoire spans decades and is “unfathomably large, requiring a universe of shelf space.” Many of those collectibles are now available for the first time in digital format, under license from Sun Ra LLC, owned by the heirs of the legendary musician. This is a pretty special opportunity for any jazz lovers, but realistically, everyone with two ears could greatly benefit from going through these reissues, currently available in the iTunes Store from Enterplanetary Koncepts. Don’t miss out!
Sun Ra Reissues for Mastered for iTunes
Supersonic Jazz (1957)
Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth (1958)
Angels and Demons At Play (1965)
Interstellar Low Ways (1966)
Jazz in Silhouette (1959)
Nubians of Plutonia (1966)
Sound Sun Pleasure (1970)
We Travel the Spaceways (1967)
Fate in a Pleasant Mood (1965)
Holiday for Soul Dance (1970)
Bad and Beautiful (1972)
The Invisible Shield (1974)
When Sun Comes Out (1963)
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy (1967)
Monorails and Satellites, Vol. 1 (1968)
Other Planes of There (1966)
The Magic City (1966)
Strange Strings (1967)
Atlantis (1969)
Astro Black (1972)
Universe in Blue (1972)
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