Sun Ra The Magic City LP 1973 1st Impulse AS-9243 Gatefold Marshall Allen Rare

Description: Sun Ra The Magic City LP 1973 1st Impulse AS-9243 Gatefold Marshall Allen Rare I love it when Ra and the Boys take it outside and then reel it back in with such precision this is no accident these are skilled improvisers . The Magic City is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Recorded in two sessions in 1965, the record was released on Ra's own Saturn label in 1966. The record was reissued by Impulse! in 1973, and on compact disc by Evidence in 1993. Great album, very atmospheric and deep, one of Sun Ra's finest works, especially the title track on the A-side which reminds of a modern, atonal chamber symphony, dominated by futuristic flute sounds and echoing feedback effects from a microphone getting hit by a finger; later the saxophones join in and mess it all up, maybe even a bit too chaotic at the peak. Also the B-side features some good grooves, "Abstract Eye" with a wonderful deep cello or double bass, "Abstract 'I'" with a great dark and dreamy percussion, and "The Shadow World" with a fast, forward driving percussion and very wild saxophones This album is a great free jazz listen and most of it is fairly soft. I would say it's almost more of an orchestral piece as well, the title track mostly. The title track is a great piece. It starts off very slow moving and light and then starts to pick up finally at the 15 minute mark and hardky gives you time to rest and collect your thoughts. I really like the piano in it too and wish there was more of it. The Shadow World starts off softly again with rolling type thunder jazz. It almost has a hard-bop feel to it for a while. This track suits its title very well and I consider it pretty dark, for free-jazz. At 3 minutes various instruments slowly creep in, horns and piano, until a certain mess starts to form. A very well done track and probably my favorite on the album. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings includes the album in its suggested “Core Collection” of essential recordings.It is notable especially for the title track, on which "the Arkestra's range of feelings and sound is expressed in a design that's simply unprecedented in jazz." While it begins with use of tape echo recalling the experiments on Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, the key features quickly emerge: Ra's simultaneous piano and clavioline intertwining with Boykins's bass as the underpinning for new long-forms of group music-making which draw on varying sub-ensembles from the Arkestra through the course of the piece. Lindsay Planer writes:The boundaries of Sun Ra's self-proclaimed "space jazz" underwent a transformation in the mid-'60s. The Magic City is an aural snapshot of that metamorphic process. Many enthusiasts and scholars consider this to be among Ra's most definitive studio recordings. The boundaries of Sun Ra's self-proclaimed "space jazz" underwent a transformation in the mid-'60s. The Magic City is an aural snapshot of that metamorphic process. Many enthusiasts and scholars consider this to be among Ra's most definitive studio recordings. Although the "city" in the album's title was thought to have been New York -- where the disc was recorded -- it is actually Ra's earthly birthplace of Birmingham, AL. The Magic City consists of four free jazz compositions: the album side-length title track, "The Shadow World," "Abstract Eye," and "Abstract I" -- two variants of a common work. These pieces are essentially ensemble improvisations recorded live. Any direction from Ra, indicating the order of soloists for instance, would be given either through his playing or with hand signals. The title track begins with weaving distant and frenetic lines from Ronnie Boykins (bass) and Ra (piano, clavoline), connected by intermittent eruptions from Roger Blank (drums). All the while, Marshall Allen's dreamlike piccolo randomly maneuvers through the sonic haze. The piece also contains an ensemble onslaught that abruptly contrasts with everything experienced up through that point. In the wake of the innately earthbound "Magic City" are three comparatively shorter pieces with subtle undercurrents that return Ra to space motifs. For example, the importance of sonic contrast defines "The Shadow World" by juxtaposing the lightly churning bass and cymbal into some surreal keyboard interjections from Ra.

Price: 59.99 USD

Location: Portland, Oregon

End Time: 2025-01-02T23:52:37.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.63 USD