Sun Ra and his Solar-Myth Arkestra / THE SOLAR-MYTH APPROACH

Upgrading his celebrated band The Arkestra to the rank of Solar Myth-Arkestra, the bandleader-composer-pianist-keyboardist produced enough music in his lifetime to fill a universe, and these sessions on both discs are among the finest he released in the 70s. Featuring revered Arkestra members such as saxophonists John Gilmore, Danny Davis and Marshall Allen, drummers Clifford Jarvis, Lex Humphries and Nimrod Hunt and the charismatic singer June Tyson, ‘The Solar Myth Approach Vol.1& 2’ are a grab-bag of tracks from various undocumented sessions in New York and Philadelphia in the 60s, while some possibly date to the late 50s when Ra and the Arkestra were based in Chicago. They are invigorating albums that show Sun Ra taking the big band aesthetic of his role model Duke Ellington into thrilling new territory. Ra reflects his profound interest in a wide range of non-Western cultures as well as state of the art electronics and homemade instruments. Often conjuring up ancient ceremony and ritual, the music puts a new spin on the model of theme and improvisation, and also shows the enduring Afro-centricity of Ra’s imagination. “This remastered version provides the finer points of Sun Ra’s music that reveals more layers with every listen. ‘The Solar Myth Approach Vol.1 & 2’ are an epic journey into sound.” Kevin Le Gendre The Solar-Myth Approach Vol 1 & Vol 2 by Sun Ra and His Solar-Myth Arkestra