Sun Ra: Berkeley Lecture, 1971 (Corbett vs. Dempsey CvsDCD113)
In 1971 Sun Ra was appointed lecturer in the newly created Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of California in Berkeley. His course was entitled The Black Man In The Cosmos, its syllabus including The Egyptian Book Of The Dead, Ben-Jochannan’s Black Man Of The Nile And His Family, LeRoi Jones’s Black Fire and other books, as well as readings in hieroglyphics, slave narratives and the Rosicrucians.
One of those lectures – probably delivered in May 1971 – was recorded, described by Ra commentator Paul Youngquist as “an astonishing lesson, not an exposition so much as a performance of black counter-knowledge incommensurable with conventional academic learning”. Over the course of 32 minutes, Ra delivered in his soft, southern accent not so much an academic discourse but a mixture of “interpretive strategies, equations, puns, and critical commentary on everything from the Bible to yesterday’s news. […] In content and style, Sun Ra’s course advanced black counter-knowledge through an unapologetic (and often humorous) critique of American culture.”
That the whole Arkestra was first invited to nearby Oakland by the Black Panthers and lived in a Panther-owned house until ideological differences forced the musicians out after a few months, and that Ra claimed never to have been paid for his lectures, adds some incendiary background noise to this recording. Which, while easy to follow, is hard to understand, such are its verbal puzzles and the trickery that Ra uses to get his points across. Stick with it, for to hear Ra in full flow is a rare event. But if you are tiring of words, a short and dramatically percussive solo-piano version of Love In Outer Space and a longer and blistering 16-minute Moog solo end the lecture in high style.
Sun Ra Arkestra: Lights On A Satellite (In+Out Records IOR771582)
Meanwhile, the Arkestra rolls on, without its planetary visionary since 1993 and here playing tribute to its (now retired) centenarian leader Marshall Allen. On this new set, recorded the month after Allen’s 100th birthday in May 2024, the 24-piece Arkestra embraces a century of jazz history with a slew of pieces from the Ra repertoire and three swing-era numbers: the Layton–Creamer classic Way Down Yonder In New Orleans from 1922, Horace Henderson’s energetic Big John’s Special, recorded by Benny Goodman’s orchestra in 1937, and David Rose’s initially syrupy then vibrant Holiday For Strings from 1942.
Given that set list, it might be too easy to mislabel the Arkestra as a repertoire or tribute band, but Allen always made sure that the post-Ra band grew and developed as it played new and unpublished Ra compositions – including Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine, a 1955 piece rediscovered in 2018 and recorded here – alongside known and popular pieces. Allen is in fine and distinctive squalling form, the many soloists strong, the section-work tight and cohesive, the free-form passages, notably in the sumptuous Friendly Galaxy, sitting well alongside them. It was good day in New York when the Arkestra came to town!
Cecilie Grundt: Illuminate (Grundt Records GRCD003)
Norwegian saxophonist Cecilie Grundt’s second album features the leader on tenor, with piano, bass and drum accompaniment. The music nods towards the tradition of Jarrett’s American Quartet, and to Monk, and is modernist in approach, notably through Vigleik Storaas’s commanding piano and Frederik Villmow’s insistent, busy drums. Grundt is always controlled and never garrulous, carefully outlining main themes and subsequent solos, and always interesting in the harmonic routes she takes. Four of the seven pieces are composed by her, with Nature Boy making a strong appearance and The Night Has A Thousand Eyes ending proceedings on high. Cecilie Grundt is a new name to me, but I for one would certainly like to catch her live.
Nordsnø Ensemble featuring Kit Downes: Ett Omaka Par (sts/sts records 23)
The German octet Nordsnø Ensemble are known for their stark combination of Scandinavian folklore, ethereal soundscapes, and contemporary jazz. This, their third album, much of it recorded live in a church in Hamburg, takes listeners on a conceptual journey though the interplay of opposites, of fantasy and reality, of belief and doubt. The lyrics, which are in Swedish, emerged through interviews with each band member on the concept of unequal pairs, crafting a narrative using recurring musical motifs and patterns and subtle references to repeated lyrical themes.
Somewhere in the mix is British pianist Kit Downes, here playing a church organ, who makes his mark on the folkish Alvdans and on the doomy and operatic Tvivel, where he pulls out all the stops. Elsewhere, he is largely outshone by Sandro Sáez’s lucid piano. This is a thought-provoking and resonating set, its unique acoustic full of northern melancholy, of drama and occasion. The group’s supporters will welcome it, but unfortunately it took time to grow on me.
Brandon Sanders: The Tables Will Turn (Savant Records SCD2219)
Drummer Brandon Sanders’ introduction to jazz came from the Casablanca, the nightclub his grandmother owned in Kansas City. That upbringing obviously influenced him a lot, for on his second Savant release, he ranges widely, breathing fresh life into Parker’s Moose The Mooche, Monk’s Four In One, and Ellington’s Prelude To A Kiss, and delights in the more recent Tony Williams song Sister Cheryl, and even Michael Jackson’s hit Human Nature. Pianist Keith Brown is a strong soloist, Chris Lewis an investigative saxophonist, while vibist Warren Wolf adds a sweeter note. This is a strong, unshowy, set, and all the better for it.
Chris Greene Quartet: Conversance (Pravda Records)
Chicago saxophonist Chris Greene is now on his 11th album with his eponymous quartet, as ever presenting a winning mix of classic post-bop, some samba rhythms, hints of blaxploitation soundtracks and fusion, and ending up with some fine Ellingtonian swing. It all hangs together well, largely because of the leader’s commanding saxophone and firm sense of direction and movement, and the good musicianship of his quartet.