SUN RA ARKESTRA
Live In Kalisz 1986
LANQUIDITY 8/10
Sprightly December 1986 live date behind the Iron Curtain
Recorded live in the provincial Polish town of Kalisz, this concert marked an incredibly rare slot for an avant-garde American jazz ensemble behind the Iron Curtain in the turbulent years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. But, even beyond the symbolism, it’s a compelling example of the blend of tradition, futurism and freakshow that Sun Ra explored in the last decade of his career. Over 90 minutes, he and the last great incarnation of his 12-piece Arkestra seem to explore jazz history in reverse – starting with free improvisation, moving into the Afro-futurist big-band funk of “Children Of The Sun”, before working backwards through a chaotic version of Duke Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss” (featuring an exploratory tenor sax solo from John Gilmore), a Fletcher Henderson-inspired reading of the 1930s standard “I’ll Never Be The Same”, some rambunctious blues, and ending with a Louis Armstrong pastiche (Gilmore growls his way through “Mack The Knife” while the band descend into a riotous New Orleans-style collective knees-up). The concert was part of a piano festival and there are plenty of solo slots showcasing Sun Ra’s unorthodox piano style, a compelling mix of bordello stride playing and clunky twin-fisted improvisation.
Extras: None.