UNCUT

SUN RA ARKESTRA

Live In Kalisz 1986

- JOHN LEWIS

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.

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