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| Details / Tracklist: |
1.1 World's Approaching (Stereo)1.2 Strange Strings (Mono)1.3 Strange Strange (Mono)1.4 Crystal Spheres (Between Worlds) (Stereo)1.5 Cosmos Miraculous (Mono)1.6 Untitled St. Peter's (Stereo)1.7 Ra Explains the Bandura (Mono) |
 | | Description: | Strange Strings by Sun Ra, released 18 October 2024.
This version of Strange Strings comes as a 1xCD. - For this album, Sun Ra collected an arsenal of exotic string instruments and handed them out to his Arkestra on the precept that "strings could touch people in a special way." That the Arkestrans didn't know how to play or tune these instruments was not beside the point-it was the point. Ra framed it "a study in ignorance." The result was primitive, yet sophisticated; brutal, yet highly sensitive. In his essay for this expanded edition of the 1967 Saturn LP, musician-curator David Toop calls Strange Strings "saturated in mystery."Fans of Sun Ra's Space Bop and genre-bending jazz were in for a shock with Strange Strings. Even in the eclectic and sometimes baffling Sun Ra catalog, Strange Strings is an outlier. It's primitive, it's sophisticated, but it's not a gradient of either. It's brutal, yet highly sensitive. Is it music, or just noise? Or noise as music? John Cage could not be reached for comment.Ra had accumulated an arsenal of exotic string instruments from curio shops and music stores. At his makeshift rehearsal/recording space (Sun Studio = Ra's apartment at 48 East 3rd Street), these artifacts were handed out to members of the Arkestra on the precept that "strings could touch people in a special way." That the Arkestrans didn't know how to play these instruments was not beside the point-it was the point. Ra termed it "a study in ignorance." To this unconventional "string section" he added a few sonic oddities, including a large piece of tempered sheet metal on which was chiseled the letter "X." The band's "space vocalist" Art Jenkins rounded out the ensemble.The original 1967 Saturn LP version of Strange Strings was monophonic, contained three tracks, and suffered distortion in the mastering (perhaps due to the high-decibel studio performance and excessive reverb). Yet some sessions were captured in stereo. A dozen strange-string works have been located, five of which are included on this remastered edition. (The others have been released on other labels; see discography inside gatefold.) No track titles appeared on the original Saturn LP verso, but the three works issued were later identified as "World's Approaching," the LP title track, and an inversion of the title, "Strings Strange." A belatedly discovered tape box listed the third recording as "Strange Strange," a title which has been used in this edition.Originally released in 1967 as [r612809].
Tracks 4, 6 and 7 previously unissued.
Track 5 from [r10917238] (2014).
Tracks 4 to 7 are bonus selections.
Comes in a digipack with a 12 page booklet.
From the Bandcamp page:
Released August 2, 2024
2024 Cosmic Myth Records
All tracks produced by Sun Ra
Produced for reissue by Irwin Chusid and Michael D. Anderson
1 recorded at Richard Alderson Studios, 1965
2, 3, 4, 5, 7 recorded at Sun Studio, New York, ca. mid-1965
6 recorded in concert at an unknown location ca. 1967-68.
8 recorded at Sun Studio, ca. 1968, during an interview with an unidentified visiting journalist
All titles composed by Sun Ra © Enterplanetary Koncepts (BMI)
PERSONNEL
Under the circumstances of the sessions, except for "World's Approaching," Sunny's occasional keyboards, and anecdotal remembrances, it's impossible to identify by style who played what. We don't know which Arkestran was assigned any specific stringed instrument. We don't know who played with a bow, who plucked, strummed, scraped, or hammered.
Sun Ra: piano strings, lightning drum, tympani, bandura, Clavioline (5), Clavinet (6), electric piano (7), Wurlitzer (7)
Marshall Allen: oboe (1), alto saxophone (1), piccolo (1), strings
John Gilmore: tenor saxophone (1), strings
Danny Davis: flute (1), alto saxophone (1), strings
Pat Patrick: flute (1), baritone saxophone(1), strings
Robert Cummings: bass clarinet (1), strings
Ali Hassan: trombone (1), strings
Carl Nimrod: strings, percussion
Ronnie Boykins: bass (1), viola (1), dutar
Clifford Jarvis: drums (1), tympani (1), percussion
James Jacson: log drums, strings
Art Jenkins ("Thlan Aldridge"): space voice, strings
Tape and disc transfers by Michael D. Anderson of the Sun Ra Music Archive
Additional tape transfers from the Experimental Sound Studio (ESS), Chicago
Digital restoration by Michael D. Anderson and Irwin Chusid
Mastered by Joe Lizzi
Executive Producers for Virtual Label: Peter Wright and John Allen
Art Direction: Edward ODowd
Cover photography: Charles Shabacon
Than"Strange Strings (Expanded Version)" on CD is a revelatory deep dive into one of the most radical chapters of Sun Ra And His Infinity Arkestra's mid-1960s oeuvre. Originally conceived as a daring experiment in "discipline through chaos," these recordings capture Sun Ra's musicians playing mostly non-traditional and often unfamiliar stringed instruments--often untuned or tuned to unconventional intervals--while still being guided by his unmistakable compositional vision. Instead of conventional melodies, the album unfolds as a cosmic soundscape of glissandi, scratches, drones, and percussive attacks on strings, punctuated by occasional horns and percussion, creating a dense, otherworldly texture that feels both primal and futuristic. The expanded CD edition adds additional material from the same visionary period, offering a more complete picture of the project and illuminating how Sun Ra used timbre and texture as primary vehicles for expression.
Sonically, "Strange Strings (Expanded Version)" is less a traditional jazz record and more an immersive avant-garde ritual. The pieces drift between darkly atmospheric passages and eruptive climaxes, inviting the listener to abandon expectations of harmony and groove and instead surrender to pure sound and vibration. This is music that foregrounds exploration over comfort; the strings are scraped, bent, and coaxed into alien shadings that hint at Eastern, African, and experimental classical traditions without ever settling into a single idiom. The expanded version's additional tracks and improved sound restoration make the CD format particularly valuable for those who want to experience the full impact and detail of this unusual session, presenting one of Sun Ra's most uncompromising concepts in a form suited to focused listening.
As an artist, Sun Ra stands as one of the most influential and singular figures in 20th-century music. With his ever-evolving Arkestra--here billed as the Infinity Arkestra--he developed an aesthetic sometimes labeled Afrofuturism decades before the term became widespread, combining big-band swing, hard bop, free jazz, and electronic experiment with cosmic mythologies and science-fiction imagery. Over his long career he released a vast catalog of albums, led legendary live performances, and left a deep imprint on avant-garde jazz, experimental music, and even rock and electronic artists who drew inspiration from his boundary-breaking approach. Key achievements associated with Sun Ra and his ensembles include pioneering independent artist-run labels, expanding the role of improvisation in large ensembles, and influencing generations of musicians to treat jazz as a limitless, exploratory medium rather than a fixed tradition.
The label COSMIC MYTH is dedicated to preserving and presenting Sun Ra's work with exceptional care and historical awareness. Specializing in archival Sun Ra releases and reissues, COSMIC MYTH focuses on meticulous remastering from the best available sources, expanded editions with additional material when possible, and thoughtful curation that respects the intent and context of the original recordings. Their releases often help clarify complex discographies, improve sound quality over earlier editions, and introduce important but hard-to-find sessions to new listeners. With "Strange Strings (Expanded Version)" on CD, COSMIC MYTH offers an in-depth, audiophile-minded perspective on one of the most daring entries in the Sun Ra canon, turning an already cult-legendary session into an essential document for collectors and adventurous listeners alike. | | | No. of tracks: |
7 |
| | Manufacturer No.: |
28288 |
| Product Safety
Responsible Person for the EU:
BROKEN SILENCE
Independent Distribution GmbH
Stadtdeich 27, 20097 Hamburg, DE
contact@brokensilence.de | |
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