Sun Ra Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy LP El Saturn 408 1967 Rare Jazz

$

700

Sun Ra Cosmic  Tones For Mental Therapy LP El Saturn 408 1967 Rare Jazz
Marshall Allen's oboe work gives this recording a unique sound with heavy percussion under pinning the music .... Fantastic as most Ra is
Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy is an album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra recorded in 1963, but not released until 1967 on Sun Ra's own Saturn label. The record was reissued on compact disc by Evidence in 2000.

Originally released in a sleeve with a Sun Ra doodle, the better known cover, designed by Richard Pedreguera, was in place by 1969.Pedreguera also designed the sleeve for The Nubians of Plutonia at around the same time.

First two tracks recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop, New York (the Arkestra's rehearsal space) in 1963. Adventure-Equation, Moon Dance and Voice of Space were recorded at the Tip Top club, Brooklyn, in the same year, at 10 in the morning whilst Tommy Hunter was playing nights there with Sarah McLawler's trio, since the club provided access to a Hammond B-3 organ gratis. Hunter remembers some neighbourhood kids running in during the recording and shouting, "These guys don't know how to play!".

• Sun Ra – Hammond B-3 Organ, Clavioline, Percussion
• Marshall Allen – Oboe, Percussion
• Danny Davis – Alto Sax, Flute
• John Gilmore – Bass Clarinet, Percussion
• possibly Bernard Pettaway – Bass Trombone
• Pat Patrick – Baritone Saxophone
• Robert Cummings – Bass Clarinet
• Ronnie Boykins – Bass
• Clifford Jarvis – Drums
• James Jacson – Percussion
• Tommy Hunter – Percussion, Reverb
• Ensemble vocals

Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up.

Born and raised in Alabama, Blount became involved in the Chicago jazzscene during the late 1940s. He soon abandoned his birth name, taking the name Le Sony'r Ra, shortened to Sun Ra (after Ra, the Egyptian god of the Sun). Claiming to be an alien from Saturn on a mission to preach peace, he developed a mythical persona and an idiosyncratic credo that made him a pioneer of Afrofuturism.Through out his life he denied ties to his prior identity saying, "Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym." His widely eclectic and avant-garde music echoed the entire history of jazz, from ragtime and early New Orleans hot jazz, to swing music, bebop, free jazz and fusion. His compositions ranged from keyboard solos to works for big bands of over 30 musicians, along with electronic excursions, songs, chants, percussion pieces, and anthems.

From the mid-1950s until his death, Ra led the musical collective The Arkestra, which featured artists such as Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and June Tyson throughout its various iterations. Its performances often included dancers and musicians dressed in elaborate, futuristic costumes inspired by ancient Egyptianattire and the Space Age. Following Ra's retirement in 1992 due to illness, the band remained active as The Sun Ra Arkestra, and, as of 2023, continues performing under the leadership of veteran Ra sideman Marshall Allen.

Though his mainstream success was limited, Ra was a prolific recording artist and frequent live performer, and remained influential throughout his life for his music and persona. He is now widely considered an innovator; among his distinctions are his pioneering work in free improvisation and modal jazz and his early use of electronic keyboards and synthesizers. Over his career, he recorded dozens of singles and over 100 full-length albums, comprising well over 1,000 songs, making him one of the most prolific recording artists of the 20th century.