Sun Ra Plays Gershwin, by Sun Ra & His Arkestra

Sun Ra Plays Gershwin

by Sun Ra & His Arkestra

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Anthony Aiken Two greats; one album.

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1.	Rhapsody in Blue (previously unissued) 09:20	info	buy track
2.	'S Wonderful 05:33	info	buy track
3.	Nice Work If You Can Get It 01:45	info	buy track
4.	But Not for Me 06:48	info	buy track
5.	The Man I Love 03:26	info	buy track
6.	Summertime 01:53	info	buy track
7.	It Ain't Necessarily So 04:42	info	buy track
8.	'S Wonderful (early version) 02:16	info	buy track
9.	A Foggy Day 01:02	info	buy track
10.	I Loves You Porgy 03:30	info	buy track

about

Sun Ra admired George Gershwin and paid musical tribute to the great composer's legacy countless times over his 50-year performing and recording career. This digital-only release, spanning 38 years (1951–1989), compiles some of the best recorded examples of Ra's idiosyncratic takes on the Gershwin catalog. These performances encompass a variety of styles and personnel — full Arkestra, trio with vocalist (Hattie Randolph), duo (Sun Ra and Wilbur Ware), and doo-wop (The Nu Sounds, arranged and accompanied by Sun Ra).

Most tracks have been previously issued, although in most cases the audio has been remastered to fix flaws in previous versions. The live version of "Rhapsody in Blue," recorded at New York's Squat Theater in 1979, has never before been commercially available. The 1950s rarity "Nice Work if You Can Get it," previously only available on an Atavistic CD titled Spaceship Lullaby, has benefited from 60+ digital repairs.

The encyclopedic compendium The Earthy Recordings of Sun Ra (by Robert L. Campbell and Christopher Trent, 2nd edition) lists other Gershwin titles known to have been performed by Ra over the years: Lady Be Good; I Got Rhythm; Embraceable You; I Can't Get Started; and Liza. These titles have been documented by existing tapes in the hands of collectors. However, at present these recordings are not available, nor do we know if the audio quality of any would merit commercial release. There might be other Gershwin titles by Ra which have escaped the chroniclers.

– I.C.

Great review at Pitchfork: pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/sun-ra-sun-ra-plays-gershwin — unfortunately written without benefit of the above album annotation, which was published belatedly on Bandcamp.

AllAboutJazz review: bit.ly/2FJVum3
Chris May: "Ra's ventures into the Gershwin songbook deserve to be treated with as much respect as those of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong or any other less-polarising musician."

Bonus round: 2014 article from the Guardian which makes the case that Sunny and George were both freemasons: bit.ly/2kFVxDQ

credits

released January 16, 2018

All original tracks produced by Sun Ra
Compilation and audio restoration by Irwin Chusid
Tape transfers by Michael D. Anderson of the Sun Ra Music Archive
Issued under license from Sun Ra LLC

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Sun Ra New York, New York

A Helpful Guide to the Many Sun Ra Albums on Bandcamp: daily.bandcamp.com/2017/10/13/sun-ra-album-guide
The foremost figure in musical Afro-futurism and space-jazz. Keyboardist, composer, Arkestra leader, arranger, philosopher-jester, fashion icon, cosmic guide. Born Herman Blount in Alabama, 1914, left the planet in 1993, giving Earthlings a monumental catalog of recordings that transcend genre. ... more

sunra.com

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