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- Date Released: January 1, 1967
- Genre: Jazz
- Style: Avant-garde
- Label: Evidence Records
Even for Ra, this is an odd one. (That's a good thing.)
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We Say...
"Intergalactic music is of the Outer Darkness," Sun Ra once wrote, and on this 1967 classic Saturn's top bandleader explores the ominous lower reaches of his keyboards (electric organ and the brand-new Clavinet) and of his Arkestra's sonic range. Ra loved his band's complex murky depths, suggestive of his own arcane knowledge of the universe. Even for Ra, Atlantis is an odd one, light on his catchy melodies, and heavy with collective improvising and contrasting textures: it's dense like a dark star, or empty like the void. Much of the album is built around a stark percussion choir including the warm, earthy wood of James Jackson's log drums. The long free-jazz title track for the full dozen-plus ensemble begins with sonar beeps probing the ocean bottom, seeking that lost continent — but later, scripted reed passages provide eerie pre-echoes of the World Saxophone Quartet. Atlantis spotlights a kind of spooky mood Sun Ra excelled at: Halloween dark.
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They Say...
Featuring the Astro Infinity Arkestra, Atlantis reveals two very distinct sides of Sun Ra's music. The first consists of shorter works Ra presumably constructed for presentation on the Hohner clavinet. Not only is the electric keyboard dominantly featured, but also it presumably offered Ra somewhat of a novelty as it had only been on the market for less than a year. The second side consists of the epic 21-minute title track and features an additional seven-man augmentation to the brass/woodwind section of the Astro Infinity Arkestra. Tracks featuring the smaller combo reveal an almost introspective Arkestra. The stark contrast between the clavinet -- which Ra dubbed the "Solar Sound Instrument" -- and the hand-held African congas on "Mu" and "Bimini" reveal polar opposite styles and emphasis. However, Ra enthusiasts should rarely be surprised at his experiments in divergence. "Mu" is presented at a lethargic tempo snaking in and around solos from Ra and a raga-influenced tenor sax solo from John Gilmore. "Bimini" is actually captured in progress. The first sound listeners hear is the positioning of the microphone as a conga fury commences in the background. Likewise, on "Yucatan (Impulse Version)" a doorbell quickly impedes what might have been a more organic conclusion to the performance. The original issue of Atlantis was on the small independent Saturn label. Thus the composition titled "Yucatan (Saturn Version)" appeared on that pressing. When the disc was reissued in 1973 on Impulse!, the track was replaced by a completely different composition -- as opposed to an alternate performance of the same work. The second side contains one of Ra's most epic pieces, which is free or "space" jazz at its most invigorating. While virtually indescribable, the sonic churnings and juxtaposed images reveal a brilliant display of textures and tonalities set against an ocean of occasional rhythms. Its diversity alone makes this is an essential entry in the voluminous Sun Ra catalog.
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| 01. |  |
Mu |
4:35 |
|
| 02. | |
Lemuria |
5:07 |
|
| 03. | |
Yucatan (Saturn Version ) |
5:32 |
|
| 04. | |
Yucatan (Impulse Version) |
3:43 |
|
| 05. | |
Bimini |
5:50 |
|
| 06. | |
Atlantis |
21:52 |
|
06 Total Tracks, 46:39 Total Length
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Credits
- John Gilmore - Percussion // John Gilmore - Sax (Tenor) // Danny Thompson - Flute // Danny Thompson - Sax (Alto) // Marshall Allen - Flute // Marshall Allen - Percussion // Marshall Allen - Oboe // Marshall Allen - Sax (Alto) // Clifford Jarvis - Percussion // Clifford Jarvis - Drums // Alton Abraham - Producer // Bob Barry - Percussion // Bob Barry - Drums // Robert Barry - Percussion // Robert Barry - Drums // Robert Cummings - Clarinet (Bass) // Danny Davis - Sax (Alto) // Ahk Tal Ebah - Trumpet // Jerry Gordon - Producer // Jerry Gordon - Reissue Producer // Wayne Harris - Trumpet // Ali Hassan - Trombone // Bob Northern - Horn // Bob Northern - French Horn // Pat Patrick - Flute // Pat Patrick - Percussion // Pat Patrick - Sax (Baritone) // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Organ // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Arranger // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Clavinet // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Main Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Performer // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Sun Ra - Clavioline // Roger Seibel - Pre-Mastering Engineer // Chip Stephans - Horn // C. Stephens - Horn // Charles Stephens - Trombone // Akh Tal Ebah - Trumpet // Danny Davis - Sax (Alto) // James Jacson - Percussion // James Jacson - Drums // James Jacson - Log Drums // Michael Shore - Liner Notes // Raymond Ross - Photography
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