sun ra

Sound Of Joy does not channel the energies of Sun Ra’s cosmic, wacky space-age visions, it is early Sun Ra; late 50s Sun Ra: it is Sun Ra doing Big Band. To give you a bit of context, Sound Of Joy is the third recorded album, from 1957, although it wasn’t released until ‘68 because of record company complications. More importantly though, it swings, with tonal flourishes redolent of later, more surreal work and also of forms knocking around at the time, like exotica and free jazz. It is largely loosely conformist classic big band: juicy swing from saxophones in tandem, cymbals hissing and clacking away amongst it all; the play and counter-play between fancifully blasé jazz hands darting across the piano and the rich, easy brass arrangements.

Sun Ra - El Is A Sound Of Joy

 He was well into the space-stuff by this time though, having already been abducted and given a mission by aliens from Saturn in his teens. The year before recording Sound Of Joy he was quoted as saying:

“In tomorrow’s world, men will not need artificial instruments such as jets and space ships. In the world of tomorrow, the new man will ‘think’ the place he wants to go, then his mind will take him there.”

This view of an imminent Star Trek-like space-age is hard for us to hear in Sound Of Joy now, from our post-millenial standpoint, but it is there, quietly present in the sci-fi minor tones of the progressions and the mild instrumental divergences from conventional Big Band jazz. Most of all, it’s easy and free, and positively bounces at times. There’s a hint of exotica in the tympani and the top end of Sun Ra’s jangly Wurlitzer too: the slinky come-ons of “Paradise” sounds like those Martin Denny bikini-clad girls wafting around their beaded curtains and bamboo furniture. At other times it gets a bit loose, muscles flexed by each instrument in dancing refrains:

Sun Ra - Paradise

Sun Ra - Reflections in Blue

I must say though, my favourite parts are those with Sun Ra singing - his voice possesses a springy fullness, a wide mouth of vocals full of charcoaly tones. Take the CD release extra track “Dreams Come True”: a dinky vocal-led, Wurlitzer-dominated swing ditty, sung with charmingly irreverent inflection:

Sun Ra - Dreams Come True

I’m besotted by this album, which I bought on the whim of a recommendation. It’s varied but smooth, a dalliance in lots of styles but with a coherence running through it. You can buy it all over, so maybe get it at the record shop you’d least like to see go under - keep them in business another week.