Legendary pianist and bandleader Sun Ra departed from this Earth in 1993, but his cosmic legacy lives on via this excellent album by his Arkestra recorded at The Paradox Music Club in The Netherlands in 2008.
Now led by 85 year old alto saxophonist / flautist Marshall Allen, this live set reflects the imperturbable spirit of freedom and creativity of a band which has existed for some 55 years. The organisations unique musical vision has influenced figures in the world of jazz such as John Coltrane and also inspired rock bands such as Sonic Youth and the MC5.
Also on board this particular astral journey is long standing tenor saxophonist Charles Davis, a veteran of the original Chicago based Arkestra, and newcomer Farid Barron, the first to occupy the pianists chair since Sun Ra's passing. As with all Arkestra performances the music is a beguiling mix of inter-planetary (free) flights of fancy and swing tunes such as the appropriately titled "Hocus Pocus" from the pen of Fletcher Henderson.
