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The story of Mar Vista begins in northern France, in Lille, in the early 1970s, with the meeting of two music enthusiasts: Claude Cuvelier and Jean Skowron. They connected through Claudeβs brother. At that time, Jean was already standing out at blues concerts for his singular sonic approach: he placed microphones inside suitcases that he struck to produce raw, primitive sounds β an experimental process that immediately impressed Claude. Claude, shaped by the 1960s rock scene with his first band The Eaglestones, already had a solid musical background. After the group dissolved at the end of his military service, he explored folk and blues sounds as a solo artist, while discovering major new influences: Terry Riley, La Monte Young, Balinese music, as well as the emer- ging German scene β Kraftwerk, Popol Vuh, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, Neu!, Klaus Schulze. Jean, for his part, drew inspiration from Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, and Tangerine Dream. A shared vision quickly took shape: to create repetitive, atmospheric music, freed from traditional formats. In 1973, they gave birth to Mar Vista, with the desire to compose long, immersive works, sometimes built around a single chord, in the spirit of Balinese music. The duo gradually equipped themselves: a Mini Korg in 1972, a Yamaha synthesizer, a Farfisa organ, and even a drum machine discovered by chance during a television appearance by Henri Salvador. The home studio became their creative sanctuary. Jean worked on a 4-track Teac tape recorder, Claude on a Philips model. Each freely composed their own side of the future album, while collaborating on each otherβs ideas. Side A, led by Jean, is more rooted in the progressive electronic music of the time, influenced by Heldon, Amon DuΜuΜl, and Soft Machine. Side B, bearing more of Claudeβs imprint and his influences (Terry Riley, La Monte Young), is far more experimental and consists of a 22-minute trippy instrumental piece. On this record, Jean notably composed βHer Eyes Are Closedβ (with his wife) and imagined the sound introduction using an alarm clock. The atmospheric transitions were created from white noise generated by a Yamaha synthesizer. In 1976, after facing rejections from several labels ((they dreamed of signing with the DuΜsseldorf label Brain β home of Neu! β but never dared to send their tracks), they self-produced βVisions of Sodal Ye,β a rare record pressed in only 150 copies by Le Kiosque dβOrpheΜe. The sleeves were handmade. A photo was glued on each side of the cover, and the band name and album title were written with nail polish enhanced with silver glitter. Despite its confidential release at the time, the album is now consi- dered one of the most remarkable works of the genre ever released in France. A second album project inspired by the universe of H. P. Lovecraft was in progress, but family responsibilities slowed this creative momentum. As for concerts, the band performed live only rarely, mainly within the squat and anar- chist circuits of the time. Moreover, on this reissue you are holding, the second vinyl β composed of unreleased tracks β features improvised pieces without synthesizers, recorded live in August 1973 on a hill near Valence, in the garden of friends (HerveΜ and Martine). These rediscovered tracks had until then existed only on a cassette tape kept by a close acquaintance. The tracks Expedition and Crash73, meanwhile, date from 1975 and remained in demo form. As the years passed, the two musicians took different paths. Claude remained active in the music scene, through radio, record fairs, and fanzines such as LβEΜcho dβHector and Le Poireau Gabardine. Jeanβs passing deeply affected Claude, but did not prevent him from returning to music. Driven by nostalgia for Mar Vista, he powered up his synthesizers again, modernized his equipment, and resumed creating. Mar Vista never truly stopped. It survives like a discreet yet persistent pulse, much like its music: hypnotic, free, and resolutely off the beaten path. Sacha Sieff et Jean-Baptiste Guillot

Two rare recordings from the archives of legendary producer Richard Hewson. Rising Star (Cosmix) began life in 1984 as a vocal single performed by Debbie Sharp. Hewson reworked the original track into a percussive cosmic disco interpretation, aptly titled the βCosmixβ, experimenting with his newly acquired Bel Delay effects unit, which became central to his studio explorations at the time. Deep Song dates back even further, to the late-70s Richard Hewson Orchestra period - the creative blueprint that would later evolve into Hewsonβs cult studio project, The RAH Band. Written, produced and assembled by Hewson in his home studio before additional strings and vocals were layered in, the track was inspired by his deep admiration for Miles Davis, particularly the landmark album Kind of Blue. Deep Song was originally released as a B-side under a mysterious alias in 1979.
Proto-house classic 'Nightgruv' gets a re-release and includes a longer unreleased edit! James Mason is mostly known for his late 70's album 'Rhythm Of Life', which is a soul-jazz classic. Soon after music trends shifted to (electronic) disco and James' music became out of fashion, leaving 'Rhythm Of Life' to be the only album he released to date. The early early 80β²s saw him have a few studio sessions from which more electronic output like Wuf Ticketβs βThe Key (Prelude Records) resulted. James also produced various disco acts like Disco 3, Earl Flint and Brenda Bayton. However, most of his early 80s studio sessions have remained unreleased until today. βNightgruvβ, which was recorded in 1984, did eventually get a release when it was picked up 12 years later (!) by a small UK indie label and was again reissued in 2000 by Soul Brother. Both pressings are still highly sought after and go for a lot of money on Discogs, mostly to do with the timeless nature of this proto house wonder, which sounds like a recording Larry Heard never made. A magically seductive groove, recorded at a time when house was still in its infant years. Not only is this release offering a remastered version of the original, it also includes an unreleased edit which stretches the original to a cool 6 minutes. The B-side features the epic 11 minute original version of 'I Want Your Love', a soul classic.

Following on from their seminal Light As A Feather LP, Outubro (October) was originally released in 1980 and began Azymuthβs run of prolific output for Milestone Records throughout the decade. Typifying the consummate craftsmanship of the three membersβ performances - each with such distinct personality and together so perfectly balanced - their perfectionist attitude to sound is maintained across the production on the album, beautifully colouring the expressionist fusion of samba rhythm, jazz progression, funk attitude and psychedelic electronics. The album hosts a wonderful mix of tempos and styles, from Alex Malheirosβ earth-shaking slap-bass on βDear Limmertzβ, which was to become a hit on Londonβs underground disco and jazz-dance club scenes alike, to the late maestro Jose Roberto Bertramiβs genial melodic Rhodes excursions on the vocoder laden, samba-jazz masterpiece βUn Amigoβ, while Ivan βMamaoβ Contiβs signature swing on βMaracanaβ exemplifies the root of Azymuthβs βsamba doidoβ (crazy samba) philosophy. The two cover versions on the album are the title track which was originally penned by Milton Nascimento, and Chick Coreaβs, β500 Miles Highβ, both of which magically reimagine the originals and further demonstrate the immense virtuosity of this cult recording.

Two days after his 100th birthday, Marshall Allen started recording New Dawn, his debut solo album. A member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra since 1958, Allen assumed leadership of the band in 1995. Throughout his nearly seventy-year career, Allen has never released a solo album under his own name, and yet, instead of capping such a legendary output, New Dawn seems to herald a new beginning. A love letter to spacetime, it channels a century of musical intelligence into seven tracks, showing Allen at his most protean — freely moving from relaxed, transdimensional palettes to bluesy big band and beyond.
One of music’s vanguard avant-saxophonists, Allen continues to deliver durational feats during the Arkestra’s gigs. Still, the compositional energy contained on New Dawn is striking. Allen was approached with the idea of a solo record by Week-End Records’ Jan Lankisch. The Arkestra’s Knoel Scott — who has lived with Allen at the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra since the 1980s — worked with Allen to pore over the archive of unrecorded material and develop this debut. Scott assembled some of Philadelphia’s brightest jazz stars as well as some Arkestra veterans for the sessions. New Dawn was then recorded over a couple of days in Philadelphia, with additional recordings added in the following weeks and months.
The title track “New Dawn” is the centerpiece of this impressive album and the arranger Knoel Scott wrote the lyrics himself. We are thrilled to have the incomparable Neneh Cherry, stepdaughter of legendary jazz musician Don Cherry, lend her unmistakable voice to this song.
Though greatly informed by the philosophy of Sun Ra and his Saturnian teachings — traverse jazz’s traditions, dig deep into spiritual geographies — New Dawn signals Allen as his own singular voice, one that’s swinging and bopping and reflecting into the future, with no sign of stopping. Week-End Records is proud to release this debut solo album by Marshall Allen.
“The one thing that I'm really looking forward to, and I think this is the best thing ever, is the fact that Marshall Allen is about to release, at the age of 100, his debut album under his own name. There is no greater feat of durability, working at your craft, and putting your ego to the back of the room while you're supporting other artists and performers.” – Gilles Peterson
“New Dawn is clearly an extension of Ra’s legacy and sound, but it’s also a masterful endeavour filtered through Allen’s tastes and approach.” – John Morrison, The Wire

Appearing for the first time on vinyl is the complete performance of "THE NILE" from the Saturn LP "When Sun Comes Out", recorded at The Choreographers Workshop in New York in November 1962. THE NILE parts 1 and 2 creates a dense atmosphere of rolling percussion, lugubrious bass and clinking piano ostinatos beneath the evocative flute of Marshall Allen. This recording, especially when heard in its full form, invokes a deep sense of an unknown but familiar place and time, merging past-present-future through the spacious over/lapping drummings of Clifford Jarvis, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Tommy Hunter and RA. Both sides of the single sound particularly good when layered on top of each other, a confluence of Afro-Futurist myth science and primordial waters. Beautifully mastered for 7" by Adam Gonsalves and Telegraph Audio, and expertly pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago. Packed in hand-assembled silk-screened metallic gold and black ink jackets printed by Seizure Palace, with 4 different cover variations. Includes picture sleeve and ephemera.

At the age of 72, "Evil" Graham Lee, the legendary pedal steel pioneer and veteran of the iconic Australian band The Triffids, delivers his first ever album under his own name titled βI Think Iβm Alone Nowβ. In addition to his work with The Triffids, Grahamβs place in ambient history was cemented in 1990 when his evocative pedal steel became the soulful centerpiece of The KLFβs masterpiece, Chill Out (specifically on the highlight βBaltimore to Fair Playβ).I Think Iβm Alone Now is a profound exploration of the instrument's emotional range, blending traditional country infused melodies with vast, reverb drenched ambient textures. The album spans six tracks, anchored by the Side B title track, a 15 minute textural piece that leans heavily into the ambient genre. From the delicate melancholy of "Seeking Beauty in Sadness" to the curious abstraction of "Nursery in the Beehive," Lee uses his pedal steel and an array of pedals to sculpt unique, haunting soundscapes that exist between tradition and the avant garde.The connection is brought full circle with exclusive liner notes written by The KLFβs Bill Drummond. Reflecting on a forty year friendship that began when The Triffids served as the backing band for Drummondβs solo debut, The Man, Drummond provides a personal and poignant context for this long awaited solo bow.A 180g pressing housed in a full sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton with metallic sticker and bespoke inner sleeve featuring liner notes signed by Bill Drummond.

γ’γ«γγ γ«γ€γγ¦ Strut Records proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Sun Raβs 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana, presented across three Vinyl LPs or as a two CD set. The Arkestra were at the peak of their powers in 1977, releasing revered albums like The Soul Vibration Of Man and My Favorite Things with Arkestra regulars Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, Michael Ray and Luqman Ali among the core musicians. Ra also continued his touring in Europe with historic gigs in Italy. During this period, Arkestra live performances were often loosely structured into thematic blocks that moved from reflections on jazz history to cosmic βspace narrativeβ sections featuring collective chants, extended Africa/Egypt-inspired grooves and selections from the Great American Songbook. This recording brings in all of these features with re imagined versions of standards like βTake The βAβ Trainβ, βSt. Louis Bluesβ and title track βOver The Rainbowβ alongside rarely recorded Ra compositions like βMake Another Mistakeβ and βAmen Meni Many Amensβ. Ra conducted improvisations to guide the listener seamlessly from one musical scene to the next. As Sun Ra himself described it: βItβs like a partyβwe enjoy ourselves and everybodyβs invited to enjoy it with us.β The original version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow assembled a handful of clearly delineated tracks drawn from the flow of two complete concert recordings, re-arranged out of sequence. Strutβs new edition restores previously excised material and preserves more of the natural transitions between pieces, offering a fuller glimpse into the distinctive aesthetic of Sun Ra and his Arkestra. This definitive reissue is pressed across two CDs, or three vinyl LPs housed in a triple gatefold sleeve, newly remastered by Technology Works from the original source tapes and features extensive new liner notes by Chris Cutler alongside video stills from the original concert.

Originally released in 1979, Sun Raβs On Jupiter is a landmark fusion of deep funk, cosmic jazz and avant-garde experimentation. Recorded during a prolific run of sessions at Variety Arts Studios in New York, the album finds the Arkestra in full creative flight, blending infectious rhythms with spaced-out textures and Afro-futurist vision.
Featuring key Arkestra members including John Gilmore, Marshall Allen and Michael Ray, On Jupiter includes the irresistibly funky βUFOβ, the hypnotic title track, and the expansive βSeductive Fantasyβ. By the late β70s, Sun Raβs embrace of funk, soul and electronic fusion added new dimension to the Arkestraβs sound, resonating with a new generation of listeners.


Strut present a new definitive collection of singles released by jazz maverick Sun Ra during his Earth years, spanning 1952 to 1991. Released prolifically during the 1950s and more sporadically thereafter, primarily on the Saturn label, the 45s offer one-off meteorites from Ra’s prolific cosmic journey, tracing the development of his forward-thinking “Space-Bop” and his unique take on jazz and blues traditions which sounded unlike anything else from the period. As with his LPs, most 45s were only pressed in small runs and were sold at gigs and have since become extremely rare and sought after. Some have only been discovered in physical form in recent years; some were planned and pencilled but allegedly never made it to vinyl and some appeared as one-off magazine singles and posthumous releases.
‘Singles’ will be released in various formats across two release dates. All formats feature fully remastered tracks, rare photos, poster artwork, extensive sleeve notes by Francis Gooding, an interview with Saturn Records founder Alton Abraham by John Corbett and detailed track by track and session notes by Paul Griffiths.

For over four decades Mr. Fingers has been shaping the core of House Music. Now he returns with a new album that continues this timeless journey through deep rhythms, soulful melodies, and immersive atmospheres. Crafted with the warmth and musicality that define him, the record blends deep house, jazz-infused harmonies, and subtle R&B textures. On 'Leev Ur Mynd' Mr. Fingers once again reminds us why his music remains essential: hypnotic grooves and heartfelt compositions. Not just music for the club, but also for the quiet spaces...
A heavyweight library record delivered straight from the Gods; truly, we are all blessed: Dubmaster Dennis Bovell presents cLOUD mUsIc. A miraculous set of loose limbed, slinky funk-forward dub on the A-Side with totally blunted, spaced out trippiness on the grooving versions gracing the flipside.
A pioneer of dub and progenitor of lovers rock, genius producer-arranger Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell's prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock, afro-beat to post-punk, disco to pop and beyond.
His production work encompasses such diverse figures as Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Slits, Fela Kuti, Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Pop Group, Janet Kay, Saada Bonaire, Orange Juice, Golden Teacher, I Roy, Maximum Joy, Steel Pulse and more.
cLOUD mUsIc features 8 new, deep, never-heard heaters, initially created for upstart UK library label FOLD.

Intergalactic Music Is Of the Outer Darkness It is rhythm against rhythm in kind dispersion It is harmony against harmony in endless coordination It is melody against melody in vital enlightenment (Excerpt from The Outer Darkness by Sun Ra) From Detroitβs techno resistance to Berlinβs elastic minimalism, Lusakaβs ancestral futurism to Chicagoβs house communion, When There Is No Sun is a global recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, BarΔ±Ε K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Soundβs recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music, a spoken-word album of Sun Raβs poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Invocations by Saul Williams, Anthony Joseph, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Tunde Adebimpe, and Tara Middleton turn rhyme into rhythm and resistance into revelation. Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Raβs legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Raβs promise that βthere are other worldsβ if you are willing to see them.

Intergalactic Music Is Of the Outer Darkness It is rhythm against rhythm in kind dispersion It is harmony against harmony in endless coordination It is melody against melody in vital enlightenment (Excerpt from The Outer Darkness by Sun Ra) From Detroitβs techno resistance to Berlinβs elastic minimalism, Lusakaβs ancestral futurism to Chicagoβs house communion, When There Is No Sun is a global recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, BarΔ±Ε K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Soundβs recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music, a spoken-word album of Sun Raβs poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Invocations by Saul Williams, Anthony Joseph, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Tunde Adebimpe, and Tara Middleton turn rhyme into rhythm and resistance into revelation. Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Raβs legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Raβs promise that βthere are other worldsβ if you are willing to see them.

Intergalactic Music Is Of the Outer Darkness It is rhythm against rhythm in kind dispersion It is harmony against harmony in endless coordination It is melody against melody in vital enlightenment (Excerpt from The Outer Darkness by Sun Ra) From Detroitβs techno resistance to Berlinβs elastic minimalism, Lusakaβs ancestral futurism to Chicagoβs house communion, When There Is No Sun is a global recording project, uniting visionary electronic music producers to reimagine the universe of Sun Ra. One of the most radical musical pioneers of the 20th century, Sun Ra used jazz, electronics, poetry, and performance to expand the possibilities of sound, identity, and imagination. Commissioned by Omni Sound and curated by Ricardo Villalobos, the series brings together Underground Resistance, Chez Damier & Ben Vedren, Calibre, A Guy Called Gerald, She Spells Doom, BarΔ±Ε K, and Ricardo Villalobos himself. Drawing from Omni Soundβs recordings of Living Sky by the Sun Ra Arkestra and My Words Are Music, a spoken-word album of Sun Raβs poetry, the producers pull fragments of sound and text into their own creative orbits, passing through the portal that Sun Ra opened into a realm where the impossible is possible. Invocations by Saul Williams, Anthony Joseph, Mahogany L. Browne, Abiodun Oyewole, Tunde Adebimpe, and Tara Middleton turn rhyme into rhythm and resistance into revelation. Rooted in deep reverence for Sun Raβs legacy, yet reaching forward as a living, generative force, When There Is No Sun is not a tribute but a continuum, balancing the pulse of electronic music with the spirit of experimentation, embodying Sun Raβs promise that βthere are other worldsβ if you are willing to see them.

Spiritmuse Records is proud to present Journey To Nabta Playa, a new album from composer and multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid and multidisciplinary artist and musician Naima Nefertari (aka Karlsson), releasing May 2, 2025. A powerful meditation on memory, mythology, and ancestral science, the record draws deep inspiration from the ancient astrological stone circle of Nabta Playa, nestled in the remote deserts of Nubia. Journey To Nabta Playa is grounded in a shared inquiry between two artists connected by music, research, and sisterhood, and is a sonic journey through sacred time and space. Meeting through mutual spiritual and creative alignments, Dawid and Naima composed, performed and produced the album togetherβrecorded between Dawidβs base in Chicago and Naimaβs family home in Sweden (home of Don and Moki Cherry). Additional parts were captured at Elastic Arts (Chicago) and CoLabyrinth (home of Kahil ElβZabar), forging strong connections with community, lineage, and sound as ritual. Blending spiritual jazz, celestial electronics, ancestral instrumentation, and storytelling, the duoβs palette includes flute, clarinet, vibraphone, kalimba, clay pot, gong, mouth harp, piano and synthsβlayered with sounds like βWinds of Neptuneβ and βRings of Saturnβ to imagine futures grounded in ancient knowing. βThis album is a story from beginning to end,β says Naima, βa mythology in music.β The tracklist acts as a cosmic narrative arc: from desert summoning and ritual procession, to astral ceremonies, burial, and liberation. Highlights include βBishmillahβ, a rare composition by Don Cherry and βBurial: String Quartet in E Minorββa previously unreleased composition by Naimaβs uncle, the late David Ornette Cherry. The piece was transcribed and arranged by the artists and recorded with four BIPOC string players, including a 14-year-old violinist in Chicago. The albumβs first single, βProcession of the Equinox,β is released in alignment with the Spring Equinox on March 20thβa cosmic marker reflecting the albumβs deep relationship with celestial cycles and sacred time. A portal for remembrance, Journey To Nabta Playa connects past and future, the earth and sky, the seen and the unseen. Inspired in part by Virginia Hamiltonβs The People Could Fly: βThey say the people could fly. Say that long ago in Africa, some of the people knew magic. And they would walk up on the air like climbinβ up on a gate. And they flew like blackbirds over the fields. Black, shiny wings flappinβ against the blue up there.β β Virginia Hamilton, The People Could Fly Presented as a deluxe 2xLP, the album arrives on 180g black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with original artwork by Nep Sidhu and inner gatefold painting by Kahil ElβZabar. A 12-page booklet deepens the projectβs archival and spiritual layers, featuring essays and reflections from Neneh Cherry, Tej Adeleye, Dr. Adam Zanolini, Imani Mason Jordan, and more. This is not just an albumβitβs a constellation. A sacred sound offering from two artists listening deeply to the past, dreaming toward liberation. βLet the journey begin...β β Angel Bat Dawid

Two versions of one of SUN RA's most enduring compositions, LOVE IN OUTER SPACE !!! This 7" single includes the classic take featuring vocals by David Henderson, and an alternate instrumental version never before released on vinyl. Featuring the almighty JOHN GILMORE on the drum kit! 7" vinyl packaged in deluxe, custom die-cut screen-printed jackets & printed inner sleeves. 45 RPM A side, 33 1/3 RPM B side. Lacquers cut by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Audio. Vinyl pressed by Cascade Record Pressing. Screen-printing by Seizure Palace. Artwork features elements from the artist AyΓ© Aton. LIMITED ONE-TIME PRESSING OF 300 COPIES.

Two classic SUN RA songs now available for the first time as a 7" single !!! The infinitely wise drum-driven solar chant of CHILDREN OF THE SUN, with the profoundly meditative & deeply relevant-to-now space chant THEY PLAN TO LEAVE. 7" vinyl packaged in deluxe, custom die-cut screen-printed jackets & printed inner sleeves. 45 RPM A side, 33 1/3 RPM B side. Lacquers cut by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Audio. Vinyl pressed by Cascade Record Pressing. Screen-printing by Seizure Palace. Artwork features elements from the artist AyΓ© Aton. LIMITED ONE-TIME PRESSING OF 300 COPIES.

SPACE KEY presents two previously unreleased versions of the classic RA composition "Lights On A Satellite" : the echo-drenched "single version" from the Fate In A Pleasant Mood sessions, paired with a sprawling celestial performance for WUHY radio in 1978. The A side is glued by a heavy tape echo, giving the familiar tune a different rhythmic framework and pacing, and adding beautiful new layers of chordal harmony and sparkling decay. It was recorded June 1960 at RCA Studios, Chicago and was apparently slated for release as a single on Saturn, never yet materializing until today. The B side is an excerpt from a very special WUHY radio broadcast in Philadelphia, performed by the 22-piece Spirit Of Jazz Cosmos Arkestra (its only known iteration). Here the percussion is up-front, the horn lines take a more fluid and free rhythm, and layers of flutes swell and hocket around the orbit of Sun Ra's twinkling piaon. A crucial rendition of a forever enduring song in an especially pleasant mood. Beautifully mastered for 7" by Adam Gonsalves and Telegraph Audio, and expertly pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago. Packed in hand-assembled silk-screened metallic silver and midnight blue ink jackets printed by Seizure Palace, with 4 different cover variations. Includes picture sleeve and ephemera.


γ’γ«γγ γ«γ€γγ¦ Strut Records proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Sun Raβs 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana, presented across three Vinyl LPs or as a two CD set. The Arkestra were at the peak of their powers in 1977, releasing revered albums like The Soul Vibration Of Man and My Favorite Things with Arkestra regulars Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, Michael Ray and Luqman Ali among the core musicians. Ra also continued his touring in Europe with historic gigs in Italy. During this period, Arkestra live performances were often loosely structured into thematic blocks that moved from reflections on jazz history to cosmic βspace narrativeβ sections featuring collective chants, extended Africa/Egypt-inspired grooves and selections from the Great American Songbook. This recording brings in all of these features with re imagined versions of standards like βTake The βAβ Trainβ, βSt. Louis Bluesβ and title track βOver The Rainbowβ alongside rarely recorded Ra compositions like βMake Another Mistakeβ and βAmen Meni Many Amensβ. Ra conducted improvisations to guide the listener seamlessly from one musical scene to the next. As Sun Ra himself described it: βItβs like a partyβwe enjoy ourselves and everybodyβs invited to enjoy it with us.β The original version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow assembled a handful of clearly delineated tracks drawn from the flow of two complete concert recordings, re-arranged out of sequence. Strutβs new edition restores previously excised material and preserves more of the natural transitions between pieces, offering a fuller glimpse into the distinctive aesthetic of Sun Ra and his Arkestra. This definitive reissue is pressed across two CDs, or three vinyl LPs housed in a triple gatefold sleeve, newly remastered by Technology Works from the original source tapes and features extensive new liner notes by Chris Cutler alongside video stills from the original concert.

Strut present a new definitive collection of singles released by jazz maverick Sun Ra during his Earth years, spanning 1952 to 1991. Released prolifically during the 1950s and more sporadically thereafter, primarily on the Saturn label, the 45s offer one-off meteorites from Ra’s prolific cosmic journey, tracing the development of his forward-thinking “Space-Bop” and his unique take on jazz and blues traditions which sounded unlike anything else from the period. As with his LPs, most 45s were only pressed in small runs and were sold at gigs and have since become extremely rare and sought after. Some have only been discovered in physical form in recent years; some were planned and pencilled but allegedly never made it to vinyl and some appeared as one-off magazine singles and posthumous releases.
‘Singles’ will be released in various formats across two release dates. All formats feature fully remastered tracks, rare photos, poster artwork, extensive sleeve notes by Francis Gooding, an interview with Saturn Records founder Alton Abraham by John Corbett and detailed track by track and session notes by Paul Griffiths.
