Monorails and Satellites, Volumes I & II are two albums of solo piano compositions by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra. Both recorded in 1966, Volume 1 was released in 1968 under the title "Monorails And Satellites" and Volume II was released in 1974 under the title "Monorails & Satellites", both on Sun Ra's own Saturn label. The first volume was reissued on compact disc by Evidence in 1992. Both volumes, along with nine previously unreleased tracks from the same sessions, were reissued in 2019 on the Cosmic Myth Records label as Monorails and Satellites: Works For Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3.[5] The album showcases Ra's skills as a pianist, which are often compared to Cecil Taylor's;
'Monorails and Satellites, a 1966 solo piano recording, showcases Ra's unique style, which bridges the bluesy architecture of Jelly Roll Morton with the angularity of Monk and Cecil Taylor's ascent beyond traditional structure.' [6]
According to Ra's biographer, John Szwed, the title might refer to Stanley Kubrick's2001, featuring a monolith that Ra remembered as a monorail, 'perhaps connecting it to his UFO experience'.[7] Both albums shared the same sleeve of disembodied hands playing a keyboard that seems to be plugged directly into Saturn.
Track listing
Volume 1, 12" Vinyl
All songs by Sun Ra except Easy Street; Side A:
"Space Towers" - (3.37)
"Cogitation" - (6.36)
"Skylight" - (3.59)
"The Alter Destiny" - (3.08)
Side B:
"Easy Street" - (Jones) - (3.38)
"Blue Differentials" - (2.54)
"Monorails and Satellites" - (5.36)
"The Galaxy Sun" - (3.17)
Volume 2, 12" Vinyl
All songs by Sun Ra Side A:
"Astro Vision" - (3.10)
"The Ninth Eye" - (9.00)
"Solar Boats" - (5.00)
Side B:
"Perspective Prisms of Is" - (6.20)
"Calundronius" - (8.00)
Musician
Sun Ra - piano, and electronics on Astro Vision
Recorded at the Sun Studios, New York, (the commune where the Arkestra lived), 1966 [1]
The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One is a 1965 album by the jazz musician Sun Ra. The back cover describes it as an "album of compositions and arrangements by Sun Ra played by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra".
Thomas Blanchard Wilson Jr. was an American record producer best known for his work in the 1960s with Bob Dylan, the Mothers of Invention, Simon & Garfunkel, the Velvet Underground, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Eddie Harris, Nico, Eric Burdon and the Animals, the Blues Project, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, and others.
The Magic City is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Recorded in two sessions in 1965, the record was released on Ra's own Saturn label in 1966. The record was reissued by Impulse! in 1973, and on compact disc by Evidence in 1993.
Atlantis is an album by American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra, released in 1969 by El Saturn Records.
Sound of Joy is an album by Sun Ra and his Arkestra. It features the Arkestral lineup during the last few months of 1956, after trombonist Julian Priester left to join Lionel Hampton, Charles Davis became a regular member of the band, and Victor Sproles took over on bass. It was intended as the follow-up to Jazz By Sun Ra but Transition Records ceased to operate before it could be released.
Visions is a duet album issued on LP format credited to Walt Dickerson and later reissued on CD credited to Sun Ra and Walt Dickerson.
Jazz By Sun Ra is the debut album by Sun Ra. The record label for the first pressing says "07-12-56", presumably when it was recorded. The LP originally appeared on Tom Wilson's short-lived Transition Records. In the mid-1960s it was purchased by Delmark Records owner Bob Koester, finally being reissued in 1967.
Live at Montreux is an album by Sun Ra recorded in the summer of 1976 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland under the billing Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Cosmo Arkestra. It was originally issued in 1977 on the Saturn label, with hand-drawn covers and reissued in 1978 on the Inner City label, with new artwork and song titles and musicians credited. It was first issued on CD by Universe Records in Italy, with poor sound quality and the track "On Sound Infinity Spheres" faded out early by about six minutes. The later Japanese P-Vine and US Inner City CDs both use earlier source tapes and are complete and unedited. A segment of the same Montreux concert appears on the 'Solo Piano & Montreux And Lugano' DVD on Transparency Records.
Jazz in Silhouette is a jazz album by pianist-composer Sun Ra and His Arkestra. It was recorded on March 6, 1959 and released in May of the same year. The album was recorded in Chicago during a session that also included the whole of the albums Sound Sun Pleasure!! and "Interstellar Low Ways" from the album of the same name.
Super-Sonic Jazz is an album by Sun Ra, recorded in 1956 at RCA Studios, Chicago. Super-Sonic Jazz was the first album to be released on Saturn Records, the label run by Sun Ra and Alton Abraham, and was one of only three albums by Sun Ra to have been available in the 1950s.
Featuring Pharoah Sanders and Black Harold is a jazz album by Sun Ra, recorded live on December 31, 1964, but not released until 1976, on Ra and Alton Abraham's El Saturn label. An expanded version of the album was reissued in 2009 by ESP-Disk, and again in 2017 by Superior Viaduct. A complete version of Sun Ra's performances on December 30 and 31, 1964 were released in 2012 on the Pharoah Sanders album In The Beginning 1963-1964.
Sound Sun Pleasure!! is an album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra. Recorded March 6, 1959, it remained unreleased until 1970 when it was issued on the Saturn label. Recorded at the same time and with the same personnel as Jazz in Silhouette, the album is unusual amongst early Ra albums for predominantly featuring jazz standards.
Interstellar Low Ways is an album recorded by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, mostly recorded in Chicago, 1960, and released in 1967 on his own El Saturn label. Originally titled Rocket Number Nine, the album had acquired its present name, and the red-on-white sleeve by Claude Dangerfield, by 1969. The album is known particularly for the two songs featuring chants, "Interplanetary Music" and "Rocket Number Nine Take off for the Planet Venus". These would stay in the Arkestra's repertoire for many years:
Rocket Number Nine points toward the music that the Arkestra would be playing on the lower East Side of New York City. The tenor sax solo isn't the work of John Coltrane in 1962, but of John Gilmore in 1960. And not even Ornette Coleman's bassists were playing like Ronnie Boykins at this date.
Fate in a Pleasant Mood is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra recorded in Chicago, mid 1960 and originally released on his own Saturn label in 1965. The album was reissued by Impulse! in 1974, and by Evidence in 1993. For the latter reissue, the record was included as the first half of a CD that also featured the whole of When Sun Comes Out, an album recorded by the Arkestra in New York, 1963.
The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Arkestra, recorded on October 10, 1961, for the Savoy label and released in 1962.
Secrets of the Sun is an album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. The album is considered one of the more accessible recordings from his 'Solar' period. Originally released on Ra's own Saturn label in 1965, the record was unavailable for many years before being reissued on compact disc by Atavistic in 2008.
'Marking a transition in its development between the advanced swing of the early Chicago-era recordings and the increased free-form experimentation of its New York tenure, this album also reveals the first recorded versions of two Ra standards, "Friendly Galaxy" and "Love in Outer Space." Accessible, yet segueing into vanguard territory, this album highlights a fertile period in the Arkestra's history. Looser and more aggressive than its Chicago recordings, these pieces find the Arkestra pushing at the limits of harmony and tonality.' Troy Collins
When Angels Speak of Love is a music album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra. Originally released in 1966 on Sun Ra's own Saturn label, the record would have only been available by mail order or sold at Arkestra concerts, and is one of the rarest of all Saturn releases. The record was reissued on compact disc by Evidence in 2000.
Other Planes of There is an album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Recorded in 1964, the album had been released by 1966 on Sun Ra's own Saturn label. The record was reissued on compact disc by Evidence in 1992.
'Granted, the selection is certainly not as abrasive and demanding as later efforts, although there is strident involvement from everyone within the dense arrangement. The brass and reed sections provide emphasis behind an off-kilter and loping waltz backdrop. All the more impressive is how well the material has held up over the decades. Even to seasoned ears, the music is pungent and uninhibited, making Other Planes of There a highly recommended collection.' Lindsay Planer
Strange Strings is an album by the American Jazz musician Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra. Recorded in 1966, the album was released by 1967 on Sun Ra's own Saturn label. The record was reissued on compact disc by Atavistic in 2007.
Blowing in from Chicago is an album by American jazz saxophonists Clifford Jordan and John Gilmore featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label. The CD reissue added a bonus track from the same session.
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