SUN RA - TOWARD THE STARS

• sun ra: toward the stars
  (2007, cd, uk, cherryred / five four 19)

The Cherry Red Records label has released two Sun Ra albums. The first one "The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra" got released in 2006 and was a reissue (with different artwork) of the 1961 album with the same title. The second one was called was called "Toward The Stars" and got released in 2007.

Subtitled "Pioneering in 1955 - 56", the "Toward The Stars" album presents material that got recorded in those years. This album presents a fine selection of the straight jazz that Sun Ra and his band were playing at that time. Getting to know these compositions in there original form adds a lot to understanding the far out & spacy free jazz renditions that the Arkastra performed decades later.

A lot of these tracks are probably taken from Sun Ra's first albums. I would have to check. But still, this album gives a fine idea of what Sun Ra was doing in 1955 / 1956. Pretty incredible.
Picture and data have been added to the Sun Ra discography over at the United Mutations Archives.