With such a vast output of albums (well over 100!) it is almost impossible to tell someone where to start with Sun Ra. Thankfully Gilles Peterson is on hand to help out with a thoughtfully compiled double album of someone quite rightly described as ‘a one-off in the history of jazz’. He claimed to be a citizen of Saturn, and his clothes, music and all-round approach certainly had the feel of a man brought to us from another planet. Yet this collection, while maybe concentrating on his much more accessible material, shows how he could communicate to even the most earth bound of listeners. ‘Space In The Place’, included in a live version here, speaks directly, but then so does the nocturnal percussion of ‘India’, the piano work of ‘Sun Song’ and the piercing baritone sax growing out of the murky noises of ‘Adventure-Equation’. The brisk ‘Watusa’ is a kind of Brubeck-esque ‘Take Five Plus One’, while the dreamy sax solo on ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is perfectly named. Ever colourful, exotic and often alluring, this is music for the head above anything else, warming the coldest heart. It’s as good a place to start as any with Sun Ra – as far as I know! – and Peterson has done a really good job putting it together.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
