About this item

Strut Records proudly presents the first definitive expanded reissue of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow', Sun Ra’s 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana.

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 “space narrative” 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 ‘Take The “A” Train’, ‘St. Louis Blues’ and title track ‘Over The Rainbow’ alongside rarely recorded Ra compositions like ‘Make Another Mistake’ and ‘Amen Meni Many Amens’. Ra conducted improvisations to guide the listener seamlessly from one musical scene to the next. As Sun Ra himself described it: “It’s like a party—we enjoy ourselves and everybody’s invited to enjoy it with us.”

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. Strut’s 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.

TRACK LISTING

3LP Tracklisting:
1. Shadows Of Infinity 
2. Pleiades 
3. Discipline 27 
4. Bluebird Set #2 Piano Solo
5. Equation Of The Myth
6. Neptune 
7. Yesterdays
8. St. Louis Blues 
9. The Mystery of Two
10. We Live To Be
11. Amen Meni Many Amens 
12. Saturn Speaks
13. Images In A Mirror
14. Take The ‘A’ Train
15. Make Another Mistake 
16. Bluebird Shuffle
17. Outer Reach Intensity Energy / Cosmos Rendezvous
18. Next Stop Mars
19. Over The Rainbow 
20. I’ll Wait For You

2CD Tracklisting:
1. Shadows Of Infinity
2. Pleiades
3. Discipline 27
4. Equation Of The Myth
5. Keep Your Sunny Side Up
6. Saturn Speaks
7. Neptune / The Voice Of Ebah
8. Yesterdays
9. Yeah Man!
10. King Porter Stomp
11. Lightnin’
12. St. Louis Blues
13. The Mystery Of Two
14. Bluebird Set #2 Piano Solo
15. We Live To Be
16. Bye Bye Blackbird
17. Gone With The Wind
18. Amen Meni Many Amens
19. Take The ‘A’ Train
20. Images In A Mirror
21. Outer Reach Intensity Energy /Cosmos Rendezvous
22. Bluebird Shuffle
23. Next Stop Mars
24. Over The Rainbow
25. I’ll Wait For You
26. Make Another Mistake