Lanquidity

Lanquidity

ASIN: B00004XSLJ

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 1978 session, coming relatively late in Sun Ra's creative history, is another extraordinary venture into uncharted musical terrain. As the name suggests, it's a liquid and languid musical state, from the lounge area of Ra's cosmos, but it can also be resiliently funky and subtly dissonant in ways unheard outside the orchestra's precincts. The rhythm section of electric bass, two guitars, and three drummers creates deep pulsing grooves for Sun Ra's assortment of ethereal organs and synthesizers and a horn complement of two trumpets and five reeds that are used sparingly for maximal effect. There are some elements of commercial crossover funk and even Miles Davis's electric period, but this is highly original music, an acid jazz prototype in which groove and electronica intersect with muted brass and a heady assortment of reeds and percussion. Sudden squiggles of funk guitar mix with strong improvisation from Sun Ra and his regular soloists, like saxophonists John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, who are always ready to bend the music into some new pitch zone. The lyrical title track bears a resemblance to Mingus's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and "There Are Other Worlds" is supplemented by overdubbed "Ethnic Voices" and additional percussion and electronics, creating an eerily engaging tapestry. Recorded in a New York studio with the sound further improved by Evidence, this is unusually well recorded for Sun Ra music of the period, a warm bath in music both lush and exotic. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

Lanquidity
Where The Pathways Meet
That's How I Feel
Twin Star Of Thence
There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)

Amazon.com

This 1978 session, coming relatively late in Sun Ra's creative history, is another extraordinary venture into uncharted musical terrain. As the name suggests, it's a liquid and languid musical state, from the lounge area of Ra's cosmos, but it can also be resiliently funky and subtly dissonant in ways unheard outside the orchestra's precincts. The rhythm section of electric bass, two guitars, and three drummers creates deep pulsing grooves for Sun Ra's assortment of ethereal organs and synthesizers and a horn complement of two trumpets and five reeds that are used sparingly for maximal effect. There are some elements of commercial crossover funk and even Miles Davis's electric period, but this is highly original music, an acid jazz prototype in which groove and electronica intersect with muted brass and a heady assortment of reeds and percussion. Sudden squiggles of funk guitar mix with strong improvisation from Sun Ra and his regular soloists, like saxophonists John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, who are always ready to bend the music into some new pitch zone. The lyrical title track bears a resemblance to Mingus's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and "There Are Other Worlds" is supplemented by overdubbed "Ethnic Voices" and additional percussion and electronics, creating an eerily engaging tapestry. Recorded in a New York studio with the sound further improved by Evidence, this is unusually well recorded for Sun Ra music of the period, a warm bath in music both lush and exotic. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Sun Ra - Misunderstood Genius.......2007-05-12

Sun Ra is really one of a kind in Jazz, he was a pioneer for Avant Garde just as much as he was a colourful and absurd personality that dressed in Exotic or futuristic clothes and claimed he was born on another planet. By most accounts he was born as Herman Sonny Blount 1914 in Birmingham, AL and came to promise in the 50's with his exprimental music that would become an unique take on Avant Garde Jazz soon enough. Few Jazz critics ever took him serious cause of his personality and lifestyle and his music was very controvercial for Jazz Purists during his whole recording history. In particular the album "Atlantic" from 1967 released just 2 years prior to Miles Davis "Bit*es" Brew" when he would be exploring mythical music from the past in what was an indescribable sound of drums and organs. Regardless of Sun Ra was exploring music from the past or futuristic space music, his music is diffrent then anything else and it's both creative and odd. Sun Ra's only interest in life was music, he would be recording or playing with his band from morning to night and for a man like him he made a huge catalogue of music, some really good music, some less interesting but always worth to check out.

"Lanquidity" from 1978, Released about 10 years after the Avant Garde/Fusion hype that came in the 60's is perhaps Sun Ra's best album and most accessible aswell. Apart from most musicians Sun Ra's creative peak never ended, he would still be recording music to the last years of his life but around 1978 he was recording some of the best music of his life. "Lanquidity" is a recommended album in the sense that it isn't as absurd or unpenetratable as some of his music. It's very meliodic with an almost trance feeling. It's a Fusion inspired Jazz-Funk album with 5 songs that are quite coherant and as usual his big band appearence makes the sound of it very fascinating and grand. Opener and title a midtempo track almost sounds like in a trance, Sun Ra plays his electric piano while saxophonist John Gilmore jumps in with a great solo and all of the others deliver the best of their exotic instruments. All brilliantly produced and coherant. "Where Pathways Meet" is quite diffrent, it's a funky number in fast pace with Trumpet in focus. This one is not as revolutionary as some of the other music, but a real swagger. The third song is really beautiful, it's called "That's How I Feel" one of my personal favorite Sun Ra compositions. It feautures horns and a great electric piano melody that goes on for the entire song. A Bit simular to the opener. "Twin Stars Of Thense" is brilliant aswell, it's also slightly funky with both piano and horn solos. Less meliodic, but nice Fusion recording. "There are Other Worlds" feauture the voice of June Tyson and with some occasional horn sound here and there but the song itself is very mysterious, ending up like a long trance more then an actual song. But this was the whole point cause Sun Ra wants you to pay attention to small details in his music and feeling it's groove. Most songs here are about 6 to 10 minutes so they aren't as long as some of Miles David Fusion recordings, thus it's easy to get into the album + it's mostly meliodic and accessable to most people.

Needless to say, This is perhaps Sun Ra's best album and a good way to get to know him. The man, the myth the legend Sun Ra who by most people atleast recognozed as a musical genius, a bandleader, composer, producer and extremly multitalented and creative musician. In my oppinion, one of the most fascinating persons in Music History. If you're further interested in his personality and music there are some documentaries available that covers some of his life and plenty of good albums and articles to check out too.

Genuine hi-fi sci-fi jazz.......2007-02-12

When Carl Sagan pondered the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system, he conjured up creatures such as a hot-air balloon-sized flying jellyfish that would float through Jupiter's blistering atmosphere propelled by sulfurous discharges. Sun Ra operates on a similar wavelength, apparently attempting to recreate what musical instruments would sound like on other worlds. "Lanquidity" is the most repeatedly listenable Ra release I've encountered (The title track for "The Magic City," for instance, an album released 13 years earlier in 1965 sounds much like a construction site hooked up to a loudspeaker) and one that easily holds its own beside Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew," Art Blakey's "Free for All" and Sonny Sharrock's "Ask the Ages." The meandering Hammond, droning horns, and occasional whale-speak and duck-honk effects give the set a malleable, dreamy complexion. "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)" feels like a combo LSD deprogramming session and love-in taking place inside a robotic whale adrift in the deep ocean. Some of the songs even suggest a contemporary trip-hop vibe, then abruptly zoom ahead back into the future and eventually steps outside time's bounds, just looking back at the one-dimensional timeline, nothing more than a stray slug's slime trail. Like music that makes you jabber like you're Carlos Castaneda? Then this is the one.

The worst Sun Ra is better than most other stuff.......2006-04-30

There is no "typical" Sun Ra, however this one is unique. Way unique. Well worth hearing.

Top notch psychedelic jazz music.......2005-04-30

Moore has no idea what he's talking about. Sun Ra never had no commercial ambitions. Whatever was created by him and his arkestra was personal expression, regardless of how many chromatic intervals there are per song (a very simplistic way of looking at Sun Ra's music). Lanquidity has been my favorite Sun Ra record because of its accessability. Much of Sun Ra's music just throws you alone into empty space; in Lanquidity Sun Ra keeps you company on this journey into outer space. The album's definately among Sun Ra's groovier stuff. It freaks out my mom.

Entrancing Ra.......2001-08-18

There may be comparisons as to what this music sounds 'like' but like must of Ra's work, it defies boundaries. These tracks are perfect for late night listening. The songs, beginning with track 1, but particularly tracks 2-4, build into a collage of slow grooving, imaginative music which ends with the hypnotic "There Are Other Worlds(They have not told you of)". This may be atypical Ra, according to some, but it IS 'must have' music for the mind.

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