I
don't get the chance to listen to a lot of Sun Ra, mostly because his
CD's are ridiculously expensive, and, at times, hard to find. The
title track is a good prelude of the remaining songs to come, a slow,
mournful, unchanging melody, above which rises a shift between
trumpets and horns, and, rising even above this, Sun Ra's piano.
'Where Pathways Meet' has clear funk influences, especially the
trumpet and bass. The piano almost gets lost amid the forcefulness of
the trumpet, but its presence is felt just enough to influence the
rest of the song. 'That's How I Feel' has a more rhythmic feel to it,
and is as smooth as can be, though the percussion section can at
times be just a bit jarring. The percussion is a lot more smooth and
“cooperative” in 'Twin Stars of Thence,' but the trumpet
quasi-solo towards the end is what really stands out to me. 'There
Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of),' the only track
featuring vocals (which are ten different kinds of creepy, to the point of almost making my skin crawl, with its
stereophonic whispering), starts of slowly, with a creepy melody that
reminds me of how people thought of outer space a generation or two
ago (the album dates to 1978), or of “The Twilight Zone.”
Overall, this album is a bit perplexing: there are clear funk and
blues influences interspersed throughout each song, yet it somehow
manages to incorporate these elements while maintaining the same,
seemingly simple melody over the course of each song. Long story
short: nothing is normal. It kept me thinking long after it ended.
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