Sun Ra

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

STRUT

The first definitive reissue of this 1977 session recorded at the Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana; restoring previously excised material, a true running order, and the natural transitions between pieces.
‘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 he described it: ‘It’s like a party—we enjoy ourselves and everybody’s invited to enjoy it with us.’
Newly remastered using the original source tapes; extensive new liner notes by Chris Cutler