“Sun Ra and the Arkestra were the original DIY group. What went on in
1970s punk with self-pressed records and hand-drawn artwork – Ra was
doing that in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The music was phenomenal – Sun Ra
was the man, the ultimate artist for any vinyl collector.“ Gilles Peterson
Strut follow up their hugely successful Marshall Allen-curated ‘In The
Orbit
Of Ra’ compilation with a newly curated set from the immense 125 LP back
catalogue of jazz maverick, DIY philosopher and self-professed member of
an “angel race”, Sun Ra. ‘To Those Of Earth… And Other Worlds’ is a
handpicked
selection from BBC 6Music DJ Gilles Peterson, long-time champion of
Ra’s music and the UK’s leading tastemaker for jazz-based sounds. It
serves
as perhaps the best introduction yet to the music of Sun Ra for a whole new
generation of converts.
Sun Ra was a one-off in the annals of jazz. As author Robert L. Campbell
describes, “He claimed to be the last of the swing band leaders, yet dosed
classic songs with LSD. He wrote poetry about the “coming space age” and
claimed to be a citizen of Saturn. He dressed himself and his band in
goldlame
and lectured on the Creator ’s message to the cruel and deceitful
Earthman. He named himself after an Egyptian God. Was this guy for real?
Sun Ra was very much for real.”
The 2LP features full length versions of selected tracks from the mix
while the digital version features a full unmixed selection with
Peterson’s mix
available within the album bundle. Sleeve notes on physical formats come
from Gilles Peterson with a full Ra career biography by author Robert L.
Campbell. The album also features previously unseen photos from the
archives of Val Wilmer and Jorg Brecker alongside full musician line-ups
and session details.