Though this is not an album that adheres to the typical avant-garde style of Sun Ra, there is great joy to be found in the more traditional hard bop style that can be heard. The 8-bit resembling music takes you on a journey through tombs under pyramids, and sounds eerily mythical. Sun Ra often evolved his thematics around Ancient Egypt, and it’s during this track that you truly begin to understand that Sun Ra had a unique ability to paint a picture with music. The first track of the album, “India,” is also particularly engaging, and strangely resembles 8-bit music, narrating ancient Egyptian scenes. You’ll have to dim the lights and set off the smoke machine accordingly. For a stripped down, bluesy affair, enjoy “Advice to Medics.” It’s a luxurious serving of slow-paced and intricately assembled Jazz. You can find a little of everything here, with Super Sonic Jazz providing both the weird and wonderful for those who dare to listen. It dips in and out of genres, with Sun Ra experimenting with traditional jazz, while adding a sprinkle of his own abstruse musical agenda. This was the first full album release for Alton Abraham and Sun Ra’s El Saturn Records label. In my music I speak of unknown things, impossible things, ancient things, potential things… I’m not part of history, I’m more a part of the mystery, which is my story.” A story that humanity needs to know about. Sun Ra explains his ethos and ideologies during the documentary Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980): The music of Sun Ra will engage you in the moment, yet leave you to think for days about what it all could mean. Whereas his concepts are clearly laid out in his music, there is so much left unsaid. The joy of the music of Sun Ra is its ability to surprise you, while provoking thought. These albums would pave the way for jazz music, futuristic music, avant-garde music and everything in between. His belief in what he had to say created a back catalogue of records that are unwaveringly distinctive. Sun Ra was fearless with his ideas and a champion of free thought. Often, these were futuristic ideas laced with political nuance. Sun Ra would offer his listeners a vision, his own unique ideas. He was a profound individual, who often exclusively operated on a higher plane of thinking. Through his career, Sun Ra would work tirelessly creating over 50 futuristic jazz albums, each with its own unique ideology and subsequent cosmic identity.
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