Day 9 Sun Ra - The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra

The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (1961) or We Are the Future (as it is sometimes known) are both bad titles for this rather enjoyable album. You might think that this was a very forward looking release, kicking off their arrival in NYC, but if anything, it is a last, longing look back at what the Arkestra had been. Like Super Sonic Jazz, this sort of summing up of things works pretty well, but perhaps then another title would be more appropriate. There's nothing on Futuristic Sounds that pushes the boundaries of jazz as far as Angels, Nubians or We Travel the Spaceways, and certainly little to hint at the following release, Artforms for Dimensions Tomorrow.

Those misgivings aside, Futuristic Sounds is a solid release without a weak track. The first three numbers are seemingly more straightforward but share a rather high density in their arrangements with hints of some interesting tonal color (something that develops as the album progresses.) These pieces remind me some of Mingus's more complex compositions--I find this kind of thing rewarding, but I think for Sun Ra it is a bit of a dead end.

By the fourth track (Where is Tomorrow?) things become more interesting. The track features a duet between flute and low end reed (Gilmore on Bass Clarinet...or is it Patrick on baritone sax?) which works to pleasant but still haunting effect (if that's possible.) Things really heat up with tracks 5 and 7 (The Beginning and China Gates) which are very much in the spirit of Nubians and make good use of non-traditional/non-western melodies. The song, China Gates, probably wouldn't find much of an audience today with its goofy vocals, but instrumentally it sounds like one of the Impulse Pharaoh Sanders albums.

This more daring part of the album is signaled to a close by yet another rendition of Ra's beautiful Tapestry From Another Asteroid...I'm probably never going to get tired of this piece, but I don't need it on every album. Of what remains, Jet Flight and Space Jazz Reverie are something of a return to the straighter Ra, but there's subtlety with these songs, a slight unease between the soloists and arkestra, a playfulness with what is melodic. If my ears were more trained I could probably say something about the fantastic modal playing implemented here, but I'm afraid my ears are only self-trained.

Looking Outward (track 10) is definitely one of the highlights here, at times creating drones on the reeds with repeating flute melodies all over a pan-African rhythm section.

Many reviewers and writers have looked for a break between the Sun Ra of the 50's and the 60's, noting that Sun Ra's move to NY seems to have triggered his most outside music, though Futuristic Sounds does not fit that bill, while some of his Chicago albums (already reviewed) are much more daring than this one. Nonetheless, we may look for another division. Up until this point, Ra has been by and large acoustic, and the shift from that to the use of special effects and electronic keyboards will usher in a new sound. Whether there is any causal relationship between any of these factors, it's hard to say. Ra certainly has his fair share of fiercely experimental acoustic albums, but regardless, this is the last of the mostly traditional, acoustic album we will be hearing for some time. Thus, I'm drawing a line in the sand here and will later be posting a quick summing up of this period, making recommendations for essential purchases.

Now we truly are entering the future!