The Needles & Grooves May 2024 Omniversal Spin Challenge Arkestra

avecigrec

avecigrec

Well-Known Member
Greetings one and all, and welcome to a wide wild world of sound...

As some of you have surely figured out by now I am a big fan of all things Sun Ra. What you may not know is that May is a pretty key month when it comes to Sun Ra and his Arkestra – and this year particularly so. As such, I was hoping to do something a little different, and more abstract, this month.

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Each day's prompt this month (posted in weekly batches) will be a different Sun Ra-related song and associated Bandcamp or YouTube link. Some songs have been chosen for specific dates for specific reasons, while others just happen to be ones I quite enjoy. It's going to be a wild mix of sounds and styles that will hopefully surprise folks in fun and exciting ways.

While some of the selections will certainly be a little more "out there" than others, I've leaned hard toward more "accessible" pieces for this challenge. If any of you find yourselves wanting to dive deeper, feel free to hit me up!

Interpret the prompts however you feel using whatever medium gets the music to your ears. Explanations and anecdotes are always appreciated but never mandatory. Catch up if you need to, and don't get captured.

Lastly, discipline was incredibly important to Sun Ra. In that spirit, I'm hoping to channel the discipline to post a small write-up each day about that day's prompt song. That said, I know how often I wind up playing catch-up during these challenges, and that may well happen with the write-ups too (hell, this is already going up a few hours later than I'd hoped!)

Have fun, and thanks for playing along – I look forward to seeing what y'all play!

Week 1​

May 1 - The Beginning Of



May 2 - The Second Stop Is Jupiter



May 3 - Sun Song



May 4 - Great Balls Of Fire
 
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Week 5​

May 26 - Space Is The Place



May 27 - Enlightenment



May 28 - The Lady With The Golden Stockings



May 29 - Nuclear War



May 30 - The Sky Is A Sea Of Darkness When There Is No Sun To Light The Way



May 31 - A Farewell Theme
sunrastrut.bandcamp.com

A Farewell Theme, by Sun Ra Arkestra & Salah Ragab

from the album Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt
sunrastrut.bandcamp.com sunrastrut.bandcamp.com
 
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May 1 - The Beginning Of

First thing I thought of when I saw the title, were the two tracks The End Is The Beginning Is The End and The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by The Smashing Pumpkins. And it's kind of amusing to me to play this soundtrack for a Sun Ra prompt since there is an Arkestra link to Batman and Robin.

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May 1 - The Beginning Of

The track made me think of Mickey Hart and his work as an ethnomusicologist, and the Drums portion of Grateful Dead shows. Mickey and Bill were always trying to tie into the source. This album led by the two of them came right to mind listening to the Sun Ra track.

Rhythm Devils ~ The Apocalypse Now Sessions

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Day 01: The Beginning Of
Sonic Youth - Anagrama
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Anagrama was released in May 1997, and was the beginning of a series of experimental and mostly instrumental releases issued on the band's own SYR label. Five years prior to this record’s release, in 1992 Sonic Youth preformed a July 4 concert in Central Park with Sun Ra.
 
Been several months since I participated but hope to jump back on this month. I will play the first thing that pops into my head when I read the song title.

May 1 - The Beginning Of

The Jam - The Jam 12" (aka Absolute Beginners ep). One of my favourite Paul Weller songs. I also happen to have the 7in, with both songs on the 12in
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As an added bonus Paul Weller is also on the soundtrack to Absolute Beginners (with The Style Council) which features one of the best post-Let's Dance Bowie singles of the same name.
 
On “The Beginning Of”


This seems like the perfect starting point.
In a great example of the depth and complexity of Sun Ra's catalogue, the exact recording date for this and the other songs that comprise Continuation, Vol. 2 remains unknown. Oft cited as being from 1968, the recordings echo stylings of those made at the Choreographer's Workshop back in 1963, shortly after Sun Ra and the Arkestra relocated to NYC from their original home in Chicago. But even then, there are discrepancies in the sound quality from those other recordings confirmed to have been made at the Workshop. Perhaps one day we'll learn the answer, but we're sure to find many more questions along the way. Continuation, Vol. 2 is not really an album so much as a "bonus disc." When Corbett vs. Dempsey reissued 1970's Continuation in 2013, they included the recordings subsequently labeled Vol. 2 as part of a 2-disc CD package. The album Sun Ra released in 1970 is made up of recordings from the same mystery session(s) so the pairing makes sense, while also further convoluting an already convoluted discography!

[Edit to add:] It's worth noting that because these sessions are from an unknown date it is not yet possible to confirm exactly who is playing on this song, but the list of likely players for the time includes 3 drummer/percussionists and 4 saxophone players who also provided percussion on many occasions.
 
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