Sun Ra: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Sun Ra)

Discoveries of lost tapes are often trumpeted as legendary or revelatory, but in the case of the greatly expanded Nuits De La Fondation Maeght, the hype feels entirely warranted. The release offers a comprehensive view of a pivotal moment in Sun Ra's career.

In 1970, Sun Ra was invited to play at the prestigious private museum, Fondation Maeght, in southern France. The event was part of a concert series that starred other icons of the jazz avant-garde, including Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor. As the first performance by Ra outside of North America, this set captures a historic occasion that would propel the Arkestra onto the global stage, where they continue to thrive to this day.

The Arkestra played on two nights, both recorded for French radio. From those tapes, organizer Daniel Caux curated two volumes, released on the Shandar label in 1971, which have stayed in circulation ever since. Now, Caux has revisited the original tapes to compile a 6-LP/4-CD edition, presenting over four hours of music that reveals the Arkestra at a creative peak. Though not the entirety of the recorded material—a rumored 12 hours exist—the set still provides a remarkably vivid portrait, considering the challenges of recording a large group in a live setting in this period.

What distinguishes this release is its ability to convey the full breadth of what Ra termed the "Cosmo Drama"—a holistic live experience integrating music, film projections, costumes and dance. Although the recording inevitably lacks the visual spectacle, the sonic variety remains intact: dynamic big band charts given a Saturnian twist, tightly-honed ensembles, infectious space chants, swirling keyboard extravaganzas, pulsing percussion interludes and fierce free improvisations. While the original albums focused on select excerpts, this enlarged set allows the listener to appreciate the outfit's fluid transitions and thematic unity. The audience, encountering this multidimensional presentation for the first time, responded with palpable enthusiasm.

This was a classic version of the Arkestra. As well as his customary array of keys, Ra also had a prototype Moog synthesizer, which he was assimilating into his rig. Among the formidable firepower of the horns were the masters John Gilmore, Marshall Allen and Danny Davis, while Alan Silva also wielded cello alongside his bass and June Tyson added a human touch to the cosmic tapestry with her alternately exuberant and plaintive, but always soulful vocals, having joined just over a year earlier.

Among the newly-heard material are many standouts, including "Myth Tone Poem," an elegant through-composed chorale, "Pleasant Twilight," another swinging arrangement driven by Gilmore's electrifying tenor, "Tone Science," which features both a ferocious a cappella Allen tour de force and Davis in staccato dialogue with drums, "Somewhere Else," an earthy organ groove anchoring Davis's shrieking alto, and the calmly processional "Prelude," which showcases Allen's sinuous flute.

That is in addition to the deservedly already-issued music, which is among Ra's finest: "Shadow World," with its hocketed horns, and another incendiary Gilmore outing, "Friendly Galaxy #2," arranged here for six flutes and spotlighting Allen cavorting with Silva's slippery cello bow work, "Spontaneous Simplicity," with a buoyant clavinet solo by the leader and, not least, "World Of Lightning," which begins with a synth/drum face-off and proceeds through a stratospheric Allen alto excursion, before becoming subsumed in a maelstrom of wailing horns and an outrageous foot-to-the-floor climax.

Yet not every instant withstands the test of time. Shorn of the visual dimension, some of the percussion jams drag, while Ra's mad-scientist organ and Moog adventures such as in "The Cosmic Explorer," while historically fascinating, are very much of their time. Moreover, the necessity to present selections rather than full sets sometimes disrupts continuity. However, these are minor blemishes on an otherwise exceptional record.

Accompanying the music is a 36-page booklet, offering insightful notes from Paul Griffiths, photographs from the shows and an illuminating interview with Ra, conducted by Caux. The combination of sound, imagery and first-hand accounts vividly evokes the intensity of the time, despite the passage of more than five decades.

Ultimately, Nuits De La Fondation Maeght stands as a crucial document of a groundbreaking artistic moment. Despite the daunting length and niche appeal, it remains essential for dedicated fans and a valuable chronicle of a boundary-defying artist at the height of his powers.

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