Live At Montreux - The Sun Ra Arkestra (2LP Vinyl)

Live At Montreux by The Sun Ra Arkestra.

On July 9, 1976, the Sun Ra Arkestra brought its cosmic vision to the Casino de Montreux, and this double record captures that night at the Montreux Jazz Festival in full sprawling glory. Spread across four sides, it documents an ensemble that treated the stage as a launchpad, moving between deep space meditation and hard swinging tradition with a fluidity few groups could match.

Side A opens the journey with "For The Sunrise" and "Of The Other Tomorrow" before stretching out into the long form terrain that Sun Ra loved best. The centerpiece here is "On Sound Infinity Spheres," a sprawling thirteen and a half minute excursion that follows the brief "From Out Where Others Dwell." Together the four pieces fill nearly twenty eight minutes, a single continuous arc of sound that rewards patient listening.

Collectors should note a genuine quirk in this pressing. The Side A label carries an error in its track listing: the timing printed for A3, "From Out Where Others Dwell," actually belongs to the unlisted track that follows it. In reality "From Out Where Others Dwell" runs a compact four minutes and twenty one seconds, while "On Sound Infinity Spheres" claims the remaining thirteen and a half minutes. It is exactly the kind of small imperfection that gives a live artifact its character and its story.

Side B keeps the momentum with "The House Of Eternal Being" and "God Of The Thunder Realm," then lands on "Lights On A Satellite," one of the Arkestra's most beloved and enduring themes. Side C shifts the mood entirely, opening with a solo "Piano Intro" that gives way to a reading of "Take The A Train," Sun Ra tipping his hat to the Ellington lineage that runs deep in his music while bending it toward his own orbit.

The final side is where the concert truly opens its arms. A "Prelude" leads into "El Is The Sound Of Joy," followed by two encores that show a band unwilling to leave the stage, and the whole set closes on "We Travel The Spaceways," the anthem that doubled as the Arkestra's mission statement. It is a fitting farewell, a chant that turns a Swiss casino into a vessel bound for the stars.

For anyone drawn to the wilder, more expansive corners of jazz, this Montreux document is essential listening. It gathers standards, originals, and pure interstellar invention into one generous package, a snapshot of Sun Ra and his players at the peak of their touring powers on a summer night in 1976.

Pressing Details:
Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, Casino de Montreux, Switzerland, July 9, 1976.

The track list on the label side A is in error. Total length of Side A is 27:40.
Correct tracklisting above, on the label track A3 is listed with timing of the unlisted track A4.
Timings measured from own copy:
A3 From Out Where Others Dwell 04:21
A4 On Sound Infinity Spheres 13:30

Track Listing:
A1. For The Sunrise
A2. Of The Other Tomorrow
A3. From Out Where Others Dwell
A4. On Sound Infinity Spheres
B1. The House Of Eternal Being
B2. God Of The Thunder Realm
B3. Lights On A Satellite
C1. Piano Intro
C2. Take The A Train
D1. Prelude
D2. El Is The Sound Of Joy
D3. Encore 1
D4. Encore 2
D5. We Travel The Spaceways

Artist: The Sun Ra Arkestra

Format: 2LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Inner City Records

Catalog Number: IC 1039

Release Year: 2010

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)