Sun Ra - The Magic City - 180g import w/ 2 bonus tracks

Sun Ra & His Solar Arkestra
The Magic City
Jazz Wax 4639 - import re-issue on 180g vinyl w/ 2 bonus tracks

Recorded in 2 sessions, the title track is a collective improvisation on the "idea" of "the Magic City", the nickname referencing the earth-bound birthplace of Mr. Blount, Birmingham, AL., and recorded in studio sessions in Sept 1965, while the 3 tracks on Side 2 were recorded at Olatunji's loft in New York, in spring of that same year. The Magic City is a testimony of the evolution in Sun Ra's music in the mid-'60s. According to many enthusiasts and scholars, this album is among Ra's most definitive studio recordings. Although the "city" mentioned in the album's title was believed to be New York, the place where the LP was taped, in fact it refers to the leader's birthplace, Birmingham, Alabama and to a large metal sign with the words "Birmingham, The Magic City"' erected in front of the railway station in 1926. The Magic City contains just four tracks, but the title-theme lasts nearly half an hour. Then come "The Shadow World," and "Abstract Eye"/"Abstract I" which are two variants of the same composition. "These pieces are essentially ensemble improvisations recorded live", explained Lindsay Planer on AllMusic. "Any direction from Sun Ra, indicating the order of soloists for instance, would be given either through his playing or with hand signals."