Sun Ra and His Arkestra - Omniverse [CD} (indie-exclusive)

CD Modern Harmonic 090771822116 Jazz, Free Jazz, Space-Age Omniverse, recorded in New York in 1979 and released that year on Sun Ra's Saturn label (catalog #91379) is a solid, overlooked set in the vast Ra canon. The tracks aren't so much compositions as excursions, with few memorable themes or recurring motifs. It's pure jazz, somewhat ''inside'' (for Ra), with little of the aggressiveness and confrontation for which the bandleader was renowned. (''Visitant of the Ninth Ultimate'' is an exception.) Omniverse offers lots of reflective piano in trio, quartet, and sextet settings. Instead of a keyboard showcase, Sun Ra engages in dynamic interplay with the rhythm section. The horns are featured largely as soloists; there are few ensemble passages.

1. The Place of Five Points
2. West End Side of Magic City [Vita No. 5]
3. Dark Lights in a White Forest
4. Omniverse
5. Visitant of the Ninth Ultimate