Customer Reviews

New Steps

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the winter of 1977-78 Sun Ra was touring in Italy, accompanied by John Gilmore, drummer Luqman Ali and young trumpeter Michael Ray. Live material from this trip was not only issued on his Saturn label (Disco 3000 and Media Dreams). The small Italian label Horo released two double Lp-records recorded in Januari 1978: Unity and New Steps. These outings have been difficult to trace ever since I started looking out for them somewhere in the mid-eighties. Disco 3000 and Media Dreams saw a re-release on the Art Yard label in 2008. The music is simply stunning. Innovative, intospective, experimental and sometimes even... jazzy. New Steps, reissued on CD for th efirst time is worth the money if only for the brilliant version of My Favorite Things. The creativity of this quartet was simply amazing. Incredible music by a superb combo. Buy it while you can!

finally we can enjoy again this important recording, which i remember (obviously just in vinyl form) about 30 years ago released by an italian label, Horo. the music is fantastic, as the great musicians involved. i think that this can be considered one of the best Sun Ra recordings. even the sound is very good. every jazz fan should buy this record.

The music is superb and flawless. Because Sun Ra rarely recorded in studios with a quartet. I knew all the musicians personally and have taped conversations with them - they always cherished this recording. Sun Ra himself did not seem to pay too much importance.

A cautionary word on this recording. This is a digitally remastered recording from the vinyl albums - not the original tapes. Atomic Records does not have access to the original tapes.

I heard 'Rome at Twilight' late one night on my public radio station (KERA dallas) while working late and got right up drove to the station and borrowed the double LP from my new friend and DJ Dennis Gonzales because this music reached me so perfectly. Coltane's 'My Favorite Things' had already turned me around and the brilliant tribute by this quartet just set my understanding of musical creativity. Listen to this music - it is truly essential...

This recording is of particular interest to Ra fans as the bulk of his 1970's output is larger ensemble performances with the Arkestra. While fans might hope for a masterwork here, a Ra small group effort analogous to Coltrane's First Impressions, the results are mixed. 'Moon People' is jittery, noodling synthesizer that doesn't hold up so well. It is interesting to hear a Sun Ra take on 'My Favorite Things', but John Gilmore's sax doesn't really approach it in a vastly different way than the innumerable Coltrane versions. On the up side is the 11 minute 'Sun Steps', a great spacey turn of night music with a lovely melody that occasionally threatens to dissolve in the aether. The rest of the record is a similar mixed bag anchored by the 15 minute 'The Horo'. This is hardly one of the very best Ra records I'd recommend to a newcomer, and I can't imagine may Ra fans would want to even list it in their top 20 or 30. But it is a unique entry for this period. Who knows how long it will be available as the original Italian release was hard to track down.