Sun Ra Discipline 27-II

Personnel: Sun Ra (vocals, keyboards, Moog synthesizer); John Gilmore (vocals, tenor saxophone, percussion); Ahk Tal Ebah (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); June Tyson, Ruth Wright, Judith Holton, Cheryl Banks (vocals); Eloe Omoe (flute, bass clarinet); Danny Davis , Marshall Allen (flute, alto saxophone); Danny Thompson (flute, baritone saxophone); Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone); Lamont McClamb (trumpet, percussion); Robert Underwood, Harry Richards, Alzo Wright, Lex Humphries (drum); Russell Branch, Stanley Morgan (congas, percussion).

Recording information: Streetville Studios, Chicago (10/1972).

Editors: John Corbett ; Jim Dempsey; Emily Letourneau.

Arranger: Sun Ra.

Recorded during the same 1972 sessions as Impulse's Space Is the Place, Discipline 27-II is definitely cut from the same cloth. The title cut is a side-long space chant number (just like "Space Is the Place"), presumably recorded as one lengthy piece, although the tune itself is divided into three sections (radio edits?). Listeners also get another in the instrumental Discipline series (Ra composed and recorded many Disciplines throughout the '70s); this time it's "Discipline 8." "Neptune" is another great space chant ("Have you heard the latest thing from Neptune?"), but the standout track is "Pan Afro," a great blowing session built on Ra's trademark interlocking horn riffs. A tough one to find, Discipline 27-II is well-worth seeking out, especially for those who like Space Is the Place. ~ Sean Westergaard