''Atlantis'' is an album by American jazz musician

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra, released in 1969 by

El Saturn Records El Saturn Records is an American record label founded in 1957 by Alton Abraham. Among the earliest African American-owned record labels, in the late 1950s and 1960s it was one of the most active artist-owned record labels in the United States. The ...

. The album heavily features the "Solar Sound Instrument", a

Hohner Clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...

. One of the four compositions which originally featured on Side 1 of the original release was substituted by a different piece for the 1973 reissue, though reusing the same name, "Yucatan". Both pieces appear on the later CD reissue. The title track covered the second side of the LP and is regarded as a key prototype for Sun Ra's performances through the 1970s. It was recorded at a 1967 concert at the Olatunji Center of African Culture in New York and has been described as "a masterpiece that twists and turns through many soundscapes".

Recording sessions

Side one was likely recorded at Sun Studios, New York (the Arkestra's commune) between 1967 and 1969;Sun Ra's Discography, R Campbell
/ref> The title track on side two, Atlantis was recorded at the Olatunji Cultural Center on 125th Street, NY, in 1967.John Szwed, Village Voice
/ref> A different piece, similarly titled Yucatan was also recorded at the same period and later included for the Impulse reissue in 1973. Both versions of ''Yucatan'' were included when a record label, Evidence reissued Atlantis in the 1990s. This arrangement remained when Sun Ra's entire back catalog was remastered and reissued by Ra's estate (under the supervision of

Irwin Chusid Irwin Chusid (born April 22, 1951 in Newark, New Jersey) is a journalist, music historian, radio personality, record producer, and self-described "landmark preservationist". His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history t ...

) in 2014.

Track listing

All tracks written by Sun Ra. Side A: #" Mu" – 4:30 #"

Lemuria Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the di ...

" – 5:02 #" Yucatan" (either Saturn version, 5:27 or Impulse! version, 3:38) #"

Bimini Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately west-northwest of Nassau. The popula ...

" – 5:45 Side B: #"

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

" – 21:51

Personnel

– Solar Sound Organ, Solar Sound Instrument (Clavinet) *

John Gilmore John Gilmore may refer to: * John Gilmore (activist) (born 1955), co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Cygnus Solutions * John Gilmore (musician) (1931–1995), American jazz saxophonist * John Gilmore (representative) (1780–1845 ...

- Tenor Saxophone, Percussion * Pat Patrick- Baritone Saxophone, Flute *

Marshall Allen Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EWI (an electronic valve instrument made by Steiner, Crumar company). Allen is best ...

- Alto Saxophone, Oboe *

Danny Ray Thompson Danny Ray Thompson (October 1, 1947 – March 12, 2020) was an American jazz musician. He played baritone saxophone with the Sun Ra Arkestra and managed the band for a period of time. Early life Thompson was born in New York City, to Elgie and ...

– Alto Saxophone, Flute *Bob Barry – Drums, Lightning Drum *Wayne Harris – Trumpet *Ebah – Trumpet *Carl Nimrod – Space Drums *James Jacson – Log Drums *Robert Cummins – Bass Clarinet *Danny Davis – Alto Saxophone *Ali Harsan – Trombone *Alton Abraham – Producer (for Ihnfinity inc.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantis (Sun Ra Album) Sun Ra albums 1969 albums Evidence Music albums Impulse! Records albums El Saturn Records albums Atlantis Lemuria (continent)