''The Nubians of Plutonia'' is an album recorded by
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 out ...
and his Myth Science Arkestra c.1958 – 1959 and released c.1966 on his own
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
label. Originally released in a blank sleeve under the title ''The Lady With The Golden Stockings'', the album had gained its current title, and sleeve by Richard Pedreguera, by 1969. In common with most releases by Sun Ra at the time, the record was printed in extremely limited numbers and primarily available at concerts and mail-order. The record was reissued by
Impulse!
Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...
in 1974, and on
CD by Evidence in 1993, backed with the contemporaneous album ''
Angels and Demons at Play
''Angels and Demons at Play'' is a jazz album by Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra.
Side one was recorded in 1960, including two tracks taken from the mammoth session either at Hall Recording Company or at the RCA Studios (both in Chicago), a ...
''.
"The Nubians of Plutonia... evidence an Arkestra moving into ever looser, more abstract ground. The percussion becomes more varied and moves ever closer to the foreground. 'The Golden Lady' seduces with a swaying groove created by a combination of simple parts: hi-hat, cow bell, wood blocks, rolling floor toms and bass. Ra then sets up a dark melodic theme, and then the Arkestra proceeds to weave a series of jaunty, blues-tinged solos into the fabric of the groove. 'Nubia', 'Africa' and 'Aiethopia' continue this excursion into more mystical, rhythm-based territory. The Arkestra utilizes the same ominous, simmering percussion beds, now augmented by more exotic instruments like Pat Patrick's 'space lute', which gives a playfully sinister sound to 'Africa'.... This powerful, multi-faceted music is a great place to start if you are just beginning to travel with Sun Ra, or a great way to continue the journey." Mathew Wuethrich All about Jazz retrieved 20-12-08
/ref>
Track listing
12" Vinyl
All songs were written by Sun Ra.
Side A:
#"Plutonian Nights" - (4:22)
#"The Lady with the Golden Stockings" (Later retitled "The Golden Lady" after the album's name was changed) - (7:41)
#"Star Time" - (4:18)
Side B:
#"Nubia" - (8:14)
#"Africa" - (5:06)
#"Watusa" - (2:36)
#"Aethiopia" - (7:12)
Musicians
/ref>
*Sun Ra - Piano, Wurlitzer Electric Piano
*Lucious Randolph - Trumpet
*Nate Pryor - Trombone
*
James Spaulding
James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of Sun ...
- Alto Saxophone, Percussion
*
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, Percussion
*
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, Percussion
*Charles Davis - Baritone Saxophone
*
Ronnie Boykins
Ronald Boykins (December 17, 1935 – April 20, 1980) was a jazz bassist and is best known for his work with pianist/bandleader Sun Ra, although he had played with such disparate musicians as Muddy Waters, Johnny Griffin, and Jimmy Witherspoon pri ...
- Bass
*
Robert Barry - Drums, Percussion
*Jim Herndon - Percussion
On "Watusa", William Fielder replaced Lucious Randolph on Trumpet.
Recorded in rehearsal, Chicago, either 1958 or 1959. Lucious Randolph recalled recording "Aiethopia" in a club with bad acoustics; "the mike was on the other end."
See also
Sun Ra Discography
The Sun Ra discography is one of the largest discographies in music history. Jazz keyboardist, bandleader and composer Sun Ra recorded dozens of singles and over one hundred full-length albums, comprising well over 1,000 songs, and making him one o ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nubians Of Plutonia
Sun Ra albums
1959 albums
Impulse! Records albums
El Saturn Records albums
Evidence Music albums