Le Sun Ra and His Arkestra

Some time ago, probably a number of rotations around our star now, I purchased an interesting vinyl album. The album art consists of a naive lithographic print in black and yellow depicting hands at work making music and musical instruments out of flames and celestial objects. The cover promises "SUPER-SONIC JAZZ" on 180 gram vinyl, featuring John Gilmore on tenor sax and Julian Priester on trombone.
Here is a quotation from the back cover:

POINTS ON THE SPACE AGE


This is the music of greater transition
To the invisible irresistible space age.
The music of the past will be just as tiny in the world of the future.
As earth itself is in the vast reach of outer space.
Outer space is big and real and compelling
And the music of the future is already developed
But the minds of the people of earth must be prepared to accept it.
The isolated earth age is finished
And all the music which represents only the past
Is for museums of the past and not for
The moving panorama of the outer spacite program.

THE SPACE AGE CANNOT BE AVOIDED


The prophets of the past belong to the past,
The space prophets of the greater future
Belong to the greater future.

The greater future is the age of the Space Prophet,
The scientific airy-minded second-man:
The prince of the power of the air.
The air is music.
The music is power.
The power of the past was its music.
The greater power of the future greater
Greater music is art,
Is its greater music:
Art is the foundation of any living culture.
Living culture is skilled culture
Skilled dutifulness, aim and care
And love of beauty is the only way to produce art.

Skilled culture is the new weapon of nations,
The new measure of determination as to whether a nation
Is ready to be a greater nation is art.
A nation without art is a nation without a lifeline.
Art is the lifeline because art is the airy concept
Of greater living. It is the airy foundation of the airy
Kingdom of the future.
Tomorrow Beyond Tomorrow is the greater kingdom,
THE KINGDOM OF THE SPACE AGE....

End quotation. There's a lot of promise in all this! I've heard tell that Sun Ra was right way the heck out there. This album is comprised of some fine jazz compositions, some very talented musicians; however it is only a primer for the Sun Ra to come. "Portrait of the Living Sky" is the track that approached the hoop-lah of the musings from the cover notes. Still, a nice bit of improvisational jazz straight out of the windy city, and highly recommended listening. Romantic-like for Valentine's time.