Angels and Demons at Play (Remastered 2014) [feat. John Gilmore, Pat Patrick & Art Hoyle]

As with so many Sun Ra albums, the origin of this material is tangled. The first four tracks were recorded in 1960, while the group was still based in Chicago, and the last four pieces were recorded four years previously in the same town. Moreover, “Medicine for a Nightmare,” “Urmack,” and “A Call for All Demons” were also first released on 7” singles, but the album came out in 1965. Got all that? The early stuff is relatively conventional big band, with arrangements that feature proper solos, a sense of swing, and a rhythm section anchored by a single drummer (in this case the legendary Robert Barry). Of these tunes, “Urmack” is the most melodic, while “A Call for All Demons” is the shape of things to come with an innovative horn arrangement and an angular piano solo from the man himself. The later tunes are punctuated by the Eastern folk–like “Tiny Pyramids” and the oddly swinging title track, which were written by bassist Ronnie Boykins and feature Marshall Allen on flute. Reissued several times over the years, this is newly remastered from original source tapes using 24-bit transfer.