Review: The venerable Sun Ra Arkestra, under the direction of free-jazz maestro Marshall Allen, release their first studio album in over twenty years, Swirling. Recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Philadelphia, Allen himself describes the record as the Arkestra's "love offering" to the world, with tracks like "Space Loneliness" and "Seductive Fantasy" swooning in sultry blues like the cigarette smoke in a dimly lit cocktail bar. Others like "Astro Black" focus on acousmatic dynamics, solo voice and contemporary bass pulsations, to more definitive free jazz numbers in atmospheric form like "Angels & Demons At Play" to full on ragtime sessions in "Infinity/I'll Wait For You". Find playful big band numbers or covers in "Queer Notions" and "Unmask The Batman" that add to this full-blooded celebration of Sun Ra's legacy.
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