When Sun Comes Out

Album review

When Sun Comes Out is one of the first recordings after the Arkestra relocated to New York City late in 1961. This change of location also marked a change in overall sound. The New York period saw Ra focusing far more on percussion backdrops as opposed to horn arrangements (virtually everyone on the album gets a percussion credit), and everything from the percussion to the horn solos to Ra's piano playing took a more aggressive stance. John Gilmore's tenor solo on "Calling Planet Earth" throws the bop rule book out the window, and he is heard developing a more extended vocabulary of skronks and squeals. This track exemplifies the change in sound and focus from the Chicago days to the legendary days at the Composers' Workshop, where much of the Arkestra's '60s output was recorded. The band had use of the space throughout the day, and drummer Tommy "Bugs" Hunter was recruited to record the band more often than drumming. A steady rehearsal space and the ability to record Arkestra rehearsals surely helped lead Sun Ra down this more experimental path. When Sun Comes Out is a first glimpse into an era that would culminate in some of the Arkestra's most renowned recordings. (Now available paired with Fate in a Pleasant Mood on the Evidence label.)
© Sean Westergaard /TiVo