Celebrated for his cosmic themes and avant-garde “space jazz”, the late Sun Ra had a terrestrial side that’s revealed on this three-CD compilation of his singles, most of them issued in tiny runs to be sold at gigs. Here you’ll find Ra and members of his proto-Arkestra in the 1950s providing backing for doo-wop groups and R&B singers while exploring standards such as Round Midnight. Later came instrumental Arkestra odysseys like Saturn Moon, though Ra never lost a taste for words on cuts such as Rocket No 9, celebrating a trip to Venus, and 1982’s droll protest song Nuclear War. Home recordings, small group experiments and the spoken credo of I Am an Instrument make for a rich, eventful ride.
