Blue Delight is a great late-period Arkestra recording, notable for several reasons. It is a very large, impeccably recorded Arkestra featuring special guest Tommy Turrentine and a number of Arkestra alumni returning for the date. Although synthesizers are present, the majority of Ra's solos are on piano. John Gilmore solos on nearly every cut, and the band swings mightily from start to finish. Blue Delight also features a program of a handful of standards mixed with Ra originals that don't head too far into outer space. - Sean Westergaard
Tracks
01. Blue Delight
02. Out of Nowhere (Green, Heyman)
03. Sunrise
04. They Dwell on Other Planes
05. Gone with the Wind (Magison, Wrubel)
06. Your Guest is as Good as Mine
07. Nashira (Priester)
08. Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini)
SUN RA piano, synthesizer
FRED ADAMS trumpet
TOMMY TURRENTINE trumpet
AHMED ABDULLAH trumpet
AL EVANS flugelhorn
TYRONE HILL trombone
JULIAN PRIESTER trombone
MARSHALL ALLEN alto saxophone, flute, oboe, clarinet
NOEL SCOTT alto saxophone, percussion
JOHN GILMORE tenor saxophone, clarinet, percussion
DANNY RAY THOMPSON baritone saxophone, flute, bongos
All compositions by Sun Ra except as indicated. All arrangements by Sun Ra.
Recorded at Variety Recording Studios, New York on December 5, 1988.
A&M Records – 395 260-2