Lanquidity is a 1978 studio album by American jazz musician Sun Ra.
| Lanquidity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 August 1978[1] | |||
| Recorded | 17 July 1978[2] | |||
| Studio | Blank Tapes Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 43:33 (Original LP) 91:20 (Special Edition) | |||
| Label | Philly Jazz | |||
| Producer | Sun Ra | |||
| Sun Ra chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz | favorable[3] |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Alternative Press |  [5] |
| JazzTimes | favorable[5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [6] |
| Spin | favorable[5] |
Music
editThe album was recorded by Bob Blank at Blank Studios, entirely on the night of July 17, 1978, following a performance on Saturday Night Live.[8]
Stylistically, the album is markedly different from Sun Ra's earlier recordings, drawing heavily on funk, R&B and jazz fusion. Lanquidity is also unusual in featuring two guitarists, which were seldom used in the Arkestra.[3] "That's How I Feel" features a tenor sax solo by John Gilmore, Sun Ra's sideman from the 1950s until Sun Ra's death in 1993.
Critical reception
editSpin magazine called Lanquidity "a beautiful place to enter Ra's psych-jazz omniverse", while Alternative Press wrote that it is "impossibly funky": "Often compared to Miles Davis' heaviest jazz-rock-funk fusion, Lanquidity is dense, rhythmic and curiously hypnotic".[5] Music journalist Robert Christgau is a fan of the album.[9][10]
Reissues
editThe album was first released in 1978 with a reflective foil silver cover. In 2000, it was reissued on HDCD by Evidence Records, with a light grey cover.[11]
In 2021, Strut announced a reissue of the album. Four editions were made available: a remastered version of the original album on digital and as a single LP, and a "Special Edition" version as a 2xCD and 4xLP box set, including rare alternate mixes by Bob Blank. In addition, record club Vinyl Me, Please. pressed a limited run of 750 copies of the single-LP version on red vinyl.[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Sun Ra
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lanquidity" | 8:19 |
| 2. | "Where Pathways Meet" | 6:30 |
| 3. | "That's How I Feel" | 8:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twin Stars of Thence" | 9:30 |
| 2. | "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)" | 10:58 |
| Total length: | 43:33 | |
The 2021 "Special Edition" contains the above tracks, followed by Bob Blank's alternate mixes (with the same sequencing) for a total of ten songs.
Personnel
edit- Sun Ra: organ, synthesizer, piano, arranger, keyboards, Hammond organ, electric piano, vocals, bells, Arp, Fender Rhodes, orchestra bells, Mini Moog
- John Gilmore: tenor saxophone
- Danny Ray Thompson: flute, baritone saxophone
- Eddie Gale: trumpet
- Michael Ray: trumpet, flugelhorn
- Marshall Allen: flute, oboe, alto saxophone
- Luqman Ali: percussion
- Michael Anderson: percussion
- Artaukatune: drums, tympani
- Disco Kid: ( Slo Johnson ) guitar
- Dale Williams: guitar
- Atakatun Odun: congas
- Elo Omoe: Flute, bass clarinet
- Julian Pressley: baritone saxophone
- Richard Williams: bass
- James Jacson: oboe, basson, flute, voices
- June Tyson: voices
References
edit- ^ "Lanquidity - Sun Ra | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Lanquidity, by Sun Ra & His Arkestra".
- ^ a b Wuethrich, Matthew (12 January 2003). "Sun Ra: Lanquidity (1978)". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. Lanquidity at AllMusic
- ^ a b c d "Sun Ra - Lanquidity CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 186. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1360. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ "Sun Ra - Lanquidity (Definitive Edition)". Strut. Strut, Ochre, Spectrum House. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 6, 2001). "Pazz & Jop Preview". The Village Voice. New York: Village Voice Media. p. 2. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Sun Ra and His Arkestra". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
- ^ Jazzlists: Philly Jazz Inc discography, accessed July 9, 2018
- ^ "Sun Ra 'Lanquidity' - Vinyl Me, Please". Vinyl Me Please. Offbeat Ventures, LLC. Retrieved 8 March 2022.