A rare collaboration between two men who would later be regarded as titans of free jazz, originally released in 1976 on Sun Ra & Alton Abraham’s El Saturn imprint but recorded much earlier, in 1964 at Judson Hall in New York City. It is widely considered to be the earliest recording of Pharaoh Sanders on record. Sun Ra decided to release the recording from Judson Hall after Sanders’ profile was hugely elevated as the second tenor in saxophone legend John Coltrane’s late-period quintet. Also notable for being one of only a handful of appearances of flautist Black Harold (née Harold Murray). Obscure even by 70s deep jazz standards; original copies are beyond rare, fetching between $200-300 second hand. This lush reissue by Superior Viaduct comes housed in a faithfully-executed replica pic sleeve with reproduced hand-drawn cover artwork and printed insert with extensive liner notes. Tracks to check out: “Space Mates,” “Dawn Over Israel,” “Rocket Number Nine.”

• recorded in 1964
• originally released in 1976
• first-ever vinyl repress
• printed insert with extensive liner notes
• music label: Superior Viaduct 2017

reviewed by nick nightingale 01/2018