Sound of Joy

WHAT NYMITH SAYS

Sun Ra's discography is apparently quite a tangle and depending on who is talking, Sound of Joy is either his second or his fourth or fifth album. I was expecting a cacophony of some kind only to discover that this is light jazz, likeable jazz, bubbly good-vibe jazz. At best mildly eccentric, but never anything I would label "challenging" or "out-there." Compared to Pithecanthropus Erectus this is commercially viable music.

Several of the numbers even sound like lounge music (an easy genre to like) with some improv overlaid. Something like 'Paradise' fulfils its title - romantic piano and lightweight hints of exotica. Toshiko could have done a really sweet cover of this. On the other hand, 'Overtones of China' goes for a lazy emulation of Chinese sounds - gongs and the like - while also providing some mammothly uninspired sax noodling. A couple notes here, a couple notes there, repeat. Did the man just roll out of bed when they were recording?

There are some cool elements, chief among them the six minute 'Ankh,' which features a couple of swaggering sax riffs that spice up an otherwise easygoing song and make the minutes fly by. 'El is a Sound of Joy' also lays claim to a great riff, one that's funky and backed with handclaps - a perfect sound of joy. However, I doubt that Sun Ra realised what he'd discovered or he would certainly have made it the centrepiece of the song (and perhaps begun developing a jazz-funk hybrid).

However, the most important factor here is that Sun Ra knew a good (or at least memorable) melodic hook, even if he didn't always make it the center of the song. Time passes quickly when you're listening to Sound of Joy, and there's not a lot of dissonance to be found. The biggest surprise comes during 'Reflections in Blue,' another six minute number; less inspired than 'Ankh' but featuring an electric piano solo from Sun Ra that livens it up. That adventurous choice of instrument highlights the otherwise old-school Arkestra: piano, drums, bass, several saxophones, a couple of trumpets and a trombone. The only other somewhat unusual instruments are the timbales and kettledrums ably played by Jim Herndon.

Every time I play Sound of Joy it floats through the house and creates a pleasant vibe but it never sticks with me. Its pleasures and quirkiness are mild. Unlike most jazz, it does not cause me to grapple with and try to comprehend it. I'd add 'Ankh' to my permanent collection but the rest does fairly little for me, easy though it is on the ears.

WHAT TICHARU SAYS

The Sound of Joy is the sound of an experiment not fully realised perhaps. It tries to combine bop, big band arrangements, lounge and the avant-garde with limited success or maybe this early on Sun Ra wasn't sure which direction to point his Arkestra. There are a few tracks I certainly enjoyed but none of it revelatory. While a few tracks struck me as poorly recorded and even plodding, most of this record is better than that but it's not one of the great lost records of 1956. Glimmers of interesting ideas and one or two tracks that have some swing. There is every reason to check out more music by Sun Ra in future.