LOVE YOU ALL COSMIC TEAPOT DRIFTERS!
Sun Ra - 1979 - Days of Happiness or God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be
Days of Happiness or God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be is an album that came at a time when Sun Ra was encouraged by Paul Bley (according to the bio that I've read) to express and focus more on his pianist talents rather than on big band settings. According to Bley, Ra was hiding behind a big band due to insecurity over his playing and he needed encouragement to play solo. Probably the most famous record that came out of this was the St. Luis Blues one but we also got this album during that period which was a trio setting.
I'll be honest and say that I dislike solo piano albums because I find them sounding barren and inhuman. Ra to me never seemed like a very interesting player to me anyway, it's what he wrote for the band that interests me. This album though is perfect because while Sun Ra really is the focal point of this he is backed by a drummer and a bassist which gives much desired depth to the whole thing. Helping with all of this is also a solid sound mixing and production making all three instruments visibly heard and distinguishable at all times.
The playing itself is a great mixture of structure and freedom. Ra reminds me of Cecil (I might be biased here) but he is, surprisingly, much more stable and less free-ish in his playing. Ra was infatuated with the swing era despite what his music might suggest so it's very interesting to hear standard swing/dixie rhythms suddenly breaking down and erupting into a lava of free jazz notes. For someone who is very familiar with a lot of big band stuff that Ra did this album is quite a refreshment for the ears but the best part is that the album can stand on its own and can be looked at without any extra baggage.
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