Sun Ra+Blues Project: Batman kids surf rock psych og'66

$

40

The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale [aka Sun Ra and The Blues Project]: Batman And Robin



label & cat. no.:
Tifton 78002 pressed in:
USA date:
1966 format:
LP condition:
Vinyl: vg (some scuffs, none feelable, plays well)
Cover: vg+ (light wear) description:
Original pressing of this insane specimen of children's exploito featuring none other than Sun Ra, members of his Arkestra, and The Blues Project on this 60s Batman TV show cash-in album put out by a toy company. Apparently the players were paid some then-much-needed quick cash to pseudonymously record this session of fantastic psychedelic dance-surf-rock blues jams, and the result, while clearly much more commercial than anything else done by either band, is fascinating and quite enjoyable; hearing Sun Ra in Hammond organ psych rock mode is a real treat! All together the players include Arkestra members Sun Ra on Hammond B-3 organ, John Gilmore and Marshall Allen on tenor and alto sax, Pat Patrick on bass, and Jimmy Owens and Tom McIntosh on trumpet and trombone; and Blues Project members Danny Kalb and Steve Katz on guitar, Andy Kulberg on bass, and Roy Blumenfeld on drums. All of the tracks apart from the Neal Hefti "Batman Theme" are blues built on familiar material including Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and the Beatles. Essential! Includes original printed inner sleeve.

Sun Ra bio from Impulse! Records:
Born Herman Sonny Blount in Birmingham, Alabama, between 1910 and 1916, maybe 1914. His high school director, Professor John Tuggle Whatley, was known for helping a lot of musicians (like Philly Jo Jones, Erskine Hawkins and Teddy Hill) to the road of fame, and he was very impressed by Sun Ra's playing. Later, Whatley bought a bus for the Arkestra and organized a tour through the southern United States for Sun Ra. Sun Ra made his way north in the 1930's and studied in Washington under private tutor, Lula Randolph. His first record was made for the Bullet label in 1946, backing Wynonie Harris on her record in Nashville. Soon after, he settled down in the South Side of Chicago and played piano in the orchestra of Fletcher Henderson (1946-1947). He also arranged music for striptease shows at the Club of Lisa, which was the "in" place in the mid 1940's.
In November of 1948, he recorded with Eugene Wright's Duke of Swing with Yuseff Lateef playing sax. Coleman Hawkins and Stuff Smith also lived in Chicago, and Sun Ra played with them for a month at the North Side of town. In the early 1950's, he worked at the Birdland and Robert's Lounge Club in Chicago, playing for Red Saunders, Red Holloway, Sonny Stitt and accompanying B.B. King on a tour through the States. In 1953, Sun Ra led a trio with Richard Evans and Robert Barry. Soon, John Gilmore and Charles Davis joined the band, and in 1954, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, Art Hoyle, Julian Priester and James Scale followed. It was the birth of the Sun Ra Arkestra, or as they called themselves, Mythscience or Solar Arkestra.
They recorded their first album titled, "Jazz By Sun Ra - Sun Song," for an "official" label called "Transition" on July 12, 1956. Sun Ra had already issued a few sessions on his Saturn label, and most of the concerts were recorded on his huge tape machine. In 1957, the Arkestra recorded an album for Delmark label, but most recordings saw their release on Saturn. Sun Ra composed the score for the documentary, "The Cry Of Jazz," in 1959, and then the Arkestra left Chicago in 1961 for a concert in Montreal, followed by various concerts in a holiday town in the mountains near Quebec. Next stop was New York, where they arrived completely broke and without any money or a car. They began to work as studio musicians, backing pop bands and playing with various jazz musicians. All the money they made went into new productions for the Saturn label. Between 1961 and 1965, they recorded ten albums for their label in New York. The Arkestra was very active in the "October Revolution in Jazz" in 1964, and Sun Ra was a member of the Jazz Composers Guild, but turned away from them. A few months later, they saw their first recording for ESP-DISK (ESP 1014) titled, "Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol. 1," followed by Vol. 2 on November 16, 1965. The Arkestra recorded one album with Pharaoh Sanders, who replaced John Gilmore at their session in May of 1966 for their last album for ESP titled, "Nothing Is."
Sun Ra began to develop his style to suit ensemble play. During their performances, the Arkestra produced a distinctive environment through their music and dress. From 1966 until 1972, the Arkestra had a regular job at Slug's Saloon in the Lower East Side in New York, a few blocks away from Sun Ra's home. In the late 1960's, Sun Ra made his first solo album titled, "MONORAILS AND SATELLITES," and in 1970, the Arkestra played at the Berlin Jazz Festival. Although many visitors of the concert misunderstood the dancing, lighting, walking, and playing of the Arkestra, MPS in Germany issued an album of the performance. The Global Unity Orchestra was playing the same day, but what a difference between these two orchestras! BYG-Actuel released a double album with the Arkestra titled, "THE SOLAR MYTH APPROACH, VOLUMES 1 & 2," in 1970. Then in 1971, one of Sun Ra's biggest wishes came true. He played with the Arkestra in front of the pyramids in Egypt. In 1972, they toured and recorded all through the States and then returned to Chicago, where they played the Ann Arbor Festival. Since the late 1960's, Philadelphia has been their home base, and from there they toured and played throughout the 1970's. Sun Ra made a duo album in 1978 with Walt Dickerson. It should not be forgotten that Sun Ra was a great experimenter on electronic instruments. In 1957, he used an electric piano; in 1963, he used the clavoline; and in 1969, he used the Moog synthesizer. He also played celesta, organ, rocksichord, harpsichord, and piano. He was also a great composer and arranger.
In the 1980's, until Ra's death in 1992, the Arkestra continued their recording (DIW, Black Saint, A&M, Leo, and Hat Art) and touring activities. Even when he was confined to a wheelchair, he continued to paint pictures of infinity through his inter-galactic music. Check out my other items for more avant garde/experimental, early electronic/electroacoustic, minimalism, sound effects/field recordings, 20th century classical, library music, and artist records. US Shipping - Media Mail is $5.00 for 1-2 single records, then $0.65 for each additional; Priority Mail is also available but pricing depends on zipcode (you can check eBay's calculated shipping price at the bottom of this page); other expedited shipping options and insurance are all available on request. Combine multiple items to save on shipping.
International Shipping - 1 12" lp to Europe/UK/Scandinavia/Asia/Australia is $15.00 for First Class Airmail; to Canada is $9.00 for First Class Airmail; to Mexico is $12.53 for First Class Airmail; other international destinations vary, please email for a quote. 7" records will cost less; heavy box sets will cost more. Insured Priority Airmail with tracking and other expedited methods are also available but pricing depends on destination country and will be calculated after auction closes (or you can email me with your address for a quote). Combine multiple items to save on shipping; I can hold paid records to be combined with a future purchase if desired. Note: I can also offer international buyers the slow but super-cheap M-Bag bulk airmail rate for orders of 8 or more lps; to most destinations this costs $40.00 flat rate for up to 16 lps, a huge per-record savings over standard rates for smaller parcels! Feel free to email with any shipping questions. Payment - I accept Paypal (which allows for fastest possible shipment). Please email with any payment questions. If you are paying by Paypal and have won multiple items, please use a single Paypal payment. I will send an invoice email to all winners shortly after my auctions close, and another email after payment has been received to confirm item shipment. Packing - I pack professionally and with the utmost care drawn from years of experience trading vinyl internationally. I use new record mailers from Cameron Packaging (which I have determined are the best and most protective) reinforced with cardboard inserts and bubble wrap padding. All records are shipped with poly plastic sleeves. All packages are completely sealed with strong packing tape covering all openings. Unless requested, no paper invoice is included in the package, both to save trees and to avoid customs difficulties. If you'd like your package done any differently, just let me know. Other Info - Feel free to email me if you have any questions (need more info, want more pictures, etc.); you can use the 'ask seller a question' link above. Records are visually graded unless otherwise noted; my condition rating scale is M (sealed) / NM (unplayed) / EX (barely used) / VG (some evident wear from prior use but no major flaws) / G (major flaws). All included album inserts are pictured in the listing; what you see is what you get, if I know an insert is missing I will mention it in the description. Satisfaction guaranteed; if you have any problems with your order please contact me directly. Enter your email to join the
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