''Lanquidity'' is a 1978 studio album by American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

musician

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

Music

The album was recorded by Bob Blank at Blank Studios, entirely on the night of July 17, 1978, following a performance on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...

''. Stylistically, the album is markedly different from Sun Ra's earlier recordings, drawing heavily on funk, R&B and

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...

. ''Lanquidity'' is also unusual in featuring two guitarists, which were seldom used in the Arkestra. "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

'' Spin'' magazine called ''Lanquidity'' "a beautiful place to enter Ra's psych-jazz omniverse", while ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' wrote that it is "impossibly funky": "Often compared to

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

' heaviest jazz-rock-funk fusion, ''Lanquidity'' is dense, rhythmic and curiously hypnotic". Music journalist

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

is a fan of the album.

Reissues

The 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.Jazzlists: Philly Jazz Inc discography
accessed July 9, 2018 In 2021,

Strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

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.

Track listing

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

: 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 Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EWI (an electronic valve instrument made by Steiner, Crumar company). Allen is best ...

: 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

External links

Extensive Sun Ra discography
{{Authority control 1978 albums Sun Ra albums Evidence Music albums Philly Jazz albums