STRUT Records celebrates the legacy of Sun Ra with reissues of three foundational albums: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, On Jupiter, and Sleeping Beauty.
Nuits de la Fondation Maeght captures Sun Ra and the Arkestra’s historic first concerts outside North America, recorded live in 1970 at a modern art gallery in the south of France. Performed alongside avant-garde luminaries like Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor, these sets showcase the Arkestra in a moment of artistic breakthrough.
On Jupiter, recorded in 1979 during Sun Ra’s prolific Variety Studios period in New York, blends deep funk, cosmic jazz, and experimental soundscapes. Featuring tracks like “UFO” and “Seductive Fantasy,” it reflects Ra’s evolving, genre-blending vision as he embraced soul, funk, and electronic textures to reach a new wave of listeners.
Sleeping Beauty reveals the Arkestra’s more serene and soulful side. With lush grooves, celestial tones, and hypnotic compositions like “Door Of The Cosmos,” this 1979 recording offers a meditative journey through Ra’s spiritual and musical cosmos.
