Sun Ra Arkestra have a new album on the way.
Living Sky, which takes in seven tracks in total, was recorded across one day in June 2021 at Rittenhouse SoundWorks in Philadelphia. It includes contributions from a total of 19 musicians, including a strings section, performing pieces by Sun Ra himself, current band leader Marshall Allen, late American composer Leigh Hairline, and Frédéric Chopin.
Ahead of the record’s release, the group have shared lead single ‘Somebody Else’s Idea’, which marks the first instrumental recording of Sun Ra’s classic piece of the same name, originally birthed in 1955. You can listen to the track above.
In a statement, baritone saxophonist Knoel Scott said: "’Somebody Else’s Idea’ is an affirmation that the world I live in is a world that I can change. The first part of change is not accepting the status, the so-called status quo. In rejecting the status quo, I free myself to the possibilities which range amongst the infinite. It is our desire. There are those who listen to our music who also embrace the possibilities which range beyond the limits of the impossible."
Living Sky follows on from the Arkestra’s 2020 record Swirling, which marked their first studio album in over 20 years.
Omni Sound will release Living Sky on October 7, 2022.
