Live At Pit-Inn Tokyo. Japan. 8. 8. 1988

Sun Ra Arkestra Live in Japan! The world's first release of all songs recorded at Shinjuku Pit Inn on August 8, 1988, including the first-ever mastering from the master tapes! (This is an expanded version of DIW824 "LIVE AT PIT-INN.TOKYO, JAPAN" (CD) released in November 1988.) In the 80's, Sun Ra Arkestra was actively touring the world, and after finishing the U.S. and Europe tours in the spring of 1988, they visited Japan for the first time on July 30, 1988, when Sun Ra was 74 years old. Live Under the Sky" took them to Kanagawa Yomiuri Land, Toyama, Fukuoka, and Osaka Expo Park, with consecutive days at Shibuya Quattro in the middle of the tour. This Japan tour featured big band jazz, including standard tunes, with a surprisingly service-oriented performance. But the intricate arrangements, the virtuosity of each player, and the telepathic sense of unity of the band were wonderful, and the performance was monumental, like the heyday of the "mythical scientist of sound," Sun Ra's mysterious space music through his sound vibrations. It was a monumental live performance.

Sun Ra Arkestra: Sun Ra: piano, synthesizer, vocals Michael Ray: trumpet, vocal (CD2/M6) Ahmed Abdullah: trumpet Tyrone Hill: trombone Marshall Allen: alto sax, flute, percussion John Gilmore: tenor sax, clarinet, timbales, vocal (CD1/M9) Danny Ray Thompson: baritone sax, percussion Eloe Omoe [Leroy Taylor]: alto sax, bass clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, percussion June Tyson: violin, vocals Bruce Edwards: electric guitar Rollo Radford: electric bass Samarai Celestial [Eric Walker]: drums Earl "Buster" Smith: drums