Space Is the Place provides an excellent introduction to
Sun Ra's vast and free-form jazz catalog. Typical of many
Sun Ra recordings, the program is varied; earthbound songs, like the swing number "Images" and Egyptian exotica piece "Discipline," fit right in with more space-age cuts, like the tumultuous "Sea of Sounds" and the humorous "Rocket Number Nine."
Sun Ra fuses many of these styles on the sprawling title cut, as interlocking harmonies, African percussion, manic synthesizer lines, and joyous ensemble blowing all jell into some sort of church revival of the cosmos. Throughout the recording,
Sun Ra displays his typically wide-ranging talents on space organ and piano, reed players
John Gilmore and
Marshall Allen contribute incisive and intense solos, and
June Tyson masterfully leads the Space Ethnic Voices on dreamy vocal flights. This is a fine recording and a must for
Sun Ra fans. ~ Stephen Cook