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Modern Harmonic 
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Close matches: 23
1
Modern Harmonic, Mid 70s. New Copy 3LP Gatefold ... $34.99 36.99
A surprising slice of work from the 70s – three different albums all released under various guises by Armenian American reedman Souren Baronian – all put out on his own Carlee label, and done in a very cool mix of styles! Baronian blows both familiar American horns and more exotic instrumentation – sometimes with snakey qualities that echo both Egyptian music and Klezmer, other times with different inflections depending on the setting – and that setting varies here depending on the different records – as they each have a slightly different vibe! These are the sort of sets that would have easily been missed otherwise – either thought of as some 70s knockoff, or watered-down material for the crowds at a tourist spot – but they're wonderful throughout, with a depth of expression that really holds on throughout all the albums. The set brings together the records Middle Eastern Soul by Bob Tashijan & Souren Baronian, The Exciting Music Of The Nor-Ikes by The Nor-Ikes featuring Souren Baronian, and Hye Inspiration by Bob Tashijan & Souren Baronian with The Oud Of John Tarpinian. (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album
2
Impulse/
One of the darkest Sun Ra albums of the early 70s – and a set that's also a bit unusual in his catalog as well! The album was issued during Ra's run with Impulse Records – a period that mostly saw the label reissue previous records from the Saturn catalog – save for a rare few like this one, which was an unusual all-new batch of material for Impulse! Because of that, it's been a bit overlooked in later years – maybe missed as less authentic, but actually some of the most striking sounds that Ra created at the time! There's a very strong tension here between electric and acoustic elements – not in the usual fusion-based way, but instead with this vibe that often has the electric instruments providing darker areas of sound, while the woodwinds and percussion have a way of humanizing the proceedings. June Tyson's also at her moodiest on the title track, "Astro Black" – and other titles include "Hidden Spheres", "Discipline 99", and the long improvisation "Cosmo Fire". CD
3
Saturn/
An obscure session from Sun Ra and the Arkestra, and a great one too – a set that's maybe a bit different than some of their other material from the time! The album's from the early 80s, but maybe feels a bit more like the group in the late 50s – when they were in Chicago, and first stepping from straighter modes to more adventurous music – which means that the tracks here have maybe a stronger relationship to familiar jazz styles than the more avant Arkestra work, yet are still filled with plenty of originality and the kind of elements that always made the group so wonderful! Ra plays a fair bit of organ, using the instrument in soul jazz ways at a few points, which is really great, alongside work on piano and electronics – and the group also features John Gilmore on tenor, Marshal Allen on alto and flute, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Walter Miller on trumpet, and Tyrone Hill on trombone. June Tyson joins the group for a small bit of vocals – and overall, the session almost feels like a rough take on territory that the Arkestra would explore in the second half of the 80s, particularly on their European tours. Titles include "Celestial Love", "Blue Intensity", "Interstellarism", "Nameless One 2", "Sophisticated Lady", "Smile", and "Sometimes I'm Happy" – plus the track "Drop Me Off In Harlem", which was not on the original Saturn album. LP, Vinyl record album
4
Modern Harmonic, Late 50s/
A fantastic take on the music of Sun Ra – a set that looks at the way his sounds dovetailed with the exotica movement in American music of the postwar years! Given that he claimed to be from outer space, Ra was already pretty darn exotic himself – but his music also arose at a time when artists like Martin Denny and Les Baxter were taking global sounds and fusing them into more mainstream American music, including jazz – with results that have become legendary over the years! And while Denny, Baxter, and other contemporaries were more involved with mood music, Ra was part of a generation of jazz musicians – such as Yusef Lateef or Wilbur Harden – who were working a richer vein of the territory for jazz – as you'll hear in these wonderful tracks. The set brings together key sides from the earliest Ra recordings, plus some unissued material too – done in the really great style of the other Modern Harmonic reissues in recent years. Unissued titles include "April In Paris", "Paradise", "Star Bright", "Spontaneous Simplicity", "Somewhere In Space", and "Cha Cha In Outer Space" – and other titles include "Overtones Of China", "Tiny Pyramids", "The Nile (part 1)", "Kingdom Of Thunder", "Ancient Aiethopia", "India", "Friendly Galaxy", and "Africa" – plus the complete version of "Island In The Sun". CD
5
Saturn/
One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". CD
Also available Fireside Chat With Lucifer (yellow vinyl pressing) ... LP 25.996
Saturn/
One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Fireside Chat With Lucifer ... CD 13.997
Modern Harmonic, 1980. New Copy ... $25.99 26.99
Solo Sun Ra, and a set that's heavy on Fender Rhodes as well – a record that's maybe a bit more inside than some of Ra's more avant live sessions, yet one that still features a fair bit of improvisation as well! From an electric piano perspective, the set's a gem – and it's great to hear Ra open up on the keys, working in modes that are a bit like some of his Improvising Artists recordings from a few years before – showing the world that although he's sometimes working in a larger ensemble, he's also a hell of a pianist with sold grounding in older jazz modes – displayed strongly here on titles that include "Haverford Impromptu #2", "Love In Outer Space", "Space Is The Place/
Also available Haverford College – January 25,1980 (with bonus track) ... CD 13.998
Modern Harmonic, 1980. New Copy ... $13.99 16.99
Solo Sun Ra, and a set that's heavy on Fender Rhodes as well – a record that's maybe a bit more inside than some of Ra's more avant live sessions, yet one that still features a fair bit of improvisation as well! From an electric piano perspective, the set's a gem – and it's great to hear Ra open up on the keys, working in modes that are a bit like some of his Improvising Artists recordings from a few years before – showing the world that although he's sometimes working in a larger ensemble, he's also a hell of a pianist with sold grounding in older jazz modes – displayed strongly here on titles that include "Haverford Impromptu #2", "Love In Outer Space", "Space Is The Place/
Also available Haverford College – January 25,1980 ... LP 25.999
Sun Ra —
Omniverse (with bonus tracks) ... CD Saturn/
A really great record, and one that was recorded by a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – done in this spiritual style that's almost a bit like some of the Horo Records material that Sun Ra had recorded just a short time before! There's an intimacy here that's wonderful – and the group features Ra on piano, John Gilmore on tenor, Hayes Burnette on bass, and Samarai Celestial on drums – and one track also features added work from Charles Davis on baritone and Michael Ray on trumpet. The album's a lot more inside than some of the freer work by Ra during the 70s – and we mean that in a great way – and there's also less of the full ensemble chanting that you'd hear on some of the other spiritual sessions from the 70s by the Arkestra. All of these aspects add up to make for a wonderfully special set from Ra and some of his key players – served up on titles that include "The Place Of Five Points", "Omniverse", "Visitant Of The Ninth Ultimate", and "Dark Lights In A White Forest". CD features two bonus tracks – a 1979 solo piano version of "Over The Rainbow", recorded at the Moers Festival – and a 1977 live take of "The Sound Mirror". CD
10
Sun Ra —
Ra To The Rescue ... CD Saturn/
One of the most mysterious, elusive Sun Ra albums in the legendary Saturn Records catalog – a set that was only ever pressed in small quantities back in the 80s, and often with different tracks for different pressings too! The material here is from a range of different performances, and really showcase the continued sense of majesty the Arkestra carried forth from the 70s, even when they were working farther from the limelight – often with the lovely June Tyson in the lead on vocals, and a bit of vocalizations from Ra as well – and different lineups depending on the tracks – but with mindblowing material from John Gilmore on tenor and Marshall Allen on alto throughout the recordings. Ra plays a bit of electronics, but most of the sounds here are acoustic – although still as other-worldly as ever – and this package finally brings together all the tracks that have appeared on variations – with one unissued number too. Titles include "When Spaceships Appear/
Also available Ra To The Rescue (green vinyl pressing) ... LP 23.9911
Saturn/
One of the most mysterious, elusive Sun Ra albums in the legendary Saturn Records catalog – a set that was only ever pressed in small quantities back in the 80s, and often with different tracks for different pressings too! The material here is from a range of different performances, and really showcase the continued sense of majesty the Arkestra carried forth from the 70s, even when they were working farther from the limelight – often with the lovely June Tyson in the lead on vocals, and a bit of vocalizations from Ra as well – and different lineups depending on the tracks – but with mindblowing material from John Gilmore on tenor and Marshall Allen on alto throughout the recordings. Ra plays a bit of electronics, but most of the sounds here are acoustic – although still as other-worldly as ever – and this package finally brings together all the tracks that have appeared on variations – with one unissued number too. Titles include "When Spaceships Appear/
Also available Ra To The Rescue ... CD 11.9912
Modern Harmonic, 1972. New Copy ... $46.99 49.99
One of the weirdest records Sun Ra ever made – music to accompany the strange film Space Is The Place – which itself was an odd mixture of science fiction and blacksploitation-type action! The sounds here are sometimes in the usual Arkestra mode – wonderfully exotic rhythms mixed with freewheeling jazz solos – but other parts seem to follow more of a soundtrack-styled need – and include some bolder action riffs, spare scene-setting moments, and even some strong vocal themes. Titles include "Watusa", "Calling Planet Earth", "Mysterious Crystal", "Outerspaceways Incorporated", "Cosmic Forces", "Satellites Are Spinning", and a version of "Space Is The Place". This special set also includes the bonus Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full LP of unreleased music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson – and the first ever US Blu-ray release of the film, and a standard DVD as well! CD also features the bonus track "The Idea Of A Greater Age". CD
13
World Pacific/
A very groovy album from jazz drum legend Buddy Rich – a set that's very different than anything else he ever did, including his other groovy albums from the 60s! The album's a surprisingly strong blend of jazz and Indian music – Rich on drums, and Alla Rakha on tablas – working under the direction of Ravi Shankhar, who helped put together the set! Tracks are long, all ragas, but with jazz inflections – and the record also features great work from Paul Horn on flute, a player who's perfect for these experiments – next to other musicians on sitar, tamboura, and dholak. Titles include "Tal Sawari", "Nagma E Raksh", "Rangeela", "Duet In Dadra", and "Khanda Kafi". LP, Vinyl record album
14
Jessica Williams —
Orgonomic Music (with bonus tracks) ... LP Clean Cuts/
One of the hippest, most righteous albums ever cut by pianist Jessica Williams – a set where it feels like all of her ideas come together perfectly, and are carried forward by a wonderful lineup of players! The group is small, but there's a very large feel to the whole thing – such that there's moments when we have to remind ourselves that this is still a small combo, even if Williams' music make things feel larger and more ambitious – a lineup that includes the great Eddie Henderson on trumpet, plus Jim Grantham on tenor, Kim Stone on bass, Henry Robinette on guitar, and Dave Tucker on drums. Williams is superb throughout on piano – and titles include "To The Children Of The Future", "The Demise Of Armored Man", "Weapon Of Truth", "Up The Entropy Slope", and "Longing". Expanded version features lots of bonus tracks – including "Power Of Love", "Gratitude", "The Shroud", "All Strange", and "Orgone". LP, Vinyl record album
15
Sun Ra —
Pink Elephants On Parade (pink vinyl pressing) (2024 Record Store Day Release) ... LP Modern Harmonic, Late 1980s. New Copy ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Sun Ra and the Arkestra famously recorded a song on a Disney tribute album in the late 80s – and this set follows up on that famous moment by showcasing a whole bunch of other songs from World Of Walt – all done by the Arkestra in a range of wild versions! At some level, the songs are maybe no surprise – a great fit for the cosmic yearnings of Ra, and a very good match for some of the more inventive arrangements he was bringing to these late years of the Arkestra – at a time when they were finally getting some of the wider recognition they deserved. Material is from a few different years, but about half the tracks were recorded at the 9:30 club – and titles include "Second Star To The Right", "Let's Go Fly A Kite", "Pink Elephants On Parade", "Whistle While You Work", and "The Forest Of No Return". LP, Vinyl record album
16
Buddy Rich/World Pacific/
A very groovy album from jazz drum legend Buddy Rich – a set that's very different than anything else he ever did, including his other groovy albums from the 60s! The album's a surprisingly strong blend of jazz and Indian music – Rich on drums, and Alla Rakha on tablas – working under the direction of Ravi Shankhar, who helped put together the set! Tracks are long, all ragas, but with jazz inflections – and the record also features great work from Paul Horn on flute, a player who's perfect for these experiments – next to other musicians on sitar, tamboura, and dholak. Titles include "Tal Sawari", "Nagma E Raksh", "Rangeela", "Duet In Dadra", and "Khanda Kafi". CD
Also available Rich A La Rakha (lime green vinyl pressing) ... LP 25.9917
Jessica Williams —
Orgonomic Music (with bonus tracks) ... CD Clean Cuts/
One of the hippest, most righteous albums ever cut by pianist Jessica Williams – a set where it feels like all of her ideas come together perfectly, and are carried forward by a wonderful lineup of players! The group is small, but there's a very large feel to the whole thing – such that there's moments when we have to remind ourselves that this is still a small combo, even if Williams' music make things feel larger and more ambitious – a lineup that includes the great Eddie Henderson on trumpet, plus Jim Grantham on tenor, Kim Stone on bass, Henry Robinette on guitar, and Dave Tucker on drums. Williams is superb throughout on piano – and titles include "To The Children Of The Future", "The Demise Of Armored Man", "Weapon Of Truth", "Up The Entropy Slope", and "Longing". Expanded version features lots of bonus tracks – including "Power Of Love", "Gratitude", "The Shroud", "All Strange", and "Orgone". CD
Also available Orgonomic Music (with bonus tracks) ... LP 33.9918
Lisa Marne & Her Combo —
Like Young ... CD Modern Harmonic, 1965. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very jazzy vibe, in a lineup that includes a nice tenor that slinks alongside Lisa's vocals – as she moves through a very groovy set of tunes that have a hiply swinging vibe – very much in the territory of mid 60s work by Peggy Lee or Marion Montgomery! Titles include her great reading of the vocal version of the "Bewitched" theme song – plus "Like Young", "Wives & Lovers", "Hey Pussycat", "Night Train", "Moment Of Truth", and "Boy From Ipanema". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD
19
Sun Ra —
Astro Black ... CD Impulse/
One of the darkest Sun Ra albums of the early 70s – and a set that's also a bit unusual in his catalog as well! The album was issued during Ra's run with Impulse Records – a period that mostly saw the label reissue previous records from the Saturn catalog – save for a rare few like this one, which was an unusual all-new batch of material for Impulse! Because of that, it's been a bit overlooked in later years – maybe missed as less authentic, but actually some of the most striking sounds that Ra created at the time! There's a very strong tension here between electric and acoustic elements – not in the usual fusion-based way, but instead with this vibe that often has the electric instruments providing darker areas of sound, while the woodwinds and percussion have a way of humanizing the proceedings. June Tyson's also at her moodiest on the title track, "Astro Black" – and other titles include "Hidden Spheres", "Discipline 99", and the long improvisation "Cosmo Fire". CD
Also available Astro Black ... CD 14.9920
Sun Ra —
Space Is The Place – Original Soundtrack (3LP colored vinyl box set – with blu-ray, DVD & tote bag) ... LP Modern Harmonic, 1972. Near Mint- 3LP Box Set ... Out Of Stock
One of the weirdest records Sun Ra ever made – music to accompany the strange film Space Is The Place – which itself was an odd mixture of science fiction and blacksploitation-type action! The sounds here are sometimes in the usual Arkestra mode – wonderfully exotic rhythms mixed with freewheeling jazz solos – but other parts seem to follow more of a soundtrack-styled need – and include some bolder action riffs, spare scene-setting moments, and even some strong vocal themes. Titles include "Watusa", "Calling Planet Earth", "Mysterious Crystal", "Outerspaceways Incorporated", "Cosmic Forces", "Satellites Are Spinning", and a version of "Space Is The Place". This special set also includes the bonus Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full LP of unreleased music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson – and the first ever US Blu-ray release of the film, and a standard DVD as well! LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Space Is The Place – Original Soundtrack (2CD/21
Lisa Marne & Her Combo —
Like Young ... LP Modern Harmonic, 1965. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very jazzy vibe, in a lineup that includes a nice tenor that slinks alongside Lisa's vocals – as she moves through a very groovy set of tunes that have a hiply swinging vibe – very much in the territory of mid 60s work by Peggy Lee or Marion Montgomery! Titles include her great reading of the vocal version of the "Bewitched" theme song – plus "Like Young", "Wives & Lovers", "Hey Pussycat", "Night Train", "Moment Of Truth", and "Boy From Ipanema". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album
22
Sun Ra —
Space Age Is Here To Stay ... CD Modern Harmonic, Late 50s/
The first far-reaching collection of vocal tracks recorded by Sun Ra and his Arkestra over the years – perfectly put together, and featuring a number of previously-unissued tracks as well! The Space Age Is Here To Stay covers a wide range of the cosmic jazz styles Ra traveled (and pretty much invented) from the late 50s to early 80s – from the immediate post-doo wop underground sound he worked in the late 50s, to the impeccable mix of free jazz and subtle, soulful tones a decade later, to the searching spiritualism that came later still. For all that's going here stylistically, the vocals and thematic lyricism hold it all together aesthetically, with Ra himself on chants and spoken passages, June Tyson and Hattie Randolph bringing an angelic quality on some numbers, and all around excellent Arkestra ensemble vocals throughout! The incredible opener "Along Came Ra/
23
Sun Ra —
Space Is The Place – Original Soundtrack (3LP colored vinyl box set – with blu-ray, DVD & tote bag) ... LP Modern Harmonic, 1972. New Copy 3LP (reissue)... Out Of Stock
One of the weirdest records Sun Ra ever made – music to accompany the strange film Space Is The Place – which itself was an odd mixture of science fiction and blacksploitation-type action! The sounds here are sometimes in the usual Arkestra mode – wonderfully exotic rhythms mixed with freewheeling jazz solos – but other parts seem to follow more of a soundtrack-styled need – and include some bolder action riffs, spare scene-setting moments, and even some strong vocal themes. Titles include "Watusa", "Calling Planet Earth", "Mysterious Crystal", "Outerspaceways Incorporated", "Cosmic Forces", "Satellites Are Spinning", and a version of "Space Is The Place". This special set also includes the bonus Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full LP of unreleased music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson – and the first ever US Blu-ray release of the film, and a standard DVD as well! LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Space Is The Place – Original Soundtrack (2CD/Partial matches: 2
24
Toshiba/
All-star jazz from the Japanese scene of the early 60s – 2 albums' worth of material from some of the greatest players in Japan at the time! The first album in the set is done in a style that almost recalls the Jazz At The Philharmonic mode on Verve – with 2 very long tunes ("Moanin" and "Walkin), each done in side-long takes with plenty of room for solo contributions from players that include Sadao Watanabe, Norio Maeda, Takeashi Inomata, Keitaro Miho, Akira Nakano, and Shungo Sawada – all trading lines with a really spontaneous sense of energy! The second album is tighter and a bit more controlled – with live performances by combos led by Shungo Sawada, Masao Yagi, Norio Maeda, and others – all jamming in hardbop formation on numbers that include "What's Now", "Del Sasser", "Like Someone In Love", "Easy Talking", "Four On Six", and "Alone Together". Together, the records are a great document of the growing energy of the Japanese scene at the time – and beautifully portray the talents of these players in a live setting! CD
(Out of print, includes obi.)
25
Toots Thielemans —
One More For The Road ... CD Verve, 2006. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Over 50 years in jazz, and Toots Thielemans is still one of the most distinctive players around – one of the few who could actually make us like the sound of harmonica in modern music, and an artist who's lent his style to countless great albums over the years! For this set, Toots explores the music of Harold Arlen – set to arrangements by Jurren Haanstra that follow strongly in the mode of some of Thieleman's albums with larger orchestrations from the 70s and 80s – warm and lush, but never too overwhelming. And noteworthy here are a number of vocalists who are sure to push Toots talents into the consciousness of younger audiences who may recognize his sound, but not know the man behind it – singers who include Jamie Cullum, Laura Fygi, Beth Hart, Till Bronner, Oleta Adams, Silje Nergaard, Madeleine Peyroux, and Lizz Wright. Tunes include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Ill Wind", "Last Night When We Were Young", "Stormy Weather", "It's Only A Paper Moon", "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", and "That Old Black Magic". CD
(Out of print, punch through barcode and clear promotional sticker on jewel case cover.)
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