Jazz Archives

Samaria Celestial is was the drummer for the SUN RA Intergalactic Cosmo Love Adventure Arkestra.  Isis Sun is his first solo outing and acts as a personal tribute to Sun Ra and his unique collection of musical proteges.  The album was almost completely improvised and utilizes numerous complex rhythm tracks, space synth backwash, his brother's wood flute and Samarai's own unique Intergalactic Space Rap.  The package is completed with stunning artwork with full color tray cards, rainbow spiral galaxies, Egyptian temples, resplendent fractals and even an appearance by Sun Ra himself.

For over thirty years, Sun Ra's Intergalactic Arkestra stretched the creative boundaries of avant-jazz. Sun Ra claimed to be from Saturn, and said that he "arrived" on earth to spread the Creator's greatest gift: music. While his outrageous statements gained him attention, it was his talent as a musician and bandleader that earned him respect. Ra was an amazingly gifted musician, but he also surrounded himself with a like-minded, similarly gifted group of musicians. Samarai Celestial played drums for the Sun Ra Arkestra steadily from 1979-1985, and again from 1994 until he passed away in at age 43 in 1997, after a four-year battle with heart disease. 

Celestial credits Ra as one of the greatest musical masters ever, and he dedicated his first solo album, Isis Sun (1995), to the memory of his teacher (Ra passed away in 1992, and the Arkestra continues to tour under the direction of Marshall Allen).

Celestial's music is a far-out cosmic exploration, full of polyrhythms, funky beats, and ear-bending sound experiments. In the liner notes to Isis Sun, Celestial wrote that he was trying to "create something different in music that contained Masterful Elements of the past, present, and future to give my Master thanks for the hours of lessons, dedicated purity, and the development of the omniversal spirit of the arts." The result is a mixture of lightning-fast drumming, free improvisation, and synthesized insanity that both honors Ra's legacy of creative musical expression and highlights Celestial's innovative skill.

:::taken from fromnowherehere.blogspot.com:::

Samarai Celestial - Isis Sun (1995)

1. Sun Ra   14:26

2. Isis Sun   12:26 

3. Unifying Rhythm   20:50

4. Nation Time   15:13 

5. Sun Ra (Edit Version)   7:47

Credits

Bobby Zankel, 

Jason Oettel, 

Rick Iannacone, 

Samarai Celestial, 

Tyrone Hill