Sun Ra - Kingdom of Discipline (2024)

Hearkening back to the first releases from his own El Saturn record label in the 1950’s, where early Sun Ra records were typically printed in editions of 75 and featured hand-made or pasted-on sleeves, Kingdom of Discipline arrives in 2024 in a physical, hand-made edition of just 75 copies via Dead Currencies.

"You've got a solo, John!" From the opening notes, where we’re dropped in the middle of a rehearsal at Saturn House on Morton Street in West Philadelphia, circa 1978, it’s clear that this is no stuffy jazz label offering. We hear Ra directing some of the legendary cast that would populate his Arkestra. Marshall Allen is on hand, as is John Gilmore. This is, essentially, “lo-fi” from one of the inventors of the genre later exemplified by punk rock and 90’s slacker indie-rock. It's a poetic symmetry for an artist who recorded to Sound Mirror wire tape machines in the 1940’s and self released home recordings before Daniel Johnston was even born. In some ways, Sun Ra has always been the bridge between jazz and punk rock’s DIY ethos. And not just because the MC5 opened for him in their heyday.

Though in the years since his death there have been many official re-releases and complete documents of live shows, as well as themed collections like the ones focused on Ra’s groundbreaking use of early synthesizers, these tracks were selected and sequenced in a way that offers listeners with eclectic tastes a satisfying trip into an omniiverse that Sun Ra built. Aside from being a further testament to the genius of this singular artist, Kingdom of Discipline is also just a great listening experience.

Truly mythological characters aren’t as easy to come by in real life as they are in era-defining novels or films. Getting to add to the narrative of a great mythological figure in music, by releasing an incredible new collection of unissued tracks and overlooked obscurities, is a privilege. Sharing it with others is an honor. Doing it justice is a pretty daunting responsibility. Luckily, the mythos and the music that Sun Ra left behind are more than capable of shouldering that weight.

– JR, Dead Currencies