ProJazz.net

We Travel the Space Ways is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra. Recorded mostly in 1960, the album was released in 1967, on Sun Ra’s own label Saturn. The album brings together a number of eras and personnel of the Arkestra, and was probably mostly recorded by Ra himself during rehearsals.

The earliest recording, New Horizons, was recorded at Balkan Studio, Chicago, April 13, 1956, and predates the version on Jazz by Sun Ra. Velvet was recorded at the end of the session at RCA Studios, Chicago, around June 17, 1960, that yielded over 30 recordings spread across 5 albums (Fate In A Pleasant Mood, Holiday for Soul Dance, Angels and Demons at Play, We Travel the Space Ways & Interstellar Low Ways). Eve and Space Loneliness were recorded at the Pershing Lounge, Chicago, July 13, 1961. The rest were recorded at various rehearsals in 1960. The mechanical sound at the end of the title track comes from a toy robot:

“The bizarre whirring and quacking heard at the end of “We Travel the Spaceways” comes from a toy robot with flashing lights; John Gilmore told John Corbett that around this time the Arkestra would release the “robots” into the audience during their performances. The band also used mechanical “flying saucers” as props”.

Track listing:

A1 Interplanetary Music 0:00
A2 Eve 2:41
A3 We Travel The Space Ways 5:41
A4 Tapestry From An Asteroid 9:15
B1 Space Loneliness 11:13
B2 New Horizons 16:03
B3 Velvet 18:51

Personnel:

Marshall Allen – alto saxophone
Pat Patrick – baritone saxophone
Ronnie Boykins – bass
Sun Ra – electric piano, composer, arranger
Edward Skinner, Robert Barry – percussion
John Gilmore – tenor saxophone
Julian Priester, Nate Pryor – trombone
Arthur Hoyle, Phil Corhan, Walter Strickland – trumpet

______________________________________

Released: 1967
Recorded: 1956 – 1961 Chicago [2]
Length: 23.45
Label: Saturn
Evidence
Producer: Alton Abraham