MURRAY, SONNY - Sonnys Time Now

Skokiaan present a reissue of Sonny Murrays Sonnys Time Now, originally released in 1965. Only a few months after recording Ghosts (SKOK 001CD, 1965) with Albert Ayler, Sonny Murray released his first album as a leader. Sonnys Time Now is one of the holy grails for collectors and aficionados of free avant garde jazz music from the 1960s. This 2016 vinyl reissue is the first vinyl reissue of the album in 30 years. The last CD reissue was in 1991. Albert Ayler and his Ghosts album from 1965 was already a hard thing to swallow, except for the most adventurous explorers of the furthest corners of the border districts of music. An unconventional view on onomatopoeia is necessary to enter this world and drummer Sonny Murray went another step ahead on Sonnys Time Now. The lengthy piece Virtue" presents an ever pulsating wall of rhythm that sounds like a wuthering ocean with the horn section going nuts on top. The saxes and trumpets are constantly erupting and it is a challenge for the listener to find the melodies among their output of sound. "Justice", another lengthy piece divided into two parts, continues the quest "Virtue" began. The atmosphere of these free improvisations slowly swallows the listener and the shrieks of the saxophones and trumpets, frees souls from physical bodies. What feels like an impenetrable thicket of sound at first is soon enlightening and a memorable structure within all the chaos. The same year that John Coltrane took the last step away from traditional jazz and music in general, this album was equally as radical but seems to have disappeared within the depths of music history. The most radical piece on this record comes with the shorter "Black Art", a writing by activist and controversial poet Amiri Baraka, aka LeRoy Jones, is underlined with freak-out eruptions from Sonny Murray and his mates. This is the right soundtrack for a cathartic meditation. For a must have for fans of Coltrane. "The Lie" is not featured on the original release." - Skokian.