This one is quirky, even in the
Sun Ra catalog.
Ra fronts a quartet playing nothing but miniMoog and Rocksichord, along with
Stafford James on electric bass, Danny Davis on alto, clarinet, flute, and bongos, and
John Gilmore on drums!
Gilmore has a skittering approach to the drums, which are curiously miked with the hi-hat being especially prominent.
Ra's playing doesn't get too far out, although the tones of the Rocksichord and miniMoog are rather humorous, and most of the tunes are quite playful. Davis provides some fine alto, clarinet, and a number of freakouts, with
James anchoring the proceedings. Davis and
Gilmore switch roles for "Impromptu Festival" for a taste of
Gilmore's tenor while "Dance of the Living Image" has
Gilmore on drums and Davis on bongos. The best point of reference for this album is "The Perfect Man" off the Singles compilation, except "The Perfect Man" uses miniMoog exclusively, and
Gilmore is a more solid drummer than Danny Davis. Lots of fun and slightly goofy, Night of the Purple Moon is an entertaining curiosity within a singularly unique discography. [This release was remastered and co-produced by
Michael D. Anderson (of the
Sun Ra Music Archive) and
Irwin Chusid, under the auspices of
Sun Ra LLC, the heirs of the late music legend. Original session tapes were used when available and sound quality should surpass all previous CD/digital editions.] ~ Sean Westergaard