Bassist
Tyler Mitchell briefly played in
the Sun Ra Arkestra during the mid-'80s before going on to work with numerous jazz musicians and vocalists, including
Art Taylor,
Shirley Horn, and
Jon Hendricks. He spent a decade living in Mexico and traveling throughout Cuba and South America, forming groups with several Latin jazz musicians, before returning to New York in the early 2010s and reconnecting with
the Arkestra.
Dancing Shadows is a studio effort that heavily features
Marshall Allen, leader of
the Arkestra since
Sun Ra returned to outer space in 1993. Much of the track listing contains familiar
Sun Ra tunes from
the Arkestra's repertoire, as well as a funky rendition of
Thelonious Monk's "Skippy" and compositions by
Mitchell and alto saxophonist
Nicoletta Manzini. As a bass player,
Mitchell grounds the songs with heavy notes, yet still sounds breezy and freewheeling. It's clear that he can easily adapt to a wide range of styles and settings, and the album consists of more restrained pieces as well as spontaneous freak-outs.
Allen is unmistakably the guiding spirit of the record, however. Ninety-seven years old at the time of the album's release, he's still able to conjure unheard sounds and untold feelings with his saxophone and EVI playing, particularly on songs like "Angels & Demons at Play," which he co-wrote with
Sun Ra and
Ronnie Boykins. He erupts on the otherwise cool and blissful "Carefree," and he's given the spotlight on
Mitchell's scorching "Marshall the Deputy," the album's most unhinged and exciting performance. The reading of
Sun Ra's "Enlightenment" begins with
Mitchell bowing the song's melody, then the band launches into the tune with the same jumpy fervor of
the Arkestra during the years when they were regularly performing songs from
Disney movies. The two
Manzini compositions are among the set's most sporadic and abstract, with "Spaced Out" being a particularly stunning example of the group's cosmic chemistry, ebbing and flowing in electric waves and culminating in joyous bursts. Truly a special session. ~ Paul Simpson