# CD review: Tyler Mitchell Octet – Sun Ra’s Journey Featuring Marshall Allen 2023: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2023/01/11/cd-review-tyler-mitchell-octet-sun-ras-journey-featuring-marshall-allen-2023-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2023-01-11T00:04:26+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Cellar Music Group, in partnership with the SmallsLive Foundation, is thrilled
to announce the January 20, 2023 release of _Sun Ra’s Journey Featuring Marshall
Allen_. Bass luminary Tyler Mitchell’s dynamic playing graced many stages alongside
the legendary Sun Ra and Marshall Allen, and he can be heard on such iconic Sun 
Ra recordings as _Reflections in Blue_ and _Hours After_. **

Mitchell is responsible for this multigenerational convergence of jazz greats, assembling
this powerhouse small ensemble of musicians to celebrate the life and works of the
legendary Sun Ra. ‘_Sun Ra’s Journey’ _captures potent and innovative reworkings
of Sun Ra Arkestra classics, recorded live at Smalls Jazz Club. Bassist Tyler Mitchell
is joined by tenor saxophonist Chris Hemingway, alto saxophonist Nicoletta Manzini,
trumpeter Giveton Gelin, pianist Farid Barron, drummer Wayne Smith, percussionists
Ron McBee and Elson Nacimento, and of course the inimitable Marshall Allen who, 
at 97 years old, proves to be as spry and imaginative as ever.

Tyler Mitchell recounts his years with the Sun Ra Arkestra as a tenure with one 
of the great bands of the time. “When I played with Sun Ra,” Mitchell recalls, “
he was playing standards and doing Fletcher Henderson-type arrangements, years later
when I came back from Mexico, we played a lot more full arrangements of new, original
Sun Ra and Marshall Allen compositions. I always wanted to record this music in 
a small ensemble, really focusing on Marshall’s playing, and here, we finally had
our chance.”

Demonstrating the tremendous power and reach of Sun Ra’s music and legacy, this 
diverse ensemble represents over four generations of musicians performing the work
of the great bandleader. Mitchell is joined by a stellar rhythm section of Sun Ra
Arkestra alumni including Wayne Smith on drums and Farid Barron on piano. Regarding
Smith’s steadfast drumwork, Mitchell notes “We worked together for the last ten 
years or so, I can always count on him to be there with me, whatever I’m playing.
He stays in the pocket and never sacrifices the groove.” On the topic of working
with the great Marshall Allen, Mitchell notes “Marshall is from the swing era, there’s
so much information to get from him, he puts fresh arrangements on tunes that he’s
played for years – he’s 97 years old and playing at the top of his game.”

“La Dolce Vita” is a composition born from improvisation between Mitchell and saxophonist
Nicoletta Manzini. The piece prominently features Allen on the EWI and Manzini’s
melodic musings on the alto saxophone. The theme of “La Dolce Vita” is built up 
from the melody and was directed by Allen. Mitchell notes “Nicoletta was a student
of Marshall’s and I wanted to use her for this date, and she was instrumental in
putting it together with me.”  Mitchell begins “Eddie Harris” with a bass solo. 
Mitchell initially heard this piece on a Clifford Jordan record. Here, the piece
is performed as a conversation between bass and alto sax. The melody of the piece
captures Eddie Harris’ way of including call-and-response within his phrasing.

“New Dawn” is a Marshall Allen composition written for the Sun Ra Arkestra album
_Of Abstract Dreams_. On the initial release, Allen recorded with strings. This 
take of “New Dawn” features Allen on the EWI and Mitchell bowing the melody on his
bass. The group demonstrates its vibrancy and facility on the Sun Ra classics “Love
in Outer Space” and “Fate in a Pleasant Mood”.

Musing on his former bandleader Sun Ra, Tyler Mitchell notes “When a lot of people
think of Sun Ra, they think of free, abstract playing – These people forget about
his compositional contributions.” On _Sun Ra’s Journey Featuring Marshall Allen,
_Mitchellshines a spotlight on Sun Ra’s compositional prowess, and on the continuous
innovation of his renowned bandmate Marshall Allen.

Veteran bassist Tyler Mitchell was a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 1980s,
participating in two of their albums, _After Hours_ and _Reflections in Blue_, both
from 1986. He also played with saxophonist George Coleman, singer Shirley Horn, 
and drummer Art Taylor.

Not as active as a leader, Mitchell released _Live At Smalls_ under his own name
in 2012, an auspicious debut album in which he was in command of a pliant New York
quintet. Now he presents _Dancing Shadows_, a 12-track effort featuring a multi-
generational sextet which, in addition to a couple of originals, tackles five pieces
by Sun Ra and one by Thelonious Monk. On board with him for this sonic journey is
the current leader of the Arkestra, the 97-year-old maestro Marshall Allen.

The group infests Ra’s “_Interstellar Low Ways_” with a melody that recalls “_Tenderly_”
and solos from the three reedists – Nicoletta Manzini, who occasionally revisits
the melody, Chris Hemmingway, who mixes outside playing with bluesy incursions, 
and Allen, who concludes ebulliently. Other Ra numbers include “_Angels and Demons
at Play_”, where all things flutter around a 14-note, 10-beat-cycle bass figure;
the uptempo free romp “_Dancing Shadows_”, which swings at the bottom and twists
at the surface with multiple horn deliveries; and “_Care Free_”, whose three time
feel welcomes Allen at the front. There’s also this beautiful “_Enlightenment_”,
offering an enjoyable melodic narrative over a confident rhythmic strut, whereas“
_A Call For All Demons_” concludes the program with exoticism.

Monk’s intricate groover “_Skippy_” finds a spot for the bassist/bandleader, who
penned the brushes-driven ballad “_Nico_” for Manzini and the percussively inspired“
_Marshall the Deputy_” with Allen in mind. The group fearlessly embraces abstraction
in Manzini’s “_Spaced Out_”, which flows in Ra’s cosmic fashion with conspicuous
EVI adornments. Pure tradition interlaces with explorative space jazz and modern
adjustments in an album that brings nostalgia and new discoveries to the table.

![New Album: Tyler Mitchell Octet, Sun Ra's Journey - Bass Musician Magazine,  The
Face of Bass](https://i0.wp.com/bassmusicianmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/
12/New-Album-Tyler-Mitchell-Octet-Sun-Ras-Journey.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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