Description
Sun Ra – Of Mythic Worlds – 180 Gram Vinyl Record
Sun Ra – Of Mythic Worlds, released in 1979, is a deep-space journey into the cosmic, mystical side of Sun Ra’s musical universe, capturing his avant-garde, Afrofuturist vision in full force. Originally released on his independent Saturn label, and later reissued by Evidence, this album stands out as a spiritually charged and sonically exploratory work—at once meditative, eerie, and otherworldly.
By the time Of Mythic Worlds was recorded, Sun Ra and his Arkestra had long since transcended the boundaries of jazz, freely blending free improvisation, electronics, cosmic philosophy, Eastern tonalities, and ritualistic percussion into a sound that was uniquely theirs. This album embodies his “space is the place” ethos not through fiery big-band swing, but through textural exploration, atmosphere, and cosmic mood-setting.
Rather than focusing on horn-driven compositions or full-blown free-jazz freakouts, Of Mythic Worlds creates a more ambient, trance-like listening experience. The instrumentation includes electric keyboards, gongs, bells, congas, and minimal reed work, conjuring a soundscape that feels meditative yet unsettled, like a soundtrack to a dream—or an astral voyage.
The title track, “Of Mythic Worlds,” is a standout. It drifts through circular piano figures, shimmering percussive textures, and cosmic hums, offering a kind of sonic ritual that invites introspection and surrender. Sun Ra’s **keyboard work—moody, modal, and spacious—**serves as the album’s gravitational center, pulling the listener deeper into an uncharted sound world.
Other tracks, like “A Strange Mystery” and “Secrets of the Sun,” evoke a mystical vibe, leaning into spiritual jazz territory, but in Sun Ra’s own language—cryptic, symbolic, and deeply cosmic. The music doesn’t aim to entertain in a conventional sense; rather, it guides the listener through an otherworldly meditation, as if accessing secret frequencies of the universe.
This album is also notable for its subdued energy compared to Sun Ra’s more explosive live recordings. It’s less about outward performance and more about inner vibration—music as ritual, as transformation, as cosmic alignment. The percussion is loose and organic, the melodies drift in and out like visions, and the overall effect is hypnotic.
Though Of Mythic Worlds may not be the best entry point for newcomers to Sun Ra’s vast catalog (for that, Space Is the Place, Jazz in Silhouette, or The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra might be better), it’s a crucial piece for those already initiated into his sonic mythology. It reveals a quieter, more contemplative dimension of the Arkestra’s work, one that’s more about vibration and atmosphere than spectacle.
In the grand cosmology of Sun Ra’s output, Of Mythic Worlds feels like a ritual transmission from a parallel dimension, a space where sound becomes myth and myth becomes sound. It’s not just jazz—it’s space ritual, sonic mysticism, and spiritual exploration, channeling vibrations from realms beyond.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Mayan Temples
Over The Rainbow
Inside The Blues
Intrinsic Energies
Of Mythic Worlds
