Monorails & Satellites : Works For Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (2019)

"Monorails & Satellites Vols 1 and 2 were recorded in 1966 and released two years later. The subsequent but previously unreleased additional material from those sessions (Vol 3) are now included in this 3-CD set. A 3-LP edition is also available, both of which include liner notes from noted pianist Vijay Iyer, jazz historian Ben Young and producer Irwin Chusid. ther visits include memorable takes on other standards such as "Don't Blame Me" and "Gone With The Wind." Like Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra's interpretations are highly idiosyncratic, full of personality even as they stay close to the melody. You know who the pianist is, what the song is, and you pretty much know where the music is going. Sort of. That's always been the charm of listening to artists who kind of play it straight, but not really. And, like Cecil Taylor, Monk and Ra can be heard as pianist/orchestra conductors of their primary instrument. Everything is there. Which is what makes packages like this so damn interesting." (allaboutjazz)