Sun Ra Arkestra announced their latest album Living Sky will release on Oct. 7 via Omni Sound. In conjunction with the release announcement of Living Sky–a followup to their 2021 Grammy-nominated LP Swirling–the ensemble shared the lead single from the project “Somebody Else’s Idea.”
The track was originally recorded in 1955 and later in 1970 as a part of 1971's My Brother The Wind, Vol II. “‘Somebody Else’s Idea’ is an affirmation that the world I live in is a world that I can change,” said baritone saxophonist Knoel Scott in a press release. “The first part of change is not accepting the status, the so called status quo, in rejecting the status quo, I free myself to the possibilities which range amongst the infinite." He continued to say, "It is our desire. There are those who listen to our music also embrace the possibilities which range beyond the limits of the impossible."
Living Sky was tracked and recorded on June 15, 2021, at Rittenhouse SoundWorks in Philadelphia and features a full-string section and a total of 19 musicians. It was mixed and mastered by Dave Darlington, who is known for his work with Brian Lynch, Eddie Palmieri, Wayne Shorter and more. The project was commissioned by Ahmet Ulug – a contemporary of Arkestra since the '80s.
In May of this year, the Sun Ra House, a three-story Philadelphia building that was the cradle for Sun Ra's evolving Arkestra outfit, was been listed as a historic landmark in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia.
Listen to "Somebody Else's Idea" below.
1. Chopin (Frédéric Chopin)
2. Somebody Else’s Idea (Sun Ra)
3. Day of the Living Sky (Marshall Allen)
4. Marshall’s Groove (Marshall Allen)
5. Night of the Living Sky (Sun Ra)
6. Firefly (Marshall Allen)
7. Wish Upon A Star (Leigh Harline)
Pre-order Living Sky here.
