Out There

Jazz on a monday with a fresh re-release of a rather obscure 1966 album by the unique Sun Ra. Tune in and travel them spaceways, folks.

Sun Ra - The Idea Of It All

Fire In Cairo

Sala Ragab was the first jazz cat of Egypt. Later he played with the mighty Sun Ra, which is no mean feat either. Dig it.

Sala Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band - Dawn

Ain't No Sunshine

In case you're not familiar with the universe of brilliant jazz avant-gardist Sun Ra, a new double disc compilation on the Strut label just might be all you need. Curated by London dj Gilles Peterson, the aptly titled To Those Of Earth... And Other Worlds looks like a fine fine introduction to all things Arkestra. Out this November.

Sun Ra Quartet - When There Is No Sun

Wandering Stars

"Do you know where you belong? And is your star sign ever wrong?"

Presenting a stellar ten pack to wish upon.

Teenage Fanclub - Star Sign MP3

Portishead - Wandering Star MP3

Billy Bragg & Wilco - California Stars MP3

Thinking Fellers Local Union 282 - Star Trek MP3

Roky Erickson - Starry Eyes MP3

Echo & The Bunnymen - Stars Are Stars MP3

Gordon Jackson - My Ship. My Star MP3

Mountain Goats - New Star Song MP3

Tall Dwarfs - Starry Eyed & Wooly Brained MP3

Sun Ra - Twin Stars Of Thence MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 29

Was awol last weekend alas, and sorry for that, but fear not: here´s yet another edition of Wild Weekend, with the shuffle function of my trusted iPod all geared up to pick six tunes of diverse plumage. This week´s catch? Space jazz, a classic reggae riddim, Jeffrey Lee Pierce in Germany and much more interesting stuff for you to chew on. Have a good one.

Let´s start of with a classic country duet from the early seventies. Country giant Conway Twitty teams up with coal miner´s daughter Loretta Lynn to deliver the perfect companion song to Gram and Emmylou´s We´ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning. Meanwhile in San Diego, power trio Fluf covers Polly Jean Harvey´s Sheela Na Gig in grand style, guitars divebombing low. Nice gender bender here: "Gonna take my hips to a man that cares..."

Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn - After The Fire Is Gone MP3

Fluf - Sheela Na Gig MP3

Doo Rag were a fun lofi bluespunk duo comprised of percussionist Thermos Malling and guitarist Bob Log III. I saw them play on a city square somewhere in Holland one time in the early nineties and fun sure was had by all. And the train they ride here? Sixteen coaches long of course. Riddim time now. Jamaican organist supreme Ansel Collins, a member of Sly & Robbie´s mighty Revolutionaries, wrote one of the best with the immortal Stalag 17.

Doo Rag - Train I Ride MP3

Ansel Collins - Stalag 17 MP3

Back in ´92, German instrumentalists Die Haut had the luminous idea to record an album with a varied bunch of vocalists. The resulting Head On is a case of hit and miss to be honest, but some of its tracks still sound way cool today. Take Breaking In Your Daydream for instance, featuring the incomparable Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Gun Club fame. And the last song of this Wild Weekend is one of these amazing space jazz concoctions of Herman Poole Blount, better known as Sun Ra, self-proclaimed messenger from Saturn. Where Pathways Meet simply grooves and grooves and grooves.

Die Haut - Breaking In Your Daydream MP3

Sun Ra - Where Pathways Meet MP3