Reissued in the UK last year as a limited vinyl release by Strut/Art Yard, this CD version of one of Sun Ra’s greatest recordings makes it more readily available. Originally recorded in quadrophonic sound (with Impulse! house producer Ed Michel and Alton Abraham behind the controls), Discipline 27–II sees Sun Ra at the height of his musically occult powers. The opening tracks (‘Pan Afro’, ‘Discipline 8’ and ‘Neptune’) are intricately crafted post be-bop pieces, the latter bejewelled with a fine sprawling solo from Marshall Allen. All of which leads to the lengthy title-track where, over a basic loping theme, Sun Ra explains the meaning of his mission in the laconic style of an evangelical minister – a call and response technique where the Space Ethnic Voices of June Tyson, Judith Holton and Ruth Wright echo back his words of prophecy, judgement and redemption. In many ways Discipline 27–II is a statement that would pave the way for his eternal Space Is The Place message and effectively propel his music and philosophy towards a wider audience. The bonus ‘Untitled Outtake’ here is worth the price of admission alone, a shuddering scree of untamed improvisation that truly sounds out of this world.