Aurora Borealis

by Sean Westergaard Aurora Borealis is a very interesting album of solo piano from Sun Ra. Side A features two Ra compositions, "Aurora Borealis" and "Omniscience," both of which feature pretty melodic passages laced with dissonance and some thunderous low chords. Despite getting pretty "out," there is always a strong sense of structure and some downright stunning passages. Side B begins with Ra interpolating Rachmaninov's Prelude in C# Minor (!), then moving into "Quiet Ecstasy," a beautiful, sparse and contemplative piece. Aurora Borealis is one of only a handful of solo piano dates from Sun Ra, and remarkable for that alone.