African Skies by Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy

Listening Position is proud to present the first official reissue of this cosmic masterpiece. Originally recorded in 1993 for the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, African Skies stands as one of the few official releases outside of Cohran’s seminal work in the 1960s with The Sun Ra Arkestra and The Artistic Heritage Ensemble. 

Cohran drew upon his research of the celestial, spiritual and ancestral throughout these compositions. Beguiling and gently psychedelic, the performances weave together themes of transcendence and the magnitude of the universal unknown. The instrumentation is entirely unique, with two double basses, two harps and a world of percussion laying the foundation for melodic explorations of cornet, voice and the Frankiphone – Cohran’s hand-built, ethereal-sounding electrified Kalimba .

This edition – sourced from the original DAT recording – is mastered and cut by Josh Bonati, with audio restoration by Michael Graves. The 180g vinyl is housed in a laminated Stoughton Tip-on gatefold jacket with restored cover art, newly unearthed photos from the Cohran family and original program notes from the Adler Planetarium.

Kelan Phil Cohran was a composer, activist and astronomer based in Chicago. His discography spans 70 years including releases with The Sun Ra Arkestra, Pete Cosey and his sons The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. The band Legacy is comprised of
Oscar Brown III,
Malik Cohran, Aquilla Sadalla and Josefe Marie Verna.