Purple Night
Purple Night is a studio album by free jazz pioneer Sun Ra. It was released in 1990 on A&M Records. Background. The album was the second in a short-term recording deal with A&M Records, as part of their "Modern Masters Jazz Series" imprint. Sun Ra's profile had risen considerably in the preceding years, partially because of the support given to him in interviews by avant-garde alternative rock band Sonic Youth, who had named him as an influence and played shows with Ra and his Arkestra. The album was recorded in a single session at BMG  Studios in New York City, using a 22-piece group that included several Arkestra members or veterans, including three drummers and two bass players (one on upright bass and another on electric bass), plus fellow free jazz musician Don Cherry, who played the pocket trumpet. Seven tracks were used for the album, and the remainder of the master multi-track tapes were given to Sun Ra and his manager Alton Abraham for future release on their own after the A&M deal concluded. Many of these recordings were released three years later by Rounder Records on the album "Somewhere Else", released  shortly before Sun Ra's death. "Purple Night" is out of print physically, although the album is available via digital outlets. The copyright on the original album passed on to Sun Ra's estate's holding company, Sun Ra LLC, in 2016.