Album: Sun Ra, Live in Cleveland, (Leo/Golden Years)

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The recording is far from hi-fi but this 1975 session catches the Arkestra on absolutely stonking form and at a musical juncture – Sun Ra meets disco and proto-rap – that emphasises the continuities linking much black music.

Beginning with what could be a Chic "Good Times" riff, then moving through space-age chants, organ funk, conga frenzy to mad synth solos and a 14-minute rendering of Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady", it's the best Ra I've heard for eons.

Pick of the album: 'Astro Nation': a slice of disco Ra

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Album: Sun Ra, Live in Cleveland, (Leo/Golden Years)

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