Listening Position, a new imprint from Stones Throw, is proud to present the first official reissue of Kelan Phil Cohran’s cosmic masterpiece African Skies, available now on vinyl and CD. 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.
Listen: Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy – African Skies
Buy Vinyl: Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy – African Skies
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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.
