Philip Cohran And The Artistic Heritage Ensemble – On The Beach

A much needed reissue of Chicago jazz legend Philip Cohran and his Artistic Heritage Ensemble’s private press gem On the Beach. Cohran played with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 50’s and continued a similar forward-thinking approach with his own group. TheArtistic Heritage Ensemble’s sound largely centered around melodies from Cohran’s signature frankiphone or “space harp,” an amplified African thumb piano, which made its debut on Sun Ra’s Angels and Demons at Play. The tracks on this record bear some similarities to Angels and Demons. “On the Beach” in particular sounds like a deep, meditative counterpart to Ra’s “Tiny Pyramids.” If you enjoy this record, we also highly recommend checking out Cohran’s African Skies, a transcendent sacred jazz album featuring the dynamic voice of Aquilla Sadalla.

– Phil Cho

Recommended – A2 Motherhood, B1 The Minstrel