PEACE BE UNTO YOU

BLUE SUN was a hippie band formed in 1969 in Copenhagen, Denmark and existed as a commune in the same vein as German bands like Amon Duul however this was quite common in the day although very few of these commune bands ever recorded anything much less are still remembered. This is one of those long forgotten bands that existed for quite a long time lasting until 1981 although the band featured a rotating lineup with only a few members existing the entire run. The band has somewhat been immortalized by making it onto the tripper's musical shopping guide, the Nurse With Wound list.

Most of their recordings came from live performances and improvisations that featured the dominant instruments of saxophone, organ and guitar. The debut from BLUE SUN was actually this 1970 live album PEACE BE UNTO YOU which was partially recorded live at the Taggskaert restaurant in Aarthus on April 28, 1970. The album features four tracks that add up to 43 minutes of playing time. The band at this point featured a bulky lineup of seven musicians that included Niels Pontoppidan (guitar), Soren Berggreen - alto saxophone, harmonica, flute, percussion., Jan Kaspersen (piano), Jesper Zeuthen (tenor saxophone), Poul Ehlers (double bass), Dale Smith (vocals, percussion) and Bo Jacobsen (drums). This is one of those rarities as it was only released once on the Spectator label and has not been reissued thus commanding high prices for a physical copy.

This mostly instrumental band created an unusual but pleasing mix of jazz rock fusion, spiritual jazz and the avant-garde. The band released only two studio albums in the 1970s, both of which were completely different from one another. The 1971 self-titled released featured a mix of progressive rock and jazz fusion whereas the next album that wouldn't emerge until 1976 titled "Its All Money Johnny" was more rooted in pop, funk rock and R&B with no progressive rock or jazz at all. This debut live recording showcases the band's earliest years when it was in full freak out mode. The mix of dreamy spiritual jazz effects with moments of jazz rock and melodies from the Danish folk repertoire added an air of mystique to the whole thing.

The 11-minute plus "Aum" opens and offers a dreamy escape into a spiritual jazz menagerie of free floating musical motifs drifting and cascading all the way up to the heavens. The music features fluttering piano runs along with a droning accompaniment that gives it an authentic raga rock feel. The track picks up steam with a beefy bass and drumming sequence but also slows down periodically to allow sumptuous flute runs and and moments of contemplation. The dreamy segments ebb and flow with energetic jazz rock outburst but the track maintains a transcendental meditative feel for its entirety. The following "John Henry" is a completely different beast altogether with Dale Smith offering a vocal performance of a bluesy folk traditional only set to jazz rock. The rock and roll rhythmic drive flows consistently until the closing sequence where the jazzy instrumentation takes control.

The 16 1/2 minute title track which is the longest by far follows with sparse piano runs and slowly builds up to another spiritual jazz extravaganza with heavier reliance on saxophone and flute. Not as drony and dreamy as "Aum" and more like some of the spiritual jazz that Alice Coltrane was crafting around the same time. The track just sort of drifts around for its entirety without any real goal to achieve. Despite the monotonous nature of this one, the improvisational skills of the bands member to craft impromptu melodies that come and go is quite remarkable giving the abstract dreaminess needed excursions into catchy and easy to follow moments of melodic splendor. The track ends in somewhat of a traditional Swedish folk melody only set to jazz rock.

The album ends with "Lyset" which nears the 7-minute mark and is dominated by an energetic piano and followed by an equally feisty saxophone. The atmosphere remains dreamy and drony while a slight melodic touch comes into play. The band had a unique way of mixing the extreme avant-garde tendencies of jazz along with rock oriented grooves. The overall atmospheres also capture a tinge of Middle Eastern flavors and the melodies exhibit a more homegrown folk flavor. The track ends in a turbulent uproar of free style noise jazz! In the end this is an excellent album that doesn't really sound live except for the few clapping noises heard between tracks. This band was quite talented for a so-called hippie band. They sound like seasoned professionals to my ears. Brilliant but woefully obscure.