Hugh Ragin

Back To Saturn is the album trumpeter Hugh Ragin recorded with his Collective on August 10 and 11, 1993 at Eye In The Sky Sound, dedicated to the memory of Sun Ra and released by Black Saint seven years later, in 2000. Ragin had come up in large ensembles. In a profile for Jazzword, Ken Waxman notes that through the 1970s and 1980s he logged considerable time in large bands, among them those of Anthony Braxton and David Murray. His closest musical tie, Waxman adds, is with Roscoe Mitchell, whose records he has played on since Snurdy McGurdy And Her Dancin' Shoes in 1981.

The Collective is a quintet: Ragin on trumpet, Greg Carroll on vibraphone and percussion, Marc Sabatella on piano, Erik Turkman on bass and Scott Gordan on drums. Randy Miotke engineered, Flavio Bonandrini produced, and Ragin wrote the liner notes. The writing is shared out. Sabatella contributes three pieces, Blue Honda A La Truck, Bud-like and Goblin Market. Ragin wrote Fanfare And Fiesta, Hugh's Blues and Pictures, at nearly twelve minutes the longest track. Don Pullen's Song For The Old Country is the one outside tune. The title piece that closes the album, nearly ten minutes long, is by the bassist Turkman.

This is the Black Saint CD 120160-2, first released in 2000, eight tracks running about 65 minutes.