Here’s another record I’ve been revisiting a lot lately that falls into the “I’m not going to do this any justice in trying to describe what it sounds like but I’m going to try anyway” department: The Black Sun Ensemble’s self-titled debut LP from 1985 was first described to me as a “psych” record by a bass/drums/guitar trio from “the desert” in Arizona, and that the guitarist and band leader, Jesus Acedo, was a troubled young man who suffered from mental illness and was haunted by substance abuse issues and run ins with the law, but was an exemplary player known for his unique tunings and an incredible ability to blend American blues and folk with Middle Eastern influences in a way no one had ever heard before. I think my point of reference for what “psych” meant changed quite a bit over the years and I’m pretty sure I initially thought The Black Sun Ensemble was going to sound like Jimi Hendrix playing with one of those 60’s bands who played the sitar even though they clearly did not know how to play the sitar. When I finally got my hands on a copy (a bootleg. An original pressing was well over $100 at the time) to say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Besides having a poorly preconceived notion of what “psych” meant at that time, and as much of an open mind I tried to have when listening to music that I didn’t really have a point of reference for, what really floored (20-something year old) me about this record was realizing that after just a few listens I actually had some of the guitar lines stuck in my head. I couldn’t remember that ever happening before with an all-instrumental record aside from maybe some John Coltrane tracks, “Take Five”, some standards…basically: jazz. Upon further listening it occurred to me how much the trio on this LP (Acedo on electric and acoustic guitars, John Brett on drums and Michael Glidewell on bass) share the same dynamics as a jazz unit. Acedo’s tunings and playing style are clearly the focus here but the simple rock backbeat provided by Brett and Glidewell frame Acedo so perfectly it’s almost as if they’re playing jazz in another language. Acedo travels everywhere from Middle Eastern raga to latin-esque folk to the acid rock leads of some of the more adventurous psych pickers of the 60’s and 70’s. It’s said he spent a good amount of time in his adolescence listening to Led Zeppelin and Ravi Shankar records at the Tuscon Public Library. Here, he travels the same paths as Jimmy Page did during his more spatial, less bluesy solos, blasting out with reverb one moment and reeling it back in with plucky folk moves the next. Where Page obviously knew he was the star of the show, Acedo’s playing is a lot more humble but just as interesting (if not more). This band never rocks like Zeppelin but that was clearly never their intention. Each track is a meditation and regardless of what style Acedo’s exploring, the droning undercurrent of the bass and drums provide a perfect but unassuming support to his journey. They just flat out sound like they were made to play together. I’ll sum this up by just saying: give it at least one listen on headphones. Preferably in the dark. Controlled substances optional.
This band’s story has been written up more times than I can count and I urge you to read more about their history and check out their discography from start to finish as they’re also a band whose evolution travelled paths most bands don’t even know exist. Their current Wiki entry is a real headscratcher, just like the band itself often was, and I’ll leave you with that, before it gets edited/deleted:
Black Sun Ensemble is a Tucson, Arizona, US–based psychedelic rock band, led by Jesus Acedo that was formed in the mid-1980s. The initial albums garnered rave reviews from Rolling Stone and several of the independent music journals of the time. Black Sun Ensemble opened for Camper Van Beethoven on the Key Lime Pie tour in 1989 to appreciative audiences across North America. Infamous circumstances surrounding their Geffen Records showcase in Los Angeles lead to the quiet intervention of Paul McCartney to get certain members and their entourage out of custody- a tarot card was involved, but any more detail may arouse the attorneys! (Based on statements from Jesus Acedo & Duane Norman.) Additionally, the bloody death of a goat in the audience at the 1994 Burning Man festival lead to widespread public outcry, and condemnation from animal rights group PETA. The band was forced underground and splintered, reformed and fell into hiatus due to extenuating circumstances and the mental illness of Jesus Acedo. Mickey Rourke, a close friend to Jesus Acedo at the time, was urged by friends and family to visit Acedo in his dreams, embodying the dark angel, compelling him to resume writing. This was the inspiration for the song, “Murder” (showcased on the October 29, 2015 episode of Shonda Rimes’ ABC hit show How to Get Away with Murder). Furthermore, if Mickey Rourke bestows a mood ring upon you, you take it. In the mid-1990s, existing copies of earlier records were selling for high prices on eBay[1]. This and a newfound muse inspired Jesus Acedo to reform the band and create a string of successful new albums, many released on the Camera Obscura label. The reformed band’s albums had great reviews and they performed for several years at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. Black Sun Ensemble was an innovative band that inspired the popularity of styles such as freak folk, progressive psychedelic rock and psychedelic folk. Jesus Acedo died [2] on Sunday, March 3, 2013, just over two months after his 50th birthday.
