From the album ‘June Tyson. Saturnian Queen of the Sun Ra Arkestra’

June Tyson signed on with the Arkestra in 1968 and worked with Sun Ra up until her death in 1992. Tyson’s role was especially demanding, as she not only had to mesh musically with an ensemble with an unusual approach to melody and song structure but she was also the mouthpiece for Ra’s world view of abstract philosophy, race, and the possibilities of outer space. More than a quarter-century after her passing, Tyson’s work with Sun Ra is finally given the examination it deserves with Saturnian Queen of the Sun Ra Arkestra, which brings together 56 minutes of recordings from the Arkestra’s archives (five tracks are previously unreleased) with her vocals front and center.

June Tyson held a unique place in Sun Ra’s Arkestra, easily bending her voice to the adventorous structures of Ra’s music and occasionally approaching her parts less as the female singer and more as a fellow instrumentalist. But on standards like “Never Never Land,” Tyson shows she could easily have been a first-class jazz singer with any band.