"At the turn of the 1960s, when free jazz was making its initial seismic impact, multi-instrumentalist Phil Cohran-he later added the name Kelan-was living in Chicago and playing trumpet for Sun Ra's Arkestra. He contributed to crucial recordings by the band during his tenure, including We Travel the Space Ways, but Cohran was a restless autodidact who never stuck with any one project for long."
"He was an original member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in 1965, then departed shortly after its founding. Following the release of two excellent albums with his group Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, he shifted his focus in the '70s and '80s-studying the history of the African diaspora, astronomy, and various spiritual traditions, designing and building his own instruments, founding an educational workshop, and opening a health food store and performance space."
"In 1993, Cohran was commissioned by the Adler Planetarium in Chicago-a devoted stargazer, he was already a member-to create the soundtrack for a show called "African Skies." The searching and deeply atmospheric music he recorded with four musicians was released on LP in a small run in 2010 and quickly became a holy grail for collectors. It recently returned to vinyl via Stones Throw's Listening Position imprint."
Phil Cohran (later Kelan) lived in Chicago and played trumpet with Sun Ra's Arkestra during the early free jazz era. He contributed to key recordings but moved through many projects, joining and soon leaving the AACM. After two albums with Philip Cohran & the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, he studied the African diaspora, astronomy, and spiritual traditions, built instruments, and created educational and community spaces. In 1993 he composed the soundtrack for the Adler Planetarium show "African Skies." The recording is meditative, harp-forward, rhythmically circular, globally influenced, seven tracks totaling 37 minutes, and was reissued on vinyl.
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