Just how good is Sun Ra? I've only heard three albums so far
Space is the Place
My Brother The Wind Volume II
The Solar Myth Approach
and they are all totally different and totally ace. I don't know too much about jazz, but when there are crazy noises, cool basslines and people singing 'space is the place, spaaaace is the plaaaace' over and over I can dig it. Oh yes.
He might be an influence on all of the noise stuff (eg most of the ATP lineup) about today. The track 'Realm of Lightning' makes me think of a man being stalked by tigers in the jungle. I don't even think that tigers live in the jungle so this stuff must be good.
Anyone else a fan? Where to next with Mr Ra?
i only have 'lanquidity'
but i really love it, haven't had the time to look for more. swap you a copy tomorrow?
Yeah!
Cheers! Space is the Place is coming your way. I've changed my display pic in tribute.
What kind of stuff is it?
it starts off quite laid back
and lazy, and then over five tracks it sort of builds into him and his band chanting/whispering creepily about there being other worlds that we haven't been told about. it's great!
he seems fairly preoccupied with space.
He was from there!
Apparently.
"Claiming that he was of the "Angel Race" and not from Earth, but rather from Saturn, Ra developed a complicated persona of "cosmic" philosophies and lyrical poetry that preached "awareness" and peace above all. Some regarded him as a kook in this regard, but most recognized his immense musical talents."
"Sun Ra himself stated that he "arrived on earth" at any number of ancient dates. The date listed above appeared on Sun Ra's passport"
An alien wouldn't have a passport surely.
NUCLEAR WAR!
(NUCLEAR WAR!)
IT'S A MOTHERFUCKER!
(IT'S A MOTHERFUCKER!)
DON'T YOU KNOW!
(DON'T YOU KNOW!)
THAT YOUR ASS GOT TO GO!
(ASS GOT TO GO!)
AND WHAT YOU GON DO WITHOUT YO ASS?
He come to Earth on a spaceship
powered entirely by Jazz. You should watch the Sun Ra film, it's a 'free jazz blaxploitation epic'.
My favourite Sun Ra fact is that he uses to teach a course at Berkely entitled 'The Black man in the cosmos' it consisted him talking about space (and how he was from it) followed by a half an hour keyboard solo. Why isn't every university course like that?
And the music? Lanquidity is amazing! Easily the best Sun Ra album, it has such grooves.
There's a film?
Class! Lanquidity sounds ace. There is a definite lack of Sun Ra in Newcastle music shops :(
So yeah, Bump Ra.
...
My favourite Sun Ra fact is that when he wanted to fire someone from the band who wouldn't do a Buddy Rich and just ball them out until they quit, he'd just get the whole band together - without the sacked member - and leave the poor fucker in the last place they played.
If there's any way to describe the person sacked from that band other than "fucking gutted", I'd wanna hear it.
On a cosmic jazz tip...
...check out Pharoah Sanders' Karma. It's not dissimilar to Space Is The Place, in that it begins with soulful singing, chanting bells and melodious sax, before building and building and building over the space of 30 mind blowing minutes into a glorious polyphonic, harmolodic cosmic racket and then back again.
Robert Wyatt's favourite album of all time - nuff said.
Saw the Sun Ra Arkestra earlier this year. Absolutely tremedous!
Thanks for the tip!
Sounds very good indeed.
Looks like there are at least three Sun Ra films
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=sun+ra
Space is the place
is the one I mean. This is the plot summary, it doesn't do it justice:
Sun Ra--space-age prophet, Pharaonic jester, shaman-philosopher and avant-jazz keyboardist/bandleader--land his spaceship in Oakland, having been presumed lost in space for a few years. With Black Power on the rise, Ra disembarks and proclaims himself "the alter-destiny." He holds a myth-vs reality rap session with vblack inner-city youth at a rec center, threatening "to chain you up and take you with me, like they did you in Africa" if they resist his mplea to go to outer space. He duels at cards with The Overseer, a satanic overlord, with the fate of the black race at stake. Ra wins the right to a world concert, which features great performance footage of the Arkestra. Agents sent by the Overseer attempt to assassinate Ra, but he vanishes, rescues his people, and departs in his spaceship from the exploding planet Earth'
My god!
you see, this is the kind of thing that separates good from awesome-o. You wouldn't catch someone like the Beatles starring in their own crazy movie.
"vblack"?
"no you're not black enough for this rap session, sorry"
haha
short for 'very black' perhaps
stop explaining my jokes
or you'll be on a time out
sorry
i'm being a honky.
i'm putting that on a t-shirt
That Pharoah Sanders album
is just as ace as it sounds. And he doesn't even mention the yodelling.
This is a needless bump for an old thread
There's a documentary about Sun Ra
on BBC2 tonight. 11.35.
Honestly it's the best Friday night i've had in over a month :(
bump
on now
\o/
watching it
now
That was quite ace
Sun Ra has no time for human failings. And fair play to that. He had a very knowing look on his face all the way through. Like they said, he could've been from Saturn, but it would be very difficult to prove!
May I re-iterate the
"NUCLEAR WAR! IT'S A MOTHERFUCKER!" sentiment?
WHAT YOU GON DO? YOU GOT NO ASS? OH WHAT YOU GON DO? YOU GOT NO ASS?
I feel better now thanks.
personal favourites...
Jazz In Silhouette
Space Is The Place
Nuclear War
Disco 3000
Media Dream
Last time I saw the arkestra and the band came walking amongst the crowd (as always) I remember Marshall Allen smelled of wee. But he is about 80.
Are you watching the documentary on now?
I am. Interesting stuff.
I need to try some more Sun Ra. I'm afraid I downloaded a couple of randomly-chosen albums a while ago and they turned out to be some of his most out-there/impenetrable stuff and I gave up. Sounds like there's some slightly more accessible stuff out there too.
It does really sound like something you had to see live though
i want a passport from saturn
that docu was great - i can't believe they were even debating as to wether sun ra was crazy or not! i don't know much about his music, but i'm definitely going to find out.
The Magic City
is a godlike piece of beauteous perfection.
I forgot that one
Good call Crablin
I cannot stand Sun Ra
At all.
Thanks
for your contrubution.
Inspired my the music of Sun Ra?
Why, there's a new arkestra forming! Join on the musicians board
http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1214772
What a coincidence!
Is this Sun Ra's doing?
a two year old thread? Have we spun out into 2006 from another dimension? Yeah, hang on i'll pop on my space suit...there we are! Sun Ra Sun Ra! Wait for me!!!