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Encyclopedia > Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Background information
Birth name Herman Poole Blount
Born May 22, 1914
Origin Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Died May 30, 1993
Genre(s) South African jazz
Jive singing
Hard bop
Swing music
Progressive jazz
Mainstream jazz
Early Creative
Avant-garde jazz
Progressive big band
Experimental big band
Free jazz
Occupation(s) bandleader and composer
Instrument(s) Hammond Organ, Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Minimoog

Sun Ra (Born Herman Poole Blount; legal name Le Sony'r Ra;[1] born May 22, 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, died May 30, 1993 in Birmingham, Alabama) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy", musical compositions and performances. is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Jefferson County in the state of Alabama Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson, Shelby Government  - Mayor Bernard Kincaid (D) Area  - City  151. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... South African jazz is, put most simply, the jazz music of South Africa. ... Hard bop is an extension of bebop (bop) music which incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... CD reissue of Daviss 1957 LP Birth of the Cool, collecting much of his 1949 to 1950 work. ... Mainstream jazz is a genre of jazz music that was first used in reference to the playing styles of musicians like Buck Clayton among others; performers who once heralded from the era of big band swing music whom did not abandon swing for bebop, instead performing the music in smaller... Avant-jazz (also known as avant-garde jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of avant-garde art music composition with elements of traditional jazz. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... This is a disambiguation page &#8212; a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Jefferson County in the state of Alabama Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson, Shelby Government  - Mayor Bernard Kincaid (D) Area  - City  151. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Jefferson County in the state of Alabama Coordinates: Country United States State Alabama County Jefferson, Shelby Government  - Mayor Bernard Kincaid (D) Area  - City  151. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Synthesizer as used in music, is a term derived from a Greek word syntithetai < synthesis (συντίθεται < σύνθεσις) and is used to describe a device capable of generating and/or manipulating electronic signals for use in music creation, recording and performance. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ...


He abandoned his birth name and took on the name and persona of Sun Ra (Ra being the ancient Egyptian god of the Sun). Claiming that he was of the "Angel Race" and not from Earth, but from Saturn, Ra developed a complicated persona of "cosmic" philosophies and lyrical poetry that made him a pioneer of Afrofuturism as he preached "awareness" and peace above all. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... “Sol” redirects here. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... Afrofuturism, or afro-futurism, is an African-American and African diaspora subculture whose thinkers and artists see technology and science-fiction as means of exploring the black experience and finding new strategies to overcome racism and classism. ...


He led The Arkestra (a deliberate mis-spelling of "orchestra"), an ensemble with an ever-changing lineup and name (it was also called "The Solar Myth Arkestra," the "Blue Universe Arkestra," "The Jet Set Omniverse Arkestra," and many other permutations; Ra asserted that the ever-changing name of his ensemble reflected the ever-changing nature of his music.) This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


A prolific recording artist and frequent live performer, Sun Ra's music ranged from keyboard solos to big bands of 30-odd musicians; his music touched on virtually the entire history of jazz, from ragtime to swing music, from bebop to free jazz; he was also a pioneer of electronic music, space music[2] and free improvisation, and was one of the first musicians to use electronic keyboards. A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... Look up ragtime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Electronica be merged into this article or section. ... Space music is a type of ambient music. ... Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s) involved; in many cases the musicians make an active effort to avoiding overt references to recognizable musical genres. ... An electronic keyboard is a keyboard instrument which uses electricity to produce or amplify its sound. ...


He eschewed racism, and insisted his musicians avoid drug abuse, but he rarely spoke directly about politics or any controversial subjects. Because racism carries connotations of race-based bigotry, prejudice, violence, oppression, stereotyping or discrimination, the term has varying and often hotly contested definitions. ... Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. ...

Contents

Biography

Early life

For decades, very little was known about Sun Ra's early life; much of it was obscured by Sun Ra himself: he routinely give evasive, contradictory or seemingly nonsensical answers to personal questions, and he even went so far as to deny his birth name. Even his birthday was unknown, with years ranging from 1910 to 1918 being claimed for his birth. Only a few years before his death, the date of Sun Ra's birth remained a mystery: Jim Macnie's notes for Blue Delight (1989) could only state that Ra was believed to be about 75 years old.


However, Ra's biographer John F. Szwed[3] was able to uncover a wealth of information about Ra's early life, including confirming a May 22, 1914 birthday. is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...


Named after the popular vaudeville stage magician Black Herman who'd deeply impressed his mother, Blount would speculate, only half in jest, that he was distantly related to Elijah Poole, later famous as Elijah Muhammed, leader of the Nation of Islam. Blount was nicknamed "Sonny" from his childhood, and had an older sister and half-brother, and was doted upon by his mother and grandmother. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Benjamin Rucker (born in Amherst, Virginia in 1892) was an American stage magician, better known by his stage name Black Herman. ... Elijah Muhammad Elijah Muhammad (October 7, 1897–February 25, 1975) led the largely African-American spiritual and political organization, the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... // A nickname is a name of a person or thing other than its proper name. ...


At ten years old, Ra joined the Knights of Pythias, and remained a member until he graduated from high school. His family was deeply religious, but was not formally associated with any Christian church or sect. The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization founded at Washington, DC on 19 February 1864. ...


Even as a child Blount was a skilled pianist. By 11 or 12 years old he was writing original songs,[4] and was able to sight read sheet music. Birmingham was an important stop for touring musicians, and Blount saw famous musicians like Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, along with less-famous performers who were often just as talented as their better-known peers, with Ra once stating "the world let down a lot of good musicians."[5] In his teen years, Blount demonstrated prodigious musical talents: many times, according to acquaintances, he would see big band performances, and, from memory, produce full transcriptions of the bands' songs. Sight reading is reading and performing a work of music without having seen it before. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ... Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and band leader who has been one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ...


Blount had few or no close friends in high school, but was remembered as kind-natured and quiet, an honor roll student and a voracious reader. The Black Masonic Lodge was one of the few places in Birmingham where African-Americans had essentially unlimited access to books, and the Lodge's many books on Freemasonry and other esoteric concepts made a big impression on Blount. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is in need of attention. ... In most areas of the world Masons gather together in Masonic Lodges to work the three degrees of Freemasonry: 1° = Entered Apprentice 2° = Fellow Craft 3° = Master Mason Blue Lodge is used to specify the basic Masonic Lodge granting the first three degrees and to differentiate it from other Masonic... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ...


By his mid-teens, Ra was performing semi-professionally as a solo pianist, or as a member of various ad hoc jazz and R&B groups. He attended Birmingham's Industrial High School, where he studied under famed music teacher John T. "Fess" Parker, a demanding disciplinarian who was widely respected and whose classes produced many professional musicians.


Also by his teens, Ra suffered from cryptorchidism,[6] a chronic testicular hernia that left him with a nearly constant discomfort that sometimes flared into severe pain. The condition also left him with a sense of shame and increased his sense of isolation. Cryptorchidism is a medical term referring to absence from the scrotum of one or both testes. ... The testicle (from Latin testis, meaning witness [1], plural testes) is the male generative gland in animals. ... A hernia is often likened to the failure of a tire. ...


Blount rejected the invitation to be his high school class valedictorian, writes Szwed, because the young pianist "wanted nothing to do with leadership."[7] In the United States and Canada, the title of valedictorian (an anglicized derivation from the Latin vale dicere, to say farewell) is given to the top graduate of the graduating class (the Australia/New Zealand equivalent being dux, although some Australian universities use the American term) of an educational institution. ...


Some people saw Sun Ra's speech and mannerisms as effeminate, and there was speculation that he was homosexual. Others, however, discounted such ideas, noting that Sun Ra seemed to have no interest in any sort of romantic or sexual relationships. In a rare insight into his personal life, Blount wrote in a 1943 letter, "I have never been able to think of sex as a part of my life though I have tried to but I just wasn't interested";[8] (see Asexuality). When asked directly why he had never married, Sun Ra paraphrased the Gospel of St. Matthew, stating, "They neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels that shine forth like the sun." Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... This article is about human beings who do not have interest in, or inclination towards, sexual behavior. ... The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels of the New Testament. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. ...


Early professional career and college

In 1934, Blount was offered his first full-time musical job when Industrial High School English teacher Ethel Harper organized a band and decided to pursue a career as a singer. Blount joined a musicians' union, and Harper's group toured through the U.S. southeast and Midwest. Harper left the group mid-tour to move to New York (she later was a member of the modestly successful singing group the Ginger Snaps), and Blount took over leadership of the group, renaming it the Sonny Blount Orchestra. They continued touring for several months before dissolving the unprofitable group. A trade union or labour union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... Ginger Snaps poster. ...


Though the first edition of the Sonny Blount Orchestra was not financially successful, they earned positive notice from fans and other musicians, and Blount afterwards found steady employment in Birmingham.


The clubs of Birmingham often featured exotic trappings such as vivid lighting and murals with tropical or oasis scenes that were believed to have influenced Sun Ra's later stage shows. The big bands also imparted a sense of pride and togetherness to black musicians: musicians were highly regarded in the black community, and were expected to be disciplined and presentable, and in the segregated south, black musicians arguably had the most acceptance in white society, often performing for white high society audiences (though they were typically forbidden from associating with the audiences). A noontime scene from the Philippines on a day when the sun is almost directly overhead. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ...


In 1936, Parker's intercession led to Blount being awarded a scholarship at Alabama A&M. He was a music education major, studying composition, orchestration, and music theory, but after a year, he dropped out. Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, also known as Alabama A&M University or AAMU, is an accredited, public, coeducational land grant college established under the terms of the Morrill Act of 1890 located in Normal, Madison County, Alabama. ... Music education encompasses many areas of teaching, including music history, music theory, instrumental proficiency, singing skills, and general music skills. ... Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. ... Music theory is a field of study that investigates the nature or mechanics of music. ...


Blount's "trip to Saturn"

Finances and his increasing sense of isolation are believed to have been a factor in Blount's leaving college, but perhaps more importantly, he claimed a visionary experience as a college student, a strange event that was to have a major long-term influence on the young pianist. In 1936 or 1937, in the midst of deep religious concentration, Blount claimed that a bright light appeared around him, and, as he later reported,

....my whole body changed into something else. I could see through myself. And I went up … I wasn't in human form … I landed on a planet that I identified as Saturn … they teleported me and I was down on [a] stage with them. They wanted to talk with me. They had one little antenna on each ear. A little antenna over each eye. They talked to me. They told me to stop [attending college] because there was going to be great trouble in schools … the world was going into complete chaos ... I would speak [through music], and the world would listen. That's what they told me."[9]

Ra claimed that this experience occurred in 1936 or '37, but according to Swzed, even Blount's closest associates cannot date the story any earlier than 1952 (and Blount also claimed that it occurred when he was living in Chicago, a town he did not regularly inhabit until the late-1940s). With no substantial variations, Blount discussed the vision to the end of his life. The trip to Saturn allegedly happened a full decade before flying saucers entered public consciousness, about fifteen years before the contactees and their stories of benevolent Space Brothers were publicized, and almost twenty years before sinister UFO abductions were a public concept. Szwed writes that in later years, Blount's experience would classify as a "classic UFO-abduction story"[10] Additionally, Szwed argues, Teleportation is the movement of objects or elementary particles from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, without traveling through space. ... UFO redirects here. ... Contactees are persons who claim to be in regular contact with extraterrestrials. ... Space Brothers aka Space People aka Nordic Spacemen were the type of space alien normally reported by classic contactees, those who claimed to have had face-to-face encounters with flying saucer crewmembers and (usually) rides in their saucers, beginning in 1952 with George Adamski and continuing with many inspired... The Abduction Phenomenon is as umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses, claims or assertions stating that extraterrestrial creatures kidnap individuals--sometimes called abductees--usually for medical testing or for sexual reproduction procedures. ...

even if this story is revisionist autobiography … Sonny was pulling together several strains of his life. He was both prophesying his future and explaining his past with a single act of personal mythology.[11]

Revisionism is a word which has several meanings. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ...

Late 1930s: A new devotion to music

Even putting Blount's strange vision aside, after leaving college, he became known as perhaps the most singularly devoted musician in Birmingham. He rarely slept, citing Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci and Napoleon as fellow highly productive cat-nappers. He transformed the first floor of his family's home into a conservatory-cum-workshop, where he wrote songs, transcribed recordings, rehearsed with the many musicians who were nearly constantly drifting in and out, and discussed Biblical and esoteric concepts with whoever was interested; Szwed describes the Blount home as "a kind of pool hall for the metaphysically minded."[12] Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. ... The Mona Lisa Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ...


Blount became a regular at Birmingham's Forbes Piano Company, a white-owned company which -- astoundingly for a business in the Deep South -- simply ignored the strict Jim Crow laws of the racially segregated era. Blount visited the Forbes building almost daily to play music, swap ideas with staff and customers, or copy sheet music into his notebooks. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


He formed a new band, and, like his old teacher Parker, insisted on rigorous daily rehearsals. The new Sonny Blount Orchestra earned a reputation as an impressive, disciplined band that could play "sweet" and "hot" music with equal skill.


Drafted and wartime experiences

In October, 1942, Blount received a selective service notification that he had been drafted into the U.S. Military. He quickly declared himself a conscientious objector, citing religious objections to war and killing, his financial support of his great-aunt Ida, and his chronic hernia. His case was rejected by the local draft board, and in his appeal to the national draft board, Blount wrote that the lack of Black men on the draft appeal board "smacks of Hitlerism."[13] His family was deeply embarrassed by Sonny's refusal to join the military, and he was effectively ostracized by many of his relatives. SSS redirects to here, you may also want the Social Security System The Selective Service System, in the United States, is a system to register all males over the age of 18 for the purpose of having information available about potential soldiers in case of war. ... For other uses, see Conscript (disambiguation). ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... It has been suggested that Conscientious objection throughout the world be merged into this article or section. ... The Nazi party used a right-facing swastika as their symbol and the red and black colors were said to represent Blut und Boden (blood and soil). ...


Blount was eventually approved for alternate service at Civilian Public Service camp in Pennsylvania. However, Blount didn't appear at the camp as scheduled on December 8, 1942, and shortly thereafter, he was arrested in Alabama. Civilian Public Service (CPS) provided conscientious objectors in the United States an alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947 nearly 12,000 draftees, unwilling to do any type of military service, performed work of national importance in 152 CPS camps throughout the United States and... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...


In court, Blount declared that even alternate service was unacceptable to him, and he debated the judge on points of law and Biblical interpretation. Though sympathetic to Blount, the judge also declared that he was clearly in violation of the law, and was risking forcible induction into the U.S. Military. Blount declared that if he were inducted, he would use his military weapons and training to kill the first high-ranking military officer he could. The judge sentenced Blount to jail (pending draft board and CPS rulings), and then declared "I've never seen a nigger like you before;" Blount replied, "No, and you never will again."[14] Szwed describes Blount's boldness as "brave and audacious"[15] in a culture where black men were routinely lynched. Lynching is a form of violence, usually murder, conceived of by its perpetrators as extrajudicial punishment for offenders or as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ...


In January, 1943, a desperate Blount wrote the U.S. Marshalls from the Walker County, Alabama jail in Jasper. He said he was facing a nervous breakdown due to the stress of imprisonment, that he was suicidal, and that he was in constant fear of sexual assault. The United States Marshals Service (sometimes incorrectly spelled Marshals Service), part of the United States Department of Justice, is the United Statess oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. ... Jasper is a city located in Walker County, Alabama. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Sexual assault is any physical contact of a sexual nature without voluntary consent. ...


His conscientious objector status was eventually reaffirmed in February, 1943, and Blount was escorted to Pennsylvania where he conducted forestry work in the days and was allowed to play piano at night. Psychiatrists there described him as "a psychopathic personality [and] sexually perverted" but also as "a well-educated colored intellectual."[16] Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ... An intellectual is one who tries to use his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas. ...


In March, 1943, Blount was classified as 4-F due to his hernia. [1]. He returned to Birmingham embittered and angered by his experiences. He formed a new band and quickly was playing professionally. The Selective Service System is the means by which the United States administers military conscription. ...


After his beloved great-aunt Ida died in 1945, Blount felt no reason to stay in Birmingham. He dissolved the band, and moved to Chicago, part of the wave of southern African Americans who moved north during and after World War II. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...


The Chicago Years (1945 to 1961)

In Chicago, Blount quickly found work, notably with blues singer Wynonie Harris, with whom he made his recording debut on two 1946 singles: "Dig This Boogie/Lightning Struck the Poorhouse" and "My Baby's Barrelhouse"/"Drinking By Myself;" "Dig This Boogie" was also Blount's first recorded piano solo. He performed with the locally successful Lil Green band, and for months played bump-and-grind music for Calumet City strip clubs. Wynonie Mr. ... Lillian Green (1919-1954) was an American blues singer and songwriter. ... Calumet City is a city located in Cook County, Illinois. ... For the book or movie Striptease see Striptease (book) and Striptease (movie) A striptease is a performance, usually a dance, in which the performer gradually removes their clothing for the purposes of sexually arousing the audience, usually performed in nightclubs. ...


Blount earned a lengthy engagement at Club DeLisa, where he met bandleader and composer Fletcher Henderson. Blount had long admired Henderson, but Henderson's fortunes were fading (his band comprised of middling musicians rather than the stars of earlier years) due in large part to his instability. Henderson hired Blount as pianist and arranger. Ra's arrangements initially showed a degree of bebop influence, but the band members largely resisted the new music, despite Henderson's encouragement. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ...


In 1948, Blount performed briefly in a trio with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and violinist Stuff Smith, both preeminent swing-era musicians. There are no known recordings of this trio, but a home-recording of a Blount-Smith duet from 1948 or 1949 appears on Sound Sun Pleasure, and one of Sun Ra's final recordings was a rare sideman appearance on violinist Billy Bang's Tribute To Stuff Smith. Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes Bean, (November 21, 1901 or 1904 - May 19, 1969) was a prominent jazz tenor saxophone musician. ... Stuff Smith was one of the big three of pre-bop violinists along with Joe Venuti and Stephane Grappelli. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... Billy Bang (b. ...


In addition to professional advancement, Chicago also changed Blount's personal outlook. The city was a center of African American political activism and fringe movements, with Black Muslims, Black Hebrews and others proselytizing, debating, and printing leaflets or books. Blount absorbed it all, and was fascinated with the city's many ancient Egyptian-styled buildings and monuments. He read books like George G.M. James's Stolen Legacy (which argued that classical Greek philosophy actually had its roots in ancient Egypt), which convinced Blount that the accomplishments and history of Africans had been systematically suppressed and denied by European cultures. The Black Hebrews (or African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem) is a small religious group whose members believe they are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. ... Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. ...


By 1952, Blount was leading the "Space Trio" with drummer Tommy "Bugs" Hunter and saxophonist Pat Patrick, two of the most accomplished musicians he'd known. They performed regularly, and Ra was writing ever-more advanced songs.


On October 20, 1952 Blount legally changed his name to "Le Sony'r Ra", "in order to free himself from his past life" Swzed writes.[17] Ra claimed[18] to have always been uncomfortable with his birth name of Blount, seeing it as a slave name of a family that he was not really a member of. One observer has argued that this change was similar to the way "Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali ... [dropped] their slave names in the process of attaining a new self-awareness and self-esteem."[19] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, also known as Detroit Red and Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Omaha, Nebraska, May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965 in New York City) was a Muslim Minister and National Spokesman for the Nation of Islam. ... “Cassius Clay” redirects here. ...


Patrick left the group to move to Florida with his new wife; not long after, Patrick's friend John Gilmore (tenor sax) joined the group, and Marshall Allen (alto sax) soon joined the fold. Patrick was in and out of the group until the end of his life, but Allen and Gilmore -- who would both earn critical praise for their talents -- were the two most devoted members of the Arkestra. Saxophonist James Spaulding and trombonist Julian Priester also recorded with Ra in Chicago, and both went on to notable careers of their own. John Gilmore John Gilmore (October 29, 1931 - August 20, 1995) was a jazz tenor saxophone player best-known for his long tenure as a member of Sun Ras Arkestra. ... Marshall Allen (born 1924) is a free jazz alto saxophone player. ... James Spaulding (born July 30, 1937 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. ... Julian Priester is a jazz trombonist who has played with a considerable range of more widely known artists including Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock. ...


In Chicago, Blount met Alton Abraham, a precociously intelligent teenager and something of a kindred spirit who became the Arkestra's biggest booster, and one's of Sun Ra's closest friends. The men both felt like outsiders, and shared an interest in fringe esoterica, Abraham's strengths balanced Ra's shortcomings: though he was a disciplined bandleader, Ra was somewhat introverted and lacked business sense (a trait that would haunt his entire career); Abraham was outgoing, well-connected and practical. Though still a teenager, Abraham eventually became Ra's de facto business manager: he booked performances, suggested musicians for the Arkestra, and introduced several popular songs into the group's repertoire. Ra, Abraham and others formed a sort of book club to trade ideas and discuss the offbeat topics that so intrigued them. This group printed a number of pamphlets and broadsides explaining their conclusions and ideas; some of these were collected by critic John Corbett and Anthony Elms as The Wisdom of Sun Ra: Sun Ra's Polemical Broadsheets and Streetcorner Leaflets (2006). A book club is a club where people usually meet to discuss a book that they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. ...


Ra and Abraham also formed an independent record label in the mid-50s; it was generally known as Saturn Records, though (as with the Arkestra) there were several variants of the name. Initially focused on 45 rpm singles by Sun Ra and artists related to him, Saturn Records did issue two full-length albums during the 1950s: Super-Sonic Jazz (1956) and Jazz In Silhouette (1958). Producer Tom Wilson was actually the first to release a Sun Ra album, through his independent label Transition Records in 1956, entitled Sun Song (Delmark Records, a Chicago-based label, reissued the album following Transition's demise). An independent record label is variously described as a record label operating without the funding (or outside the organizations) of the major record labels, and/or a label that subscribes to indie philosophies such as DIY and anti-corporate art. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Growing up in Wichita, Kansas, Delmark founder Bob Koester got hooked on jazz after hearing artists like Lionel Hampton. ...


It was during the late 1950s that Sun Ra and his band began wearing the outlandish, Egyptian-styled or science fiction-themed costumes and headdresses for which they would become known. These costumes had multiple purposes: they evidenced Sun Ra's abiding fascination with ancient Egypt and the space age; they provided a sort of distinctive, memorable uniform for the Arkestra; they were a way to take on a new identity, at least while onstage; and they provided comic relief (Sun Ra thought avant garde musicians typically took themselves far too seriously). Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on ones head. ... The Space Shuttle takes off on a manned mission to space. ... A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organisation whilst participating in that organisations activity. ... Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. ...


The New York Years (1961 to early 1970s)

Cover of the album The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One
Cover of the album The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One

Sun Ra and most of the core Arkestra (at least Allen, Gilmore, Patrick and Boykins) left Chicago in 1961, staying in Montreal for a few months before settling in New York City. They initially had trouble finding performance venues, and began living communally due to New York's higher cost of living. This frustration fueled the drastic changes the Arkestra's sound when Sun Ra's music underwent a free jazz-influenced experimental period. Cover of the Sun Ra album The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One This is an album cover. ... Cover of the Sun Ra album The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One This is an album cover. ... The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One is a 1965 (see 1965 in music) album by the jazz musician Sun Ra. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A Commune is a kind of intentional community where most resources are shared and there is little or no personal property. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...


In March of 1966, the Arkestra scored a regular Monday-night gig at Slug's Saloon. This proved to be a breakthrough to new audiences and recognition. Sun Ra's popularity reached an early peak during this period, as the "beat generation" and early followers of psychedelia embraced him. “Beats” redirects here. ... Psychedelia is a term describing a category of music, visual art, fashion, and culture that is associated originally with the high 1960s, hippies, and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California. ...


Regularly for the next year and a half (and intermittently for another half a decade afterwards), Sun Ra and company performed at Slug's for audiences that eventually came to include music critics and notable jazz musicians. Opinions of Sun Ra's music were divided (and hecklers were not uncommon), but high praise came from two of the architects of bebop: trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie offered encouragement, once stating, "Keep it up, Sonny, they tried to do the same shit to me.",[20] while pianist Thelonious Monk chided someone who said Ra was "too far out" by responding, "Yeah, but it swings."[21] A heckler is a person who shouts an uninvited comment, usually disparaging, at a performance or event, or interrupting set-piece speeches, for example at a political meeting. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ...


The Philadelphia years (late 1960s to 1990s)

In the late 1960s when the New York building they were renting was put up for sale, Sun Ra and the Arkestra relocated to the Germantown section of Philadelphia, where his Morton Street house remained the Arkestra's base of operations until Sun Ra's death. Germantown was originally the Borough of Germantown, a town in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania and is today a neighborhood in Philadelphia, about six miles northwest from the center of the city. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ...


Apart from occasional complaints about the noise of rehearsals, they were soon regarded as good neighbors due to their friendliness, drug-free living, and rapport with youngsters. Saxophonist Danny Thompson owned and operated the Pharaoh's Den, a convenience store in the neighborhood. When lightning struck a tree on their street, Ra took it as a good omen, and multireedist James Jacson fashioned the Cosmic Infinity Drum from the scorched tree trunk. They still commuted via railroad to New York for the Monday night gig at Slug's and for other engagements. Examples of omens from the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493): natural phenomena and strange births. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...


In late 1968, Sun Ra and the Arkestra undertook their first tour of the U.S. west coast. Reactions were mixed; even hippies accustomed to long-form psychedelia like the Grateful Dead were often bewildered by the Arkestra, which included 20 to 30 musicians, dancers, singers, fire-eaters and elaborate lighting. John Burks of Rolling Stone wrote a positive review of a San Jose State College concert that led to Sun Ra being featured on the cover of the April 19, 1969 cover of the magazine, and introducing Ra's inscrutable gaze to millions. This first west-coast tour also led to vibraphonist Damon Choice, then an art student at San Jose, joining the Arkestra. Singer at a modern Hippie movement in Russia Hippie (sometimes spelled hippy) refers to a member of a subgroup of the counterculture that began in the United States during the early 1960s, becoming an established social group by 1965, and expanding to other countries before declining in the mid-1970s. ... Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California. ... San José State University, commonly shortened to San Jose State and SJSU, is the oldest university in what became the California State University system. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...


Starting with concerts in France, Germany and the United Kingdom in 1970, the Arkestra began to find opportunities for working outside the U.S., playing to audiences who had hitherto known his music only through the records. Ra continued playing in Europe to nearly the end of his life.


Given Ra's unorthodox financial management, saxophonist Danny Thompson became a de facto tour and business manager during this era, specializing in what he called "no bullshit C.O.D.",[22] preferring to take cash before performing or delivering records. Cash on delivery or COD is a financial transaction where the payment of products and/or services received is done at the time of actual delivery rather than paid for in advance. ...


In early 1971, Sun Ra was artist-in-residence at UC Berkeley, in Berkeley, California, teaching a course called "The Black Man In The Cosmos." Rather few students enrolled, but the classes were often full of curious persons from the surrounding community. One half-hour of each class was devoted to a lecture (complete with handouts and homework assignments), the other half-hour to an Arkestra performance or Ra keyboard solo. Reading lists included the works of Madame Blavatsky and Henry Dumas, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Alexander Hislop's The Two Babylons, The Book of Oahspe and assorted volumes concerning Egyptian hieroglyphs, African American folklore and other topics. The University of California, Berkeley (also known as Cal, UC Berkeley, UCB, or simply Berkeley) is a prestigious, public, coeducational university situated in the foothills of Berkeley, California to the east of San Francisco Bay, overlooking the Golden Gate and its bridge. ... Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northern California, in the United States. ... Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also Hélène) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ... Henry Dumas (July 20, 1934 - May 23, 1968) was an African-American writer and poet, born in Sweet Home, Arkansas. ... The Book of the Dead comd A Section of Plate 3 from the Papyrus of Ani. ... Alexander Hislop (Born at Duns, Berwickshire, 1807; died Arbroath, 13 March 1865) was a Free Church of Scotland minister famous for his outspoken criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Original cover of The Two Babylons, which alleges that many of the Roman Catholic churches doctrines and ceremonies came from ancient Babylonian culture. ... Oahspe: A Kosmon Bible in the Words of Jehovih and his Angel Embassadors (sic) is a book announcing new revelations from God, which was produced by John Ballou Newbrough (1828-1891) by automatic writing, and which was first published by Newbrough in 1882. ... It has been suggested that Hieroglyph (French Wiki article) be merged into this article or section. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...


In 1971, Sun Ra fulfilled a long-standing desire by performing with the Arkestra at ancient Egyptian pyramids.[23] All Giza Pyramids. ...


In 1972, San Francisco public TV station KQED producer John Coney, producer Jim Newman, and screen writer Joshua Smith worked with Sun Ra to produce a 30 minute documentary film entitled "Space is the Place", featuring Sun Ra's Arkestra and filmed in Golden Gate Park. [24]


On May 20, 1978, Sun Ra and the Arkestra appeared on Saturday Night Live. May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 91-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City that has been broadcast live by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ...


The Arkestra continued their touring and recording through the 1980s and into the 1990s, and Sun Ra became a fixture in Philadelphia, appearing semi-regularly on WXPN radio, giving lectures to community groups, or haunting the city's libraries. WXPN (88. ...


Even after a stroke in 1990, Sun Ra kept composing, performing and leading the Arkestra. Late in his career, Sun Ra opened a few concerts for New York-based rock group Sonic Youth. Stroke (or cerebrovascular accident or CVA) is the clinical designation for a rapidly developing loss of brain function due to an interruption in the blood supply to all or part of the brain. ... Sonic Youth is a seminal American alternative rock group formed in New York City in 1981. ...


Eventually, Sun Ra grew too ill to perform and tour, and he entrusted Gilmore with leading the Arkerstra. Gilmore himself was frail due to emphysema, and when he died, Allen took over leadership of the Arkestra.


Sun Ra went back to Birmingham and reconnected with his sister whom he had rarely seen for nearly forty years. He contracted pneumonia, died in Birmingham on May 30, 1993, and was buried at the Elmwood Cemetery. The small footstone read only "Sonny Blount (aka [sic] Le Son'y [sic] Ra)"[25] shortly before his death. Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...


The Arkestra continues

The Arkestra continues to tour and perform as of June 2007.


Following Sun Ra's death, the Arkestra was led by tenor saxophonist John Gilmore. Following Gilmore's death the group has performed under the direction of alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, who celebrated his 80th birthday on stage during Arkestra performances at the Vox Populi gallery in Philadelphia and the Vision Festival in New York City. Marshall Allen (born 1924) is a free jazz alto saxophone player. ... The Vision Festival is a free jazz festival, founded by dancer-coreographer Patricia Nicholson Parker and held annually in New York City since 1996. ...


In the summer of 2004 became the first American jazz band to perform in Tuva, playing five sets at the Ustuu-Huree Festival.[2] Tyva Republic IPA: (Russian: IPA: ; Tuvan: ), or Tuva (), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ...


Sun Ra's music

Sun Ra's piano technique touched on many styles: his youthful fascination with boogie woogie, stride piano and blues; he sometimes had a refined touch reminiscent of Count Basie or Ahmad Jamal, and could play angular phrases like Thelonious Monk or brutal, percussive attacks like Cecil Taylor. Often overlooked is the range of influences from classical music -- Ra cited[26] Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schoenberg and Shostakovich as his favorite composers for the piano. Boogie woogie has two different meanings: a piano based music style, boogie woogie (music) a dance that imitates the rocknroll of the 50s, boogie woogie (dance) This is a disambiguation page &#8212; a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Stride is a pioneering jazz piano style. ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Ahmad Jamal in 1994 Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones on July 2, 1930)[1] is a highly-regarded American jazz pianist. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ... Cecil Percival Taylor (born March 15 or March 25, 1929 in New York City) is an American pianist and poet. ... This article discusses classical music in the first sense (see below). ... Frédéric François Chopin as portrayed by Eugène Delacroix in 1838. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, also Sergey Rachmaninov or Serge Rakhmaninov (&#1057;&#1077;&#1088;&#1075;&#1077;&#769;&#1081; &#1042;&#1072;&#1089;&#1080;&#769;&#1083;&#1100;&#1077;&#1074;&#1080;&#1095; &#1056;&#1072;&#1093;&#1084;&#1072;&#769;&#1085;&#1080;&#1085;&#1086;&#1074;), (April 1, 1873 &#8211; March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg, (the anglicized form of Schönberg&#8212;Schoenberg changed the spelling officially when he became a U.S. citizen) (September 13, 1874 &#8211; July 13, 1951) was a composer, born in Vienna, Austria. ... Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich (Russian &#1044;&#1084;&#1080;&#1090;&#1088;&#1080;&#1081; &#1044;&#1084;&#1080;&#1090;&#1088;&#1080;&#1077;&#1074;&#1080;&#1095; &#1064;&#1086;&#1089;&#1090;&#1072;&#1082;&#1086;&#1074;&#1080;&#1095;) (September 25, 1906 &#8211; August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ...


As a synthesizer and electric keyboard player, Sun Ra ranks among one of the earliest and most radical pioneers. By the mid-1950s, he used a variety of electric keyboards, and almost immediately, he exploited their potential perhaps more than anyone, sometimes modifying them himself to produce sounds rarely if ever heard before. His live albums from the late '60s and early '70s feature some of the noisiest, most bizarre keyboard work ever recorded.


Sun Ra's music can be roughly divided into three phases, but his records and performances were full of surprises, and Swzed cautions[27] against "attempt[s] to drawn a coherent evolutionary line over time" in describing the Arkestra's music.


The Chicago Phase

The first period, in the 1950s was when Ra's music evolved from big band swing into the outer-space-themed "cosmic jazz" for which he was best known. Music critics and jazz historians say some of his best work was recorded during this period, and it is also some of his most accessible music. A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ...


Sun Ra's music in this era was often tightly arranged, and sometimes reminiscent of Duke Ellington's, Count Basie's, or other important swing music ensembles. However, there was a strong influence from post-swing styles like bebop, hard bop and modal jazz, and touches of the exotic and hints of the experimentalism that would dominate his later music. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist, and band leader who has been one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Bebop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. ... Hard bop is an extension of bebop (bop) music which incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. ... Modal jazz is jazz played using musical modes rather than chord progressions. ...


Notable Sun Ra albums from the 1950s include Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth, Interstellar Low Ways, Super-Sonic Jazz, We Travel The Spaceways, The Nubians Of Plutonia and Jazz In Silhouette.


The New York Phase

After the move to New York, Ra and company plunged headlong into the experimentalism that they'd only hinted at in Chicago. The music was often extremely loud, and the Arkestra grew to include multiple drummers and percussionists.


Recordings of this era began to utilise new technological possibilities, such as extensive use of tape delay systems to assemble spacial sound pieces which are far removed from earlier compositions such as "Saturn". Recordings and live performances often featured passages for unusual instrumental combinations and passages of collective playing which point towards free improvisation -- in fact, it's often difficult to tell where the compositions end and the improvisations begin. Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s) involved; in many cases the musicians make an active effort to avoiding overt references to recognizable musical genres. ...


In this era Ra began conducting using hand and body gestures. This system would inspire cornetist Butch Morris, who would later develop his own more highly refined way to conduct improvisers. Lawrence D. Butch Morris is an American jazz cornetist, composer and conductor, born February 10, 1947 in Long Beach, California. ...


Though often associated with avant-garde jazz, Sun Ra did not believe his work could be classified as "free music:" "I have to make sure that every note, every nuance, is correct.… If you want to call it that, spell it p-h-r-e, because ph is a definite article and re is the name of the sun. So I play phre music – music of the sun."[28]


Seeking to broaden his compositional possibilities, Sun Ra insisted all band members double on various percussion instruments--predating world music by drawing on various ethnic musical forms--and most saxophonists became multireedists, adding instruments such as flutes, oboes or clarinets to their arsenals. A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being struck with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... Multireedist is a term sometimes used to describe a musician who is a capable performer on more than one reed instrument. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ...


In this era, Ra was among the first of any musicians to make extensive and pioneering use of synthesizers and other various electronic keyboards; he was given a prototype minimoog by its inventor, Robert Moog. Synthesizer as used in music, is a term derived from a Greek word syntithetai < synthesis (συντίθεται < σύνθεσις) and is used to describe a device capable of generating and/or manipulating electronic signals for use in music creation, recording and performance. ... The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ... Dr. Robert Arthur Moog (pronounced // to rhyme with vogue, not //) (May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was a pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. ...


Newcomers to Ra's music may have difficulty with his albums of this era; these recordings may seem noisy or chaotic. Notable titles from this period include The Magic City, 'Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, When Sun Comes Out, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One, Atlantis, Secrets Of The Sun and Other Planes Of There. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume One is a 1965 (see 1965 in music) album by the jazz musician Sun Ra. ... Atlantis is an album by jazz musician Sun Ra released in 1967. ...


The Philadelphia Phase

During their third period, beginning in the 1970s and onward, Sun Ra and the Arkestra settled down into a relatively conventional sound, often incorporating swing standards, though their records and concerts were still highly eclectic and energetic, and typically included at least one lengthy, semi-improvised percussion jam. Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ...


Ra was explicitly asserting a continuity with the ignored jazz tradition: "They tried to fool you, now I got to school you, about jazz, all about jazz" he rapped, framing the inclusion of pieces by Fletcher Henderson and Jelly Roll Morton. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ... Morton in the 1920s Ferdinand Jelly Roll Morton September 20, 1890 - July 10, 1941) was an American virtuoso pianist, bandleader and composer who some call the first true composer of jazz music. ...


The spectacle of the Arkestra became a familiar feature on the international jazz festival circuit, which provided a useful financial support structure for the Arkestra.


In the 1970s, Ra took a liking to the films of Walt Disney. He incorporated smatterings of Disney musical numbers into many of his performances from then on. In the late 1980s the Arkestra even performed a concert at Walt Disney World. The Arkestra's version of "Pink Elephants on Parade" is available on Stay Awake, a 'tribute album' of Disney tunes played by various artists, and produced by Hal Willner. For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Cinderella Castle, at the center of the Magic Kingdom, is Walt Disney World Resorts most recognizable icon Introduction Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA is home to four theme parks, two water parks, several resort hotels and golf courses... Hal Willner (born 1957, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a music producer working in recording, Films, TV and live events. ...


A number of Sun Ra's 1970s concerts are available on CD, but none have received a wide release in comparison to his earlier music. The album Atlantis can be considered the landmark that led into his 1970s era.


Musicians

Certainly dozens of musicians -- perhaps hundreds -- passed through Sun Ra's bands over the years. Some stayed with him for decades, while others made only a few recordings or performances.


Sun Ra was personally responsible for the vast majority of the constant changes in the Arkestra's lineup. According to contrabassist Juini Booth, himself a member of the Arkestra, Sun Ra would not confront any musician whose performance he was unsatisfied with. Instead, Sun Ra would simply gather the entire Arkestra minus the offending musician, and skip town, leaving the fired musician stranded. After repeated instances of U.S. Jazz musicians becoming stranded in foreign countries, Sun Ra's unique method of dismissal became a diplomatic liability for the United States. The U.S. State Department was compelled to tell Sun Ra to bring any fired musicians stateside rather than leaving them stranded.


The following is a partial list of musical collaborators and the eras in which they played with Sun Ra and/or the Arkestra: