One day you just wake up to an artist that has been drifting around your peripheries for a while and suddenly understand what all the fuss was about. I had this recent epiphany with the mysterious jazz legend Sun Ra. Even though I like jazz I was previously put off by his vast discography and eccentric reputation, but as Ra has influenced artists as diverse as John Coltrane and the MC5 I decided to give him a go. Here is a beginners guide to the strange world of the former Mr Herman Poole Blount....
Sun Ra is often thought of as a weird bloke who dressed as a space pharaoh and made unlistenable music. While this is partially true he was also an innovative band leader in the tradition of Duke Ellington, a pioneer of DIY music making and an astounding showman and thinker. He has made hundreds of albums so getting into his work is tricky as no compilation has managed to capture his sound as one era can sound completely different from the next and many of his best tracks run for 10 minutes or more. The best way with Ra is to just download about ten albums and go for it.
My first pick is from Ra's 1978 album "Lanquidity". This is as "commercial" as Sun Ra ever got, there are grooves, tunes and relatively straight forward arrangements. While this may feel like a sissies way into the great man's many albums it does not feel like a compromise, the old madness is still there but Ra has simply decided to emphasise the funk and blues roots that were always dormant in his music leading to an album that is both an enjoyable and challenging listen.
Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy is often called the first psychedelic album. Released in 1967 this album is recorded on the cheap and does not include particularly futuristic instrumentation so it is a tribute to how out there Ra was that it sounds so bloody weird. One of his skills was using ancient sounds, drawing inspiration from African percussion on this album, to create otherworldly vistas. The past is as unknown and mysterious as the future in Sun Ra's world view.
Ra goes synth crazy on the album Disco 3000. Sounding a lot like some of Miles Davis's more berserk Stockhausen infused fusion this track shimmers and twists in unexpected directions, by turns frightening and pretty. Recorded live, you can see what a tight ship Ra ran as his band follow his every direction though the complex changes.
The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra is an exotic title but in fact this is one of his earlier records from 1961 and shows his ability to play straight Thelonious Monk influenced bop. Opening with a funky double bass riff this track swings with the best of 60's jazz before Ra decided to have a go at freer territory.
Ra goes disco! Kicking out the jams in 1979 with his album On Jupiter this tune could well have been a hit if anyone had played it. As there was always a lot of swing to Ra's music, even at it's most free, he handles the transition to funk and disco better than most of his more uptight contemporaries. Also his interest in black history made it logical he would investigate the latest dance sounds and absorb them into his work.
Space is the Place is a title that sums up Sun Ra's comic and cosmic outlook on life. And the majestic 21 minute title track to his best known album (and only one on John Coltrane's famous label Impulse) is a swirling delight. The first 5 minutes or so are attractive enough to work as nice background music. After a while the hypnotic grooves starts to get to you and when Ra starts messing with his Mini Moog you disappear into a black hole...
And finally a dose of Sun Ra at his most free and avant garde. The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra is a free jazz landmark. Every track is good but the wonderfully descriptive tone painting of Cosmic Chaos sums up the whole album. A funky groove breaks down into a crazy unaccompanied sax solo before an orgy of percussion leaves you stranded in the heart of the cosmos...
If you want to know more about the man there is an excellent BBC documentary Brother from Another Planet that does a great job of providing an insight into this gifted genius.
maningrey
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