Sun Ra

Sun Ra (May 22, 1914–May 30, 1993) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for preaching his bizarre "cosmic philosophy" as for his phenomenal musical compositions and performances.

1950s

Sun Ra's recording career as a bandleader began in Chicago, in the early 1950s.

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The first period of the 1950s was when his 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. Sun Ra's music in this era was often tightly arranged, and sometimes reminiscent of Duke Ellington's ensembles. There were, however, hints of the experimentalism that would dominate his later music.

Related Topics:
1950s - Swing - Duke Ellington

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Even from his earliest recordings, Sun Ra's band was centered around three talented saxophonists: Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and Pat Patrick. Each would devote over forty years to Sun Ra's bands.

Related Topics:
Marshall Allen - John Gilmore - Pat Patrick

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By 1952, his "cosmic philosophy" was developed, and Blount had legally changed his name to "Le Sony'r Ra." One observer has argued that this change was similar to the way "Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali ... their slave names in the process of attaining a new self-awareness and self-esteem." http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/staff/martinelli/Sun%20Ra.htm

Related Topics:
Malcolm X - Muhammad Ali

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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.

Related Topics:
Egypt - Science fiction

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Notable Sun Ra albums from the 1950s include Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth, Interstellar Low Ways, Angels And Demons At Play, We Travel The Spaceways, and Jazz In Silhouette (among many others).

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