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.

Legacy and influence

While some of Sun Ra's experiments may be seen as noble failures, many other innovations remain important: "Ra was one of the first jazz leaders to use two basses, to employ the electric bass, to play electronic keyboards, to use extensive percussion and polyrhythms, to explore modal music and to pioneer solo and group freeform improvisations. In addition, he made his mark in the wider cultural context: he proclaimed the African origins of jazz, reaffirmed pride in black history and reasserted the spiritual and mystical dimensions of music (all important factors in the black cultural/political renaissance of the 60s)." http://www.icebergradio.com/artist/18893/sun_ra.html

Related Topics:
Basses - Electric bass - Electronic keyboard - Percussion - Polyrhythm - Modal - Freeform improvisations - Africa - Jazz - Spiritual - Mystical

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Other Influence:

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• George Clinton of P-funk fame based many of his early ideas ("Cosmic Slop") on Sun Ra.
• The Residents, the veteran anonymous avant-garde quartet, have claimed Sun Ra as a major influence on their music and their decision to self-release their own material.
• Ken Vandermark leads a trio called Spaceways Inc.--titled after a Sun Ra song—which regularly performs Sun Ra compositions.
• Trey Anastasio of Phish organised a recording session called Surrender to the Air. While not an overt Sun Ra tribute, it does feature several Arkestra members performing a suite very similar to much of Ra's music.
• Derek Trucks of Frogwings, Derek Trucks Band, and the Allman Brothers Band is often seen wearing a Sun Ra t-shirt and claims Sun Ra is one of his greatest influences. It can be heard, at times, in his slide playing and in other members of his own band.
• Grindcore band Brutal Truth covered Sun Ra's song "It's After The End Of The World" on their album Sounds Of The Animal Kingdom.
• In 2002, Yo La Tengo released a single consisting of four versions of Sun Ra's song "Nuclear War."
• Coil recorded a track called "Sex With Sun Ra(Part One - Saturnalia)" which can be found on the album Black Antlers. The lyrics are somewhat based off of Ra's "black folks in space" prophecy from the film Space Is The Place.