I saw Sun Ra about a dozen times, from the early 70's until the last show of his I got to see at the Gothic in Denver in 1990. And every show was a totally different experience. The only other cats I saw as often as Sun Ra were Pharoah Sanders and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Pure joy. "What do you do when you know that you know, that you know that you're wrong?" Face the music! Listen to the cosmic song! (And the cosmic song is more than physical music.)
I saw him I think 5 or 6 times. Once he wore a small sculpture I made for him in his performance. I've never heard of anyone who saw him who didn't laugh and cry at the beauty at the same time. - I regret very much not seeing Rahsaan... I didn't understand him at the time.
Back around '77 I was in NYC visiting a friend. I was walking down (Positively) Fourth Street, and cosmic character was passing out flyers about a Sun Ra show that night, at a dance school in Brooklyn. I guess I had seen Sun Ra and the Arkestra 3 or so times prior to that. I talked my host into taking the subway over. I couldn't have been prepared for that experience. There were more Arkestra members on stage than there were audience members, so it was a very intimate concert experience. It was also the only time I ever saw Sun Ra take a turn at the drum kit... 🎷
+Go Peace Unfortunately, Night Music was "buried" by most NBC affiliates to terrible time slots with virtually no promotion. What gets me is Television will have a great show like this and not give it a chance to catch on , then the programming executives will say (when the show gets crappy ratings): "see, people don't want to watch an intellectual music show with unknown musicians".
Yeah, it was on real late on Sundays. I was asked to be on this program when I was with the great Manny Oquendo and Libre, with the late Jerry Gonzalez, but I was unavailable for the taping. The show was great, though, look for it.
"What are some of your early inspirations?" "The planets, the creator, mythical gods, real ones, people flowers, everything in nature..." I love that answer. What a great answer.
I saw them three times in Philadelphia back in the 1980's and let me tell you, they put on a show to remember. They can and do play all types of styles. I remember them playing Hoagy Carmichael's Startdust and it sounded as great as if Duke Ellington's band was playing it.
The history of american/african/world music compressed into a few thrilling moments...sun ra was the past, the present and future we will never know....
@@dbrown2746 I recall that! But the show overran its time slot. It had nothing to do with Sun Ra, per se. But I thought it was the late SNL music producer, Hal Wilner, who was responsible!
No comparison. Sun Ra swings. That other guy drags along like a stoned out clubfoot in a horse race with a snake. Beefguy is not even a low voltage washed out white lo calorie Sun Ra clone. He should have been so lucky. But wasn't.
@@ergbudster3333 one might think that at first, but then be surprised that every note was composed thoroughly on trout mask replica. In other words, no improv or mistake notes, aside from the saxophone. Listen to some of the Instrumental versions of trout mask here on RU-vid and maybe you'll see what I mean.
Thanks for the info S.R., but I have listened to the album many times since it was first released. I will now apologize to Beef fans everywhere. I was rude and harsh. In my defense I will say that Sunny Ra is one of the great ones in my opinion. Don V. has his niche down tight. What I did not agree with was calling Sunny the Beefheart of Jazz and that is what I was trying to say.
That first number was like a religious ceremony....very spiritual and deep...and the second song. just awesome! What a genius he was.... RIP Sun Ra or rather ..fly on
Fantastic. I saw Sun Ra in the summer of 1988 at Sweet Basil's in NYC. Bigger band, plus dancers, crowded onto the small stage. When Sun Ra walked through the tables up to the bandstand, he put his hand on my friend's shoulder, and that put him in direct communication with the cosmos.
Holy Crap! Don't know how I missed out on RA at Basil!! Damn.. Loved his band from this period. Wish they could work out royalties for this series so a DVD box set could be produced. Sanborn was a fine host !
There's a story about him putting his hands on the shoulders of an audience member, during the crowd walks they used to do, and saying to him; " Will you give up your death for me?"
I watched this the night it aired, and this was one of those times when I cranked the volume really loud and got one of those 'natural highs' that you get when you're hearing something with 'magic'. I was a Ra fan from the first time I heard him (c. 1972) but this was amazing stuff that went beyond what even the great Miles was up to. Outer space? I love music like this for opening up the 'inner space' too. You don't see things like this on TV today, alas.
And would end the show with a free flowing jam session that always really grooved beyond walls and genres. Music. Still waiting for this show to return.
I remember seeing Sun Ra on Saturday Night Live, ca. 1980. The group was introduced as "Sun Ra and His Music From Another Planet Arkestra". My friends and I had never heard of Sun Ra before, and even though we were into some way out music at the time - in particular Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - and even though we were used to seeing cutting-edge bands on SNL, nothing prepared us for Sun Ra. At first we thought it was a comedy sketch, then we realized no, this is serious art. So I guess that we can thank network TV for introducing us to the genius of Sun Ra.
This is exceptionally great! Sun Ra provides us with an answer on the post modern value crisis; the 'End of all Big Stories', as F. Lyotard stated. Sun Ra forsaw the need today for religious 're-enchantment', and blends African tradition and European priesthood, and provides us with an alternative religious expercience of the 'holy'. Replace the songwords 'kosmos' and 'music' with 'God' and this is nothing less than a religious service with an alternative for Christianity.
+Robert Gerard Although you may fairly phrase it that way according to your own perspective, I don't think his intention was to "blend a European priesthood" as it is strictly based on the Ancient Kemetic Mystery Temple & it's respective priesthood. Which is nothing more than African tradition itself. At any rate, your overall offering I very much agree with.
+Arts4Change AKMT is WAY more and DEEPER than just "African tradition" Egypt < Akkadia < Sumeria < Anunnaki < The whole fertile crescent = Our human history.
I had the supreme pleasure of meeting and chatting with Sun Ra on the sidewalk back of Sweet Basil in the Village NYC, 1985. This resulted later in the Ark coming to Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth TX, vis a vis my wife Shirley McFatter. Her fondest jazz memory was a late night conversation with Sun Ra by phone.
My own brief conversation with Sun Ra was only about whether he would be interested in bringing the Ark to Fort Worth Texas. At that time there was a beautiful club there , the Caravan of Dreams, very eclectic and international. He was interested, and sent me along with, I think Danny, to a phone booth down the block, to call his agent in LA. Some time later he was booked at the Caravan. My wife was able to catch his show, I wasn't. She was a jazz artist herself, and no doubt just had some polite 'jazz speak' with Sun Ra. As for what she discussed with him, I do not recall if I ever knew.....it's been a long while. But thank you for asking. Peace.
From Saturn to Earth: Ladies and gentlemen, Le Sony'r Ra aka Sun Ra (May 22, 1914or1915-May 29, 1993), the most important intergalact musician from the Space! It's time to be back, man!
I used to love this show! I think it was on late Sunday night and I'd stay up to watch it and of course was a mess for work every monday. Sun Ra I didn't see unfortunately, so thx for the upload!
I watched every episodes,very eclectic and satisfying. I remember Leonard Cohen, bootsy,sonny Rollins and other greats on this show. Waiting for the complete dvd set
Yeah, the sound upload isn't right, since the show was originally presented in Dolby Surround audio. As I remember, it was pretty much just stereo with a touch of ambience in the rear. What we hear is a sum of that sound in one channel, but all the same, am grateful for this upload, as I don't know where my VHS of the broadcast is now--somewhere buried in my sister's house, no doubt.
*"I know these earphones are not fading on me yet. Lemme check later. Sun has my heart and part of mind.."* First Sun Ra I remember hearing was Astro Black and I was tripping face or felt like I was. lol
Sun Ra was on a Plane of Existence that exceeded Common Thought. He was beyond deep, there was no level for him. This Cat needed to be heard, but most couldn't dig where he was at.
I used to love this show but it was on late Sunday night and I'd go into work the next morning exhausted. The network just didn't trust that it would be successful and killed it with a terrible time slot.
Johnnie ROBERTS me too i saw him in locarno switzerland on a warm summernight we danced trough the small streets the whole night and the place is transvered since, blessed
Indeed. But at times , when the cheap trash likes of Cardi B etc are tainting our collective consciousness 's , it's hard not to feel an inclination to give in to despair.
Anyone know who was in the band that night? Besides Sun Ra, I recognise June Tyson(singing), Marshall Allan(alto(solos),singing), John Gilmore (tenor,drums, singing); pretty sure it's James Jacson (bassoon & Egyptian Infinity Drum), Tyrone Hill (trombone,singing,enthusiastic clapping), Elson Nascimento (in yellow, surdo drum); No idea on trumpet, drums & bass. RIP Ra,Tyson,Gilmore,Jacson,Hill (that I know of). Many of you may know that Marshall Allan leads the band now at age 89! and still plays with the same fire. I sure do miss this show (as many of you do). Likewise when you'd be excited or curious about who SNL was going to have on...
One year, the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village - lots of people in crazy costumes walking around. I hear a sound in the distance and then up comes Sun Ra with part of his band marching along in the parade playing their horns and Sun Ra in front leading them. Pretty cool!
