(For those who like Sun Ra) How did you first get familiar with his name and his music?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I have been spending too much time alone and now my obsessions are all surfacing. I am still impressed with the fact that several people mentioned Sun Ra on their list of musicians whose entire output they would like to own. Am I just cheering for my team (possibly), or is he overtaking some of the other crossover free jazz names? At any rate, I am wondering how people have gotten to like him. I would imagine the Evidence reissues did a lot for the cause. I first became familiar with him from hearing some things on the radio ("Space is the Place," "Strange Celestial Roads," "Astro Black Mythology," something from "Lanquidity," and some moog synthesizer noodling) back in junior high/high school. Also there was a great station ID (on WXPN) which featured Sun Ra talking about music being the language of the gods. When I got to college in the 80's, I started going to see the Arkestra perform live, which was always a great, overwhelming and inspiring experience, especially at a time when they regularly put on such a full spectacle even when they played locally. The first recording I bought was "Out There a Minute," which was very disappointing to me, since it sounded nothing like what I had heard on the radio, nor anything like what I was experiencing live. Over time, it's become one of my favorite albums. However, the Evidence reissues have further expanded and deepened my appreciation for his music. There are plenty of other good recordings on other labels, but having all of this music made available, reliably, and over a relatively short period of time, has had a big impact on how I hear Sun Ra. Also, I have been disappointed with a lot of the live recordings I've bought, particularly those on Leo. I don't think I would have bought as many of his CDs, if it weren't for the material Evidence put out. But because of them, I've also gotten around to picking up some things on other labels (e.g., "Janus" on 1201 Records).

Anyway, would you like to share, or do I sound too earnest and fanatical to reply to?

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 26 December 2002 05:10 (twenty-three years ago)

i 1st heard of him when i was 14 or 15 my buddy at hi skool had a bunch of weird records & tapes that belonged to his older bro who'd left the country, 1 of em was kick out the jams by the MC5 & the weird long track at the end that i thought was real cool & spooky was co-credited to Sun Ra. i never saw a record by him tho til about i guess 5 yrs later, it was "strange celestial rd" & i immediately bought it, i didnt get what was so great about that one at 1st tho, sounded like just some jazz-rock fusion. but i still bought the next ones i saw & those were the 2 "heliocentric worlds" records & those really knocked me out.

― unknown or illegal user (doorag), Thursday, 26 December 2002 05:45 (twenty-three years ago)

so for the next 20 yrs i always buy everything i find by him, i still haven't got all that many tho. yeah i'd like to own everything he recorded too but i dunno, is there gonna be enough time to listen to it all, probably not.

― unknown or illegal user (doorag), Thursday, 26 December 2002 05:51 (twenty-three years ago)

We're related!

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 26 December 2002 05:59 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't see a need to own that many of his records, I'm not a huge fan of his sound (although I am a fan of some people who played with him: Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, etc.). First heard him in 1990 when he played a festival in Birmingham, Alabama (where my dad was living at the time). I think I'd heard of him long before that, but it took quite a while before actually hearing his music.

― hstencil, Thursday, 26 December 2002 14:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not a huge fan of his sound

I'm curious: do you mean his piano playing specifically, or the overall sound he got out of the Arkestra (or perhaps his sound, as in his compositional style)? To some extent I use "Sun Ra" as short-hand for Sun Ra and his Arkestra.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 26 December 2002 14:34 (twenty-three years ago)

When I was a sophomore in college, some older jazzheads of my acquaintance started buzzing about him because he was coming to town. So they played me some of his tunes (the Hat Hut live set, I believe) and then took me to see him. It was a musical-life-changing experience for sure.

I am by no means a completist on Ra stuff--I don't have the time, money, or compulsion--but I was thrilled when the Evidence stuff finally came along and invested heavily.

― Lee G (Lee G), Thursday, 26 December 2002 15:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I just remembered: One of my older jazzheads buds actually interviewed him on local NPR, and when asked about what people call him (Mr. Ra?), he responded "Some people call me Mr. Ra, some people call me Mr. Ree. Some people call me Mr. Mystery." That helped hook me as well.

― Lee G (Lee G), Thursday, 26 December 2002 15:12 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not anywhere near to being a completist either. I don't even have everything that is easily available on CD, let alone any vinyl rarities or concert bootlegs.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 26 December 2002 15:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Both. I'm not a huge fan of his individual playing, or his stuff for the Arkestra. I mean, there are some good moments in both, to be sure, but I'm not sure if I need to wade through every shallows to find a pearl.

― hstencil, Thursday, 26 December 2002 16:49 (twenty-three years ago)

james are you really? i know it's the same surname or was that yr joke and i'm gullible today

― bob zemko (bob), Thursday, 26 December 2002 18:47 (twenty-three years ago)

i read an article about him in Spin, where they talked about his claim about being from Mars (or whatever planet he claimed that he was from). and that his music sounded like he was from Mars. it was one of the times when the review was spot-on (about the music, that is).

― Tad (llamasfur), Thursday, 26 December 2002 19:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I found him myself just going through Pitchfork's archives reading reviews. Oddly enough, my father was on my computer one day and saw the MP3s and said, "Sun Ra? I haven't listened to him since college"... even weirder he found Charles Mingus and said, "I saw him live in Boston once..."

When I got to talking to him about music he said things like, "Yeah when Black Sabath's first album came out it blew us all away, and I saw them live. After that it became all the same" Turned out he liked Beefheart a lot as well...

Just really surreal, as I always thought of my dad as the most uncool man alive.

― David Allen, Thursday, 26 December 2002 19:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Found him via NRBQ.

― Jim M, Thursday, 26 December 2002 22:47 (twenty-three years ago)

just read some article abt the guy and got tried some recs. that's how i get into most things really.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 29 December 2002 20:30 (twenty-three years ago)

he spoke to me in a cosmic beam before i was born

― bob snoom, Sunday, 29 December 2002 20:41 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.